Maned Wolf Chrysocyon brachyurus

Maned Wolf Chrysocyon brachyurus

Near Threatened

Extant (resident)

Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Peru and Bolivia. Now extinct in Uruguay.

The Maned Wolf Chrysocyon brachyurus is a captivating wild dog species known for their “foxes on stilts” appearance and distinctive cannabis-smelling urine odour. Their long legs allow them to peer over the tall grass in their South American grassland habitat. Solitary and enigmatic, they communicate through “roar-barks” while marking territory with their unique scent. Despite their fascinating quirks, this species faces significant threats. Deforestation due to palm oil, meat and soy agriculture, gold mining, and commodity crop plantations (like palm oil and soy) has fragmented their habitat, leaving them vulnerable to road mortality, disease transmission from domestic dogs, and poaching. These threats, coupled with habitat destruction, endanger their future. You can make a difference by fighting for their survival every time you shop. Use your wallet as a weapon and boycott palm oil and boycott gold to protect them #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife

The unusual look of Maned #Wolves have earned them the nickname ‘Foxes on Stilts’, they are solitary hunters in #Brazil #Peru and #Bolivia. Help them to survive when you #BoycottGold #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://wp.me/pcFhgU-7Pv

Maned Wolves are #SouthAmerica’s tallest canids with long slender legs to help them navigate grasslands. Now ‘Near Threatened’ by #palmoil #meat and #mining #deforestation, Fight for them and #Boycottpalmoil #BoycottGold #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://wp.me/pcFhgU-7Pv

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Appearance & Behaviour

The maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus), known as South America’s tallest canid, stands at nearly a meter high and sports long, slender legs adapted to spotting prey over the tall grasses of their native habitat. Their reddish-brown fur, black legs, and signature mane give them a striking and unmistakable appearance. Despite resembling foxes and wolves, they’re neither and instead represent a unique branch of the canid family. They are solitary, often shy, and communicate through distinctive “roar-barks” while marking their territory with cannabis-like scented urine.

• Foxes on Stilts: Their long legs earned them this nickname as it helps them peer above the grass for prey.
• Solitary Wanderers: Unlike most canids, they are solitary hunters, patrolling vast territories alone.
• Cannabis-Like Odour: Their urine contains a compound that smells remarkably like cannabis, giving them the nickname “skunk wolf.”
• Vital Seed Dispersers: Feeding on native fruits, they help disperse seeds throughout the ecosystem, playing a crucial role in plant biodiversity.

To protect this species, consumers can join the movement by avoiding and boycotting commodities associated with the destruction of their home. Help them to survive by being vegan and avoiding meat, #BoycottGold and #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife.

Threats

• Habitat Reduction: Deforestation and conversion of rainforest for palm oil, soy and meat agriculture are reducing their habitat.
• Road Mortality: Increasing road networks lead to death or injury from vehicle collisions.
• Disease Transmission: Domestic dogs pose a significant threat due to passing on diseases.
• Poaching: Illegal hunting of Maned Wolves continues to pose a danger.

Conservationists and local communities are working together to safeguard the Maned Wolf’s future. By boycotting palm oil, and advocating for wildlife-friendly policies, you can be a strong force for change and fight for their survival. Remember to #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife in the supermarket!

Habitat

Maned Wolves are found in South America’s grasslands, savannahs, and forests across Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia, and Peru. They favour grasslands with scattered trees and bush lands in higher altitudes but are known to adapt to plantations and even agricultural landscapes.

Diet

The maned wolf is omnivorous, feasting on a variety of foods. Their diet includes small mammals, birds, eggs, and insects, but they also love fruits and plants. They especially favour “wolf apple,” a fruit that provides both sustenance and protection from parasites.

Mating and breeding

Monogamous pairs share large territories but often interact only during mating season, which ranges from November to April. Females give birth to litters of 2-6 pups after a gestation period of 60-65 days. While the pups are primarily cared for by their mother, the father also plays a role.

Support Maned Wolves by going vegan and boycotting palm oil in the supermarket, it’s the #Boycott4Wildlife

Support the conservation of this species

This animal has no protections in place. Read about other forgotten species here. Create art to support this forgotten animal or raise awareness about them by sharing this post and using the #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife hashtags on social media. Also you can boycott palm oil in the supermarket.

Further Information

Animalia. (n.d.). Maned wolf. https://animalia.bio/maned-wolf

Paula, R. C., & DeMatteo, K. (2015). Chrysocyon brachyurus (errata version published in 2016). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015: e.T4819A88135664. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T4819A82316878.en

Spanner, H. (2023, November 6). The maned wolf: All you need to know about the long-legged star of BBC’s Planet Earth III. https://www.sciencefocus.com/nature/maned-wolf

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Maned wolf. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maned_wolf

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Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings

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The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert

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3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.

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Learn about other animals endangered by palm oil and other agriculture

Marsupials thought extinct for 6,000 years found in West Papua

Gursky’s Spectral Tarsier Tarsius spectrumgurskyae

Sunda Flying Lemur Galeopterus variegatus

Western Parotia Parotia sefilata

Capped Langur Trachypithecus pileatus

Mountain Tapir Tapirus pinchaque

Learn about “sustainable” palm oil greenwashing

Read more about RSPO greenwashing

A 2019 World Health Organisation (WHO) report into the palm oil industry and RSPO finds extensive greenwashing of palm oil deforestation and the murder of endangered animals (i.e. biodiversity loss)

Mountain Tapir Tapirus pinchaque

Mountain Tapir Tapirus pinchaque

IUCN Red List Status: Endangered

Location: Colombia, Ecuador, northern Peru

Mountain Tapirs inhabit the high Andean cloud forests and páramos above 2,000 metres in the northern Andes. They are found in Colombia’s Central and Eastern Cordilleras, throughout Ecuador including Sangay and Podocarpus National Parks, and into northern Peru, notably in Cajamarca and Lambayeque.

The Mountain Tapir Tapirus pinchaque is one of the most threatened large mammals in the northern Andes, currently listed as Endangered. Their populations have declined by over 50% in the past three decades due to habitat loss, illegal hunting, climate change, and rampant mining. With fewer than 2,500 mature individuals remaining, they are quietly disappearing from their mist-shrouded mountain homes. Human encroachment, infrastructure development, and cattle grazing now invade their last strongholds. Without urgent action, they may vanish forever. Use your wallet as a weapon and fight back when you shop #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife and be #BoycottGold

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Sweet-natured Mountain #Tapirs of #Ecuador 🇪🇨 #Peru 🇵🇪 and #Colombia 🇨🇴 face serious threats incl. illegal crops, #gold #mining, #palmoil #deforestation and hunting. Help them survive #BoycottPalmOil 🌴⛔️#BoycottGold 🥇⛔️ #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2025/12/28/mountain-tapir-tapirus-pinchaque/

The Wooly #Tapir AKA Mountain Tapir gives birth to one calf at a time 🩷😻 They’re #endangered due to a many threats: #climatechange and #pollution from #gold mining. Resist for them! #BoycottPalmOil #BoycottGold 🥇☠️❌ #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2025/12/28/mountain-tapir-tapirus-pinchaque/

Appearance & Behaviour

Also known as the woolly tapir for their thick, dark, shaggy coat, Mountain Tapirs are built to survive in the cold, damp cloud forests and páramo grasslands. Their dense fur, white lips, and prehensile snout give them an almost prehistoric appearance. These solitary and elusive mammals are primarily nocturnal and crepuscular, navigating dense foliage with ease. Once thought to be loners, long-term studies in Ecuador have revealed that they form small, close-knit family groups, with calves gradually dispersing over several years (Castellanos et al., 2022).

Threats

Deforestation for palm oil, meat agriculture and illicit opium/coca cultivation

Large swathes of Andean cloud forest and páramo are being cleared to make way for palm oil agricultural expansion, cattle grazing, and opium or coca cultivation. These activities are not only destroying core habitat but also breaking up previously connected populations, leaving tapirs isolated and vulnerable to local extinctions. The introduction of cattle into remote tapir refuges has become increasingly common, even inside designated national parks such as Sangay in Ecuador. This leads to trampling of sensitive vegetation, direct competition for food, and destruction of the unique montane ecosystems that Mountain Tapirs rely on for survival.

Illegal hunting for meat, traditional medicine, and cultural uses

Although hunting pressure has declined slightly in Ecuador due to greater public awareness, it remains severe in Colombia and Peru. Tapirs are killed for their meat, and their skins are used to make traditional tools, horse gear, carpets, and bed covers. Additionally, body parts are sold in local markets or prescribed by shamans for use in traditional medicine. In many remote areas, Mountain Tapirs are still being actively poached, and it is now rare to find populations that are not affected by some form of overhunting.

Gold mining and illegal mining causing deforestation and poisoning of ecosystems

Gold mining projects in the northern Peruvian Andes and central Colombia are rapidly destroying the last cloud forest headwaters and páramo ecosystems where tapirs persist. Both legal and illegal mining operations contaminate streams and watersheds with heavy metals and toxic runoff, which has severe consequences for both tapirs and the human communities downstream. Mining also brings roads, noise, and human settlements into previously inaccessible areas, increasing hunting pressure and reducing available habitat. In some parts of Peru, nearly 30% of the Mountain Tapir’s current range now overlaps with active or planned gold mining concessions (More et al., 2022).

Climate change pushing tapirs further uphill into shrinking habitat

As global temperatures rise, the high-elevation ecosystems where Mountain Tapirs live are shrinking. Suitable climate zones are shifting higher up the mountains, but because mountains have limited space at the top, this forces tapirs into ever smaller areas with fewer food resources. This phenomenon, known as “the escalator to extinction,” is especially dangerous for highland species like the Mountain Tapir, who cannot move downward into warmer zones. Climate change also alters rainfall patterns and vegetation cycles, further straining the species’ delicate habitat requirements.

Road construction and vehicle collisions within protected areas

Infrastructure development is rapidly cutting through mountainous areas, including roads that bisect national parks and reserves. This not only fragments tapir habitat but also leads to direct deaths through vehicle collisions. Once roads are completed, traffic speeds increase and tapirs crossing roads—especially at dawn and dusk—become highly vulnerable. Roads also make previously remote areas more accessible to poachers, settlers, and resource extractors, while local governments often lack sufficient ranger staff to monitor and protect these newly exposed areas.

Fumigation campaigns using toxic chemicals to eradicate drug crops

In Colombia, the government authorises aerial fumigation of coca and poppy fields using glyphosate-based herbicides like Round-Up. These chemicals are sprayed over wide areas, including forests and National Parks, contaminating soil, plants, and water sources. Mountain Tapirs can absorb these toxins through skin contact or ingestion, potentially leading to illness, reproductive failure, or death. Fumigation also destroys native plants that tapirs rely on for food, further decreasing habitat quality in affected areas.

Widespread introduction of cattle and the threat of disease transmission

Domestic cattle are increasingly being introduced into mountain tapir habitat, especially within protected areas where enforcement is weak. These animals not only compete with tapirs for forage but also carry diseases such as bovine tuberculosis and foot-and-mouth disease. Disease outbreaks have already been documented among tapirs in other parts of Latin America and pose a serious threat to small, isolated populations. In the Andes, cattle often form feral herds that reproduce and spread deep into cloud forests, further eroding habitat integrity and increasing the risk of tapir extinction.

Weak enforcement of environmental laws and lack of large protected areas in Peru

Although some Mountain Tapir habitat falls within designated protected areas, law enforcement in Peru is generally under-resourced and poorly coordinated. Rangers are too few to patrol vast mountainous regions effectively, and illegal activities such as mining, logging, and hunting continue within protected boundaries. Furthermore, most reserves are too small or fragmented to support viable tapir populations over the long term. Without stronger policies, larger protected zones, and meaningful binational cooperation with Ecuador and Colombia, tapirs in Peru face an uncertain future.

Low reproductive rate and slow population recovery

Mountain Tapirs have a long gestation period of around 13 months and typically produce only one calf at a time, meaning population growth is inherently slow. When combined with high mortality from hunting, roadkill, and disease, their populations cannot recover quickly from losses. Calves stay with their mothers for extended periods, further limiting reproductive output. This slow life cycle makes the species particularly vulnerable to sudden or sustained threats across their fragmented range.

Geographic Range

This species is found in the high Andes of Colombia, Ecuador, and northernmost Peru. In Colombia, they are present in the Central and Eastern Cordilleras but are absent from the Western Cordillera and Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. In Ecuador, they range from the central Andes down through Sangay National Park to Podocarpus, with new records emerging from previously unconnected areas in the western Andes. In Peru, they occur north and south of the Huancabamba River in Cajamarca and Lambayeque (More et al., 2022). The total range in Peru is estimated at 183,000 hectares, but mining concessions cover nearly 30% of this habitat.

Diet

Mountain Tapirs are browsers, feeding on a wide variety of vegetation including leaves, shoots, fruits, and bromeliads. Their diet varies depending on the availability of plants within their high-altitude habitats, playing an important role as seed dispersers within these fragile ecosystems.

Mating and Reproduction

Mountain Tapirs have a slow reproductive rate, with a gestation period of approximately 13 months. Females typically give birth to a single calf, which stays with them for several months or even years before dispersing. Calves are born with white stripes and spots that fade as they mature. Their slow breeding cycle makes it difficult for populations to recover from hunting and habitat loss.

FAQs

How many Mountain Tapirs are left in the wild?

Fewer than 2,500 mature individuals remain in the wild, and the population is continuing to decline by at least 20% every two decades due to ongoing threats like habitat destruction, hunting, and climate change (IUCN, 2015).

What is the average lifespan of a Mountain Tapir?

In the wild, Mountain Tapirs may live up to 25 years, though this is significantly affected by environmental threats. Captive individuals can live slightly longer under safe and controlled conditions.

What are the biggest challenges to conserving Mountain Tapirs?

Major challenges include habitat fragmentation due to road construction, agriculture, and mining; the presence of armed conflict zones that hinder research and protection; and the slow reproduction rate of the species, which makes population recovery difficult (Guzmán-Valencia et al., 2024; More et al., 2022).

Do Mountain Tapirs make good pets?

No. Keeping a Mountain Tapir as a pet is unethical and illegal. These intelligent, solitary animals require large, wild habitats to survive. Capturing and trading them causes immense suffering and drives the species further toward extinction. Advocating against the exotic pet trade is vital to their survival.

Take Action!

Boycott palm oil and products linked to Andean deforestation. Support indigenous-led conservation and agroecology initiatives in the Andes. Call for stronger protections against mining and deforestation in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. Refuse to buy exotic animal products, including those used in folk medicine. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife #Vegan #BoycottMeat

Support Mountain Tapirs by going vegan and boycotting palm oil in the supermarket, it’s the #Boycott4Wildlife

Support the conservation of this species

This animal has no protections in place. Read about other forgotten species here. Create art to support this forgotten animal or raise awareness about them by sharing this post and using the #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife hashtags on social media. Also you can boycott palm oil in the supermarket.

Further Information

Castellanos, A., Dadone, L., Ascanta, M., & Pukazhenthi, B. (2022). Andean tapir (Tapirus pinchaque) social groups and calf dispersal patterns in Ecuador. Boletín Técnico, Serie Zoológica, 17, 9–14. Retrieved from https://journal.espe.edu.ec/ojs/index.php/revista-serie-zoologica/article/view/2858

Delborgo Abra, F., Medici, P., Brenes-Mora, E., & Castelhanos, A. (2024). The Impact of Roads and Traffic on Tapir Species. In Tapirs of the World (pp. 157–165). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-65311-7_10

Guzmán-Valencia, C., Castrillón, L., Roncancio Duque, N., & Márquez, R. (2024). Co-Occurrence, Occupancy and Habitat Use of the Andean Bear and Mountain Tapir: Insights for Conservation Management in the Colombian Andes. SSRN. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5061561

Lizcano, D.J., Amanzo, J., Castellanos, A., Tapia, A. & Lopez-Malaga, C.M. 2016. Tapirus pinchaque. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T21473A45173922. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T21473A45173922.en. Accessed on 06 April 2025.

More, A., Devenish, C., Carrillo-Tavara, K., Piana, R. P., Lopez-Malaga, C., Vega-Guarderas, Z., & Nuñez-Cortez, E. (2022). Distribution and conservation status of the mountain tapir (Tapirus pinchaque) in Peru. Journal for Nature Conservation, 66, 126130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnc.2022.126130

How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?

Take Action in Five Ways

1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.

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2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.

Wildlife Artist Juanchi Pérez

Read more

Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings

Read more

Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao

Read more

Health Physician Dr Evan Allen

Read more

The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert

Read more

How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy

Read more

3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.

https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20

https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20

https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20

4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.

5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here

Learn about other animals endangered by palm oil and other agriculture

Saola Pseudoryx nghetinhensis

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Tucuxi Sotalia fluviatilis

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Frill-Necked Lizard Chlamydosaurus kingii

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Grey Crowned Crane Balearica regulorum

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Ecuadorean Viscacha Lagidium ahuacaense

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Southern Pudu Pudu puda

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Learn about “sustainable” palm oil greenwashing

Read more about RSPO greenwashing

A 2019 World Health Organisation (WHO) report into the palm oil industry and RSPO finds extensive greenwashing of palm oil deforestation and the murder of endangered animals (i.e. biodiversity loss)

#animals #Bantrophyhunting #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottGold #BoycottMeat #BoycottPalmOil #cattle #climateChange #climatechange #Colombia #deforestation #Ecuador #endangered #EndangeredSpecies #ForgottenAnimals #gold #herbivore #herbivores #hunting #infrastructure #lowlandTapir #Mammal #mammals #mining #PalmOil #palmOilDeforestation #palmoil #Peru #poaching #pollution #Tapir #Tapirs #ungulate #ungulates #vegan

Capped Langur Trachypithecus pileatus

Capped Langur Trachypithecus pileatus

IUCN Red List Status: Vulnerable

Location: India, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar

This species inhabits subtropical and tropical dry forests, primarily in the foothills and highlands south of the Brahmaputra River and across fragmented patches in northeastern South Asia.

The capped #langur (Trachypithecus pileatus) is a graceful and beautiful leaf #monkey found across northeastern #India, #Bhutan, #Bangladesh, and #Myanmar. Sadly, they are listed as # Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List due to rapid population declines from #deforestation, logging, agriculture, and the devastating impacts of #palmoil plantations. Once widespread, their numbers have nearly halved in some regions like Assam due to the accelerating loss of native forest cover. Directly threatened by palm oil and monoculture expansion, this species is now confined to small, isolated forest fragments. Take action every time you shop and #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife

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In the forests of #Bangladesh 🇧🇩 and northern #India 🇮🇳 lives a remarkable #primate with soulful hazel eyes 🐵🐒 on the verge of #extinction from #palmoil #deforestation. Help the Capped #Langur and #Boycottpalmoil 🌴🔥🚫 #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2026/01/11/capped-langur-trachypithecus-pileatus/

The intelligent and social Capped #Langur 🙉🐒🐵 is under pressure from #palmoil #deforestation and hunting in #India 🇮🇳 Troops are interbreeding with Phayre’s #langurs to survive. Fight for them and #Boycottpalmoil 🌴☠️❌ #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2026/01/11/capped-langur-trachypithecus-pileatus/

Appearance & Behaviour

With their black-tufted crown, pale fur, and soulful eyes, capped langurs are among the most visually distinctive primates in the Eastern Himalayas. Their fur ranges from silver-grey to golden orange, with darker limbs and a black cap that gives them their name. They move gracefully through the canopy, rarely descending to the forest floor except for play or social grooming.

Capped langurs live in unimale, multifemale groups with sizes ranging from 8 to 15 individuals. They spend most of their time feeding (up to 67%) or resting (up to 40%), engaging in complex social grooming and vocal communication. Daily movements range from 320–800 metres across fragmented habitats of 21–64 hectares. Grooming is an important social activity, with females often taking turns in allomothering behaviour.

Threats

Palm oil, teak and rubber monoculture plantations

The spread of oil palm and other monoculture crops such as teak and rubber is destroying the capped langur’s native forests at an alarming rate. These industrial plantations eliminate the diverse tree species that capped langurs rely on for food and shelter, leaving them with little to survive on. Once a landscape is cleared and replaced with palm oil or other single crops, it becomes a green desert devoid of biodiversity, pushing the species closer to extinction. In regions like Assam and Bangladesh, palm oil is a major driver of habitat fragmentation and degradation, especially in forest corridors that once connected populations.

Timber deforestation

Widespread illegal logging, often fuelled by demand for timber and firewood, is rapidly eroding the capped langur’s habitat. Fruiting and lodging trees that are vital to their survival are cut down, leaving forests patchy and disconnected. As their home ranges shrink, capped langur groups are forced into smaller fragments, increasing their vulnerability to predators, food shortages, and inbreeding. In some areas, this pressure has led to local extinctions or the collapse of entire populations.

Slash-and-burn agriculture

Slash-and-burn agriculture destroys habitat for capped langurs and often brings them into closer contact with human settlements, increasing conflict and risk of hunting or roadkill. Forest recovery from this can take decades—time the capped langur simply doesn’t have.

Hunting and the illegal pet trade

Capped langurs are hunted for their meat, pelts, and for sale in the illegal pet trade. In many tribal and rural areas of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, and Manipur, they are still targeted despite legal protections. Their pelts are used to make traditional knife sheaths, and infants are often captured after killing their mothers, then sold as pets. This exploitation causes severe suffering and has a devastating impact on group structures, leading to long-term population decline.

Roads cut into rainforests for mines and tea plantations

As forests are cut into smaller patches for roads, mining, tea plantations, and settlements, capped langur populations become increasingly isolated. Small, disconnected populations face higher risks of inbreeding, loss of genetic diversity, and eventual extinction. In some regions, such as Tinsukia and Sonitpur, populations have already disappeared due to this fragmentation. The collapse of corridors also disrupts daily movement, feeding patterns, and access to mates—placing enormous stress on surviving individuals.

Hybridisation with other species

Due to the rapid degradation of natural habitats, capped langurs are increasingly forming mixed-species groups with the closely related Phayre’s langur (Trachypithecus phayrei). Recent studies in northeast Bangladesh confirm genetically that hybridisation is occurring, which could result in the eventual cyto-nuclear extinction of the capped langur lineage. Although hybridisation can happen naturally, in this case it is being driven by human-induced fragmentation, forcing species into overlapping territories with fewer options for mates. This phenomenon is both a symptom and a driver of their decline, complicating conservation efforts.

Mining, infrastructure, and political conflict

Open-cast coal mining, limestone extraction, and petroleum exploration have all contributed to the destruction of capped langur habitat across Assam and Nagaland. Infrastructure projects, such as highways and border fences, not only destroy habitat directly but also block animal movements and isolate populations. In border regions, armed conflict and territorial skirmishes have already extirpated capped langurs from several reserves, such as the Nambhur and Rengma forests. Weak law enforcement allows habitat destruction to continue unchecked in many regions.

Geographic Range

Capped langurs are found in northeastern India (Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura), Bhutan, northwestern Myanmar, and northeastern and central Bangladesh. They occur at elevations from 10 to 3,000 metres across hill forests, riverine reserves, and protected areas. However, their range is now severely fragmented by human development, with some populations disappearing from former strongholds due to mining, conflict, and agricultural encroachment.

Diet

Primarily folivorous, the capped langur’s diet includes mature and young leaves, petioles, seeds, flowers, bamboo shoots, bark, and occasionally caterpillars. They forage on more than 43 plant species, with favourites including banyan (Ficus benghalensis), sacred fig (Ficus religiosa), Terminalia bellerica, and Mallotus philippensis. Seasonal availability influences their feeding patterns, but they consistently prefer fruiting and flowering trees.

Mating and Reproduction

Breeding usually occurs in the dry season, with birthing concentrated between late December and May. The gestation period lasts about 200 days, and the interbirth interval is approximately two years. Only parous females participate in allomothering, allowing new mothers time to forage and recover, a behaviour rare among langurs and considered a form of altruism.

FAQs

How many capped langurs are left in the wild?

Exact numbers are uncertain, but estimates suggest the population in Assam has declined from 39,000 in 1989 to approximately 18,600 between 2008 and 2014 (Choudhury, 2014). This halving reflects habitat loss and increasing fragmentation, particularly in Upper Assam and the Barak Valley.

What is the average lifespan of a capped langur?

While data is limited, langurs of this genus generally live 20–25 years in the wild. Captive lifespans may extend slightly due to the absence of predators and constant food supply, though such conditions often lead to stress.

Why are capped langurs under threat?

Their decline is due to relentless deforestation, palm oil and monoculture plantations, illegal logging, and road-building. Slash-and-burn agriculture and mining also play a major role. Capped langurs are hunted in some regions for meat, pelts, and as pets, particularly in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, and Nagaland.

Do capped langurs make good pets?

Absolutely not. Capped langurs are intelligent, social beings that rely on complex forest habitats and close-knit family groups. Removing them from the wild fuels extinction and causes immense trauma. Many die during illegal capture and transport. Keeping them as pets is a selfish act that destroys lives. If you care about capped langurs, never support the exotic pet trade!

What are the major conservation challenges for capped langurs?

The biggest issues are hybridisation with other primate species, habitat fragmentation, palm oil expansion, and human-wildlife conflict. The 2018 study in Satchari National Park found that local attitudes toward conservation vary by occupation, education, and gender, which means education and outreach are crucial. A big challenge is the rise in hybridisation with sympatric Phayre’s langurs, driven by habitat degradation—this poses long-term genetic risks (Ahmed et al., 2024).

Take Action!

Capped langurs are vanishing before our eyes, driven to the brink by out-of-control palm oil expansion, deforestation, and development. You can help save them.

Refuse to buy products made with palm oil. Support indigenous-led conservation in northeast India and the Eastern Himalayas. Demand governments halt the destruction of old-growth forests and restore wildlife corridors. Spread awareness and challenge the illegal wildlife trade. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife #Vegan #BoycottMeat

Support the Capped Langur by going vegan and boycotting palm oil in the supermarket, it’s the #Boycott4Wildlife

Support the conservation of this species

This animal has no protections in place. Read about other forgotten species here. Create art to support this forgotten animal or raise awareness about them by sharing this post and using the #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife hashtags on social media. Also you can boycott palm oil in the supermarket.

Further Information

Ahmed, T., Hasan, S., Nath, S., Biswas, S., et al. (2024). Mixed-Species Groups and Genetically Confirmed Hybridization Between Sympatric Phayre’s Langur (Trachypithecus phayrei) and Capped Langur (T. pileatus) in Northeast Bangladesh. International Journal of Primatology, 46(1), 210–228. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10764-024-00459-x

Das, J., Chetry, D., Choudhury, A.U., & Bleisch, W. (2020). Trachypithecus pileatus (errata version published in 2021). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T22041A196580469. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T22041A196580469.en

Hasan, M.A.U., & Neha, S.A. (2018). Group size, composition and conservation challenges of capped langur (Trachypithecus pileatus) in Satchari National Park, Bangladesh. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/339550399

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Capped langur. Retrieved April 6, 2025, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capped_langur

How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?

Take Action in Five Ways

1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.

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2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.

Wildlife Artist Juanchi Pérez

Read more

Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings

Read more

Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao

Read more

Health Physician Dr Evan Allen

Read more

The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert

Read more

How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy

Read more

3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.

https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20

https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20

https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20

4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.

5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here

Learn about other animals endangered by palm oil and other agriculture

Mountain Tapir Tapirus pinchaque

Keep reading

Saola Pseudoryx nghetinhensis

Keep reading

Tucuxi Sotalia fluviatilis

Keep reading

Frill-Necked Lizard Chlamydosaurus kingii

Keep reading

Grey Crowned Crane Balearica regulorum

Keep reading

Ecuadorean Viscacha Lagidium ahuacaense

Keep reading

Learn about “sustainable” palm oil greenwashing

Read more about RSPO greenwashing

A 2019 World Health Organisation (WHO) report into the palm oil industry and RSPO finds extensive greenwashing of palm oil deforestation and the murder of endangered animals (i.e. biodiversity loss)

#animals #Assam #Bangladesh #Bantrophyhunting #Bhutan #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottMeat #BoycottPalmOil #CappedLangurTrachypithecusPileatus #deforestation #extinction #ForgottenAnimals #humanWildlifeConflict #hunting #illegalPetTrade #India #langur #Langurs #mining #monkey #monkeys #Myanmar #PalmOil #palmOilDeforestation #palmoil #PhayreSLeafMonkeyTrachypithecusPhayrei #poaching #Primate #vegan #vulnerable #VulnerableSpecies

Western Parotia Parotia sefilata

Western Parotia Parotia sefilata

Location: West Papua (Illegally occupied by Indonesia)

Found exclusively in the montane forests of the Vogelkop Peninsula and Wandammen Mountains in Indonesian-occupied West Papua, this species is confined to isolated pockets of ancient, cloud-draped rainforest.

The Western Parotia Parotia sefilata, also called the Arfak Parotia, is a stunning bird-of-paradise of #WestPapua known for their mesmerising, ballerina-like courtship dance. Male #birds fan their iridescent flank plumes into a skirt and dazzle females with precise steps and shimmering throat shields. Although listed as Least Concern in 2016, this designation is dangerously outdated. The forests these rare birds call home have suffered catastrophic #deforestation in recent years due to the explosion of #palmoil plantations. These once-pristine regions are now fragmented and rapidly vanishing. Immediate action is needed to protect the Western Parotia from becoming the next victim of extinction.#BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife

https://youtu.be/nNqV1BfSsZY

Unusual behaviours like mounting reveal complexity to the lives of Western #Parotia, thrilling #birds of paradise in #WestPapua. #Palmoil is a major threat. Fight for them and indigenous peoples #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2026/01/25/western-parotia-parotia-sefilata/

With jet black plumage 🖤 and bright green 💚 wattles, male Western Parotia #birds 🐦🦜🦚 of paradise gleam like scaly armour when they dance 🎶 Resist against their #extinction in #WestPapua when you #Boycottpalmoil 🌴🚫 #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2026/01/25/western-parotia-parotia-sefilata/

Appearance & Behaviour

Male Western Parotias are instantly recognisable by their jet-black plumage, metallic green wattles that gleam like scaled armour, and three distinctive wire-like head plumes that curl outward from each side of the crown—features that inspired the species name, derived from the Latin sex filum, meaning ‘six threads.’ A dazzling inverted silver triangle on their head flashes during display, perfectly offset by their elegant black flank plumes which form a flared skirt in courtship. Females are more subdued, clad in streaky brown feathers, allowing them to blend into the forest understorey.

This species of bird-of-paradise is polygynous. Males gather in exploded leks—loosely spaced display grounds—where they clear leaf-littered forest floors to create courts. On these makeshift stages, they perform intricate displays to attract females, combining pirouettes, head bobs, feather shimmers, and rapid shakes. A 2024 behavioural study also observed rare alternative mating tactics, including homosexual mounting and sneak copulation attempts by female-plumaged birds, suggesting untapped behavioural complexity (MacGillavry et al., 2024).

Threats

The Western Parotia is officially listed as Least Concern, but this 2016 classification dangerously underrepresents their current reality. Since that assessment, massive deforestation for timber and palm oil has devastated much of their limited range, particularly across the Vogelkop Peninsula and Wandammen Mountains. The threats are mounting and accelerating due to the following drivers:

Palm oil deforestation

Large-scale clearing of primary rainforest to make way for industrial palm oil plantations is now rampant across the Bird’s Head (Vogelkop) Peninsula. Even remote montane forests where Western Parotias lek and nest are not safe, as new roads are cut to expand plantation frontiers.

Timber deforestation

Commercial timber extraction is removing centuries-old forest giants that the Western Parotia depends on for fruit, foraging and nesting. Logging roads also fragment habitat, increase fire risk, and provide access to previously undisturbed ecosystems.

Deforestation for mining, rubber and infrastructure projects

Government-backed agribusiness schemes are encouraging monocultures such as oil palm and rubber, which completely erase the forest understory and tree canopy vital for the Parotia’s food and shelter.

Mining concessions in West Papua—often enforced with military support—are rapidly opening up forests in the Wandammen Mountains, overlapping with the Parotia’s habitat. Road construction to access mines and plantations is fragmenting the landscape irreparably.

Climate change-induced extreme weather

The species is restricted to highland forest. As temperatures rise and human pressures encroach from below, their montane habitat may shrink to mountaintop fragments, leaving no room for retreat.

Colonial exploitation, military conflict and suppression of Indigenous land rights:

Indigenous Melanesians have stewarded Papuan forests for millennia. Today, state and corporate projects continue to override Indigenous consent, leading to ecological destruction and social injustice hand-in-hand.

These combined threats pose a serious and immediate danger to the survival of the Western Parotia. Without urgent action to halt deforestation and recognise Indigenous land sovereignty, the species could slide rapidly toward extinction unnoticed.

Geographic Range

Western Parotias are found exclusively in the montane and submontane rainforests of the Vogelkop Peninsula and the Wandammen Mountains in West Papua. They are forest specialists, requiring old-growth rainforest to support their complex courtship behaviour and nesting needs. Since their last assessment in 2016, widespread forest loss has occurred across these regions, particularly from illegal logging and palm oil expansion, putting their long-term survival in serious jeopardy.

Diet

Western Parotias primarily feed on fruits—especially figs—and supplement their diet with arthropods. Their foraging occurs at various forest levels, but they prefer mid-canopy and understorey, where fruiting trees and insect-rich foliage are abundant.

Mating and Reproduction

Courtship and nesting behaviour are marked by sexual division of labour. Only the female builds the nest and raises the chick. Nests are often camouflaged in dense foliage. Although the precise breeding season remains unclear, it is believed to vary by elevation and fruiting cycles. Male courtship is heavily influenced by evolutionary modularity in display traits, which have diverged over time, giving rise to the extravagant variety seen across the Parotia genus (Scholes, 2008).

FAQs

How many Western Parotias are left in the wild?

There are no exact population estimates for the Western Parotia. The IUCN has classified them as Least Concern, but this was based on assessments from 2016. Since then, vast tracts of their habitat have been lost. Without a recent survey, the current population trend is unknown, but it is likely decreasing due to ongoing deforestation (BirdLife International, 2016).

How long do Western Parotias live?

In the wild, birds-of-paradise often live between 5 to 10 years, though lifespan data for this species is limited. In captivity, related species have reached over 15 years, but no long-term studies exist for Parotia sefilata specifically.

What challenges do conservationists face protecting this species?

Conservation of the Western Parotia is complicated by a lack of recent data and the remoteness of their habitat. The Vogelkop and Wandammen regions are undergoing rapid transformation due to illegal logging and palm oil expansion, often facilitated by state-backed infrastructure projects. These forests also fall within contested indigenous lands, and conservation solutions must be rooted in indigenous sovereignty to be effective.

Is the Western Parotia affected by the exotic pet trade?

Unlike parrots and smaller songbirds, Western Parotias are not commonly targeted for the exotic pet trade, likely due to their remote habitat and specialised diet. However, increased accessibility due to road construction could change this. It is essential to remain vigilant and oppose any wildlife trafficking.

Take Action!

Use your wallet as a weapon to stop extinction by boycotting palm oil. Always choose products that are 100% palm oil-free to avoid contributing to the deforestation that is pushing the Western Parotia closer to extinction. Support indigenous-led conservation efforts in West Papua and call for greater transparency around the spread of monoculture plantations. Protect the mesmerising courtship rituals of these remarkable birds by fighting to keep their forests standing. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife #Vegan #BoycottMeat

Support the Western Parotia by going vegan and boycotting palm oil in the supermarket, it’s the #Boycott4Wildlife

Support the conservation of this species

This animal has no protections in place. Read about other forgotten species here. Create art to support this forgotten animal or raise awareness about them by sharing this post and using the #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife hashtags on social media. Also you can boycott palm oil in the supermarket.

Further Information

BirdLife International. (2016). Parotia sefilata. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T22706181A93913206. Retrieved 6 April 2025, from https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22706181/93913206

MacGillavry, T., Janiczek, C., & Fusani, L. (2024). Video evidence of mountings by female-plumaged birds of paradise (Aves: Paradisaeidae) in the wild: Is there evidence of alternative mating tactics? Ethology. https://doi.org/10.1111/eth.13451

Scholes, E. (2008). Evolution of the courtship phenotype in the bird of paradise genus Parotia (Aves: Paradisaeidae): homology, phylogeny, and modularity. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 94(3), 491–504. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8312.2008.01012.x

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Western parotia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 6 April 2025, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_parotia

How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?

Take Action in Five Ways

1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.

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2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.

Wildlife Artist Juanchi Pérez

Read more

Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings

Read more

Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao

Read more

Health Physician Dr Evan Allen

Read more

The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert

Read more

How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy

Read more

3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.

https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20

https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20

https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20

4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.

5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here

Learn about other animals endangered by palm oil and other agriculture

Capped Langur Trachypithecus pileatus

Keep reading

Mountain Tapir Tapirus pinchaque

Keep reading

Saola Pseudoryx nghetinhensis

Keep reading

Tucuxi Sotalia fluviatilis

Keep reading

Frill-Necked Lizard Chlamydosaurus kingii

Keep reading

Grey Crowned Crane Balearica regulorum

Keep reading

Learn about “sustainable” palm oil greenwashing

Read more about RSPO greenwashing

A 2019 World Health Organisation (WHO) report into the palm oil industry and RSPO finds extensive greenwashing of palm oil deforestation and the murder of endangered animals (i.e. biodiversity loss)

#animals #Bird #birds #Birdsong #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottMeat #BoycottPalmOil #deforestation #EndSongbirdTrade #extinction #ForgottenAnimals #FreeWestPapua #gold #goldMining #hunting #indigenous #military #PalmOil #palmOilDeforestation #palmoil #Parotia #poaching #songbird #songbirds #vegan #vulnerable #VulnerableSpecies #WestPapua #WesternParotiaParotiaSefilata #WestPapua

Sunda Flying Lemur Galeopterus variegatus

Sunda Flying Lemur Galeopterus variegatus

Locations: Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia ( Java, Sumatra, Kalimantan, Bali), and Borneo

The Sunda flying lemur, also known as the Malayan flying lemur or Malayan #colugo, silently glides through the tropical forests of Southeast Asia, relying on ancient forests to survive. Despite their name, they are not true lemurs, nor do they fly—they are gliders, and among the most skilful in the world. This species is experiencing population declines in several parts of their range. They are threatened by #deforestation from #timber, #palmoil plantations, and #hunting by local communities. Forest loss, particularly in #Java, #Vietnam, and #Thailand, is fragmenting their populations and endangering their survival. Use your wallet as a weapon every time you shop and protect these sensitive creatures #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife

https://youtu.be/NUukaAK4YSI

The elegant #Sunda flying #lemur AKA #Colugo can glide 100m through trees 🪽🕊️ in #Sumatra #Kalimantan and #Borneo. Totally reliant on trees, #palmoil is a major threat to them 😿 Fight back and🌴🩸🔥☠️🧐🚫 #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2026/02/08/sunda-flying-lemur-galeopterus-variegatus/

Hauntingly beautiful gliding #mammal, the Malayan #Colugo/ Sunda Flying #Lemur uses a cape-like skin membrane to slide 100’s of metres through the #rainforests of SE #Asia. Fight for them and #Boycottpalmoil 🌴🙊🤮🚜🔥❌ #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2026/02/08/sunda-flying-lemur-galeopterus-variegatus/

Appearance & Behaviour

Sunda flying lemurs are hauntingly beautiful gliding mammals, with their large, forward-facing eyes adapted for night vision and a delicate, kite-shaped membrane of skin called a patagium stretching from their neck to their fingertips, tail, and toes. This structure allows them to glide over 100 metres through the forest canopy, losing as little as 10 metres in elevation. On the ground, they are nearly helpless, but in the trees, they move with astonishing agility. These quiet, nocturnal mammals spend their days curled up in tree hollows or nestled in the dense fronds of coconut trees, becoming active at dusk when they begin foraging.

Threats

Palm oil deforestation

The widespread clearing of tropical rainforest to establish palm oil plantations is one of the greatest threats to the Sunda flying lemur. These gliders rely heavily on continuous tree canopy for movement, foraging, and breeding. When forests are fragmented or entirely removed for palm oil, flying lemurs become stranded, exposed to predators, and unable to access food or shelter. This process has caused severe habitat degradation across Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, and Borneo.

Human persecution and hunting

In Java and some other regions, Sunda flying lemurs are hunted by local communities, including the Baduy Tribe, who increase hunting activity every four years as part of cultural practices. Though the species yields little meat, they are still killed for consumption or perceived nuisance. Hunting disrupts already fragile populations, particularly in areas where habitat loss has already reduced numbers and isolated groups.

Logging and forest fragmentation for timber

Commercial and illegal logging contribute to the rapid degradation of forests across Southeast Asia. Even selective logging can cause fragmentation, which limits the flying lemur’s ability to glide and forces them to descend to the ground—where they are highly vulnerable to predators and human threats. Logging roads also increase human access to remote forests, further accelerating hunting and forest conversion.

Competition with invasive species

In degraded habitats and plantations, Sunda flying lemurs face increased competition for food and nesting sites from invasive and generalist species such as the Plantain Squirrel (Callosciurus notatus). These squirrels are more adaptable and can dominate food sources, leaving less for the more specialised colugo. Competition like this puts additional stress on the already fragile populations of flying lemurs, especially in fragmented or edge habitats.

Urban expansion and infrastructure development

Rapid urbanisation across Southeast Asia has resulted in the encroachment of cities and towns into previously forested areas. Roads, buildings, hydroelectric dams and agricultural expansion sever vital canopy corridors and isolate populations, making gliding impossible in many urban landscapes. As a result, Sunda flying lemurs are forced to navigate unsuitable environments, increasing their risk of vehicle collisions, electrocution from power lines, and conflict with humans.

Weak protections and lack of enforcement

Although the Sunda flying lemur is legally protected in several countries, enforcement is often weak or inconsistent. In areas like Sarawak and Java, data on current populations is outdated or incomplete, making it difficult to assess trends or plan effective conservation strategies. Without strong protections and ongoing monitoring, habitat loss and hunting will continue to drive the species toward future vulnerability or extinction.

Geographic Range

Sunda flying lemurs are found across Southeast Asia, including Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, southern Myanmar, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, and Indonesia ( Java, Bali, Sumatra, Kalimantan, and Borneo). They are patchily distributed, with population declines noted in Java and possibly Sarawak. They occur in both primary and secondary forests, and are sometimes seen in plantations and gardens—but dense forest canopy is critical for their survival. Populations in disturbed habitats are less viable due to limited gliding space and reduced food availability.

Diet

The Sunda flying lemur feeds primarily on young leaves, buds, shoots, flowers, and fruits of a wide variety of forest trees. In Bako National Park, Sarawak, they have been observed feeding on over 12 tree species, with Buchanania arborescens making up over 50% of their diet. They also consume tree sap and have even been seen licking bark for water and minerals. Interestingly, they have been recorded feeding on ants (Paratrechina longicornis) in rare cases, highlighting their adaptability in changing environments.

Mating and Reproduction

After a gestation period of about 60 days, females give birth to a single young, which clings to the mother’s belly and is cradled within the folds of the patagium. The mother’s gliding membrane acts like a living pouch, offering warmth and protection as she climbs and glides through the treetops. Not much else is known about their mating systems or breeding intervals, but juveniles stay with their mothers until they are old enough to glide on their own.

FAQs

How many Sunda flying lemurs are left in the wild?

Exact population numbers are unknown, but the species is believed to be in slow decline. Localised extinctions are suspected in parts of Java and mainland Southeast Asia due to hunting and habitat fragmentation. While still widespread, their dependence on intact forests makes them vulnerable to ongoing deforestation (Boeadi & Steinmetz, 2008).

How long do Sunda flying lemurs live?

In the wild, their lifespan is estimated to be around 10–15 years, though this can vary depending on threats and environmental conditions. Data from wild populations are limited due to their elusive, nocturnal habits (Wikipedia, n.d.).

Why are they threatened by palm oil?

Palm oil plantations destroy the lowland tropical forests that flying lemurs depend on. Unlike other adaptable mammals, colugos require dense canopy cover for safe gliding, resting, and breeding. When forests are cleared, these gliders lose their ability to navigate safely, exposing them to predators and starvation. The conversion of rainforest into monoculture plantations has led to significant declines in habitat quality across their range (Lim et al., 2013; Nasir & Abdullah, 2009).

Do Sunda flying lemurs make good pets?

Absolutely not. Sunda flying lemurs are wild animals with specialised needs. They are not domesticated, and keeping them as pets leads to extreme stress, injury, or death. Capturing these animals for trade disrupts family groups and contributes to their extinction. If you care about flying lemurs, advocate against the exotic pet trade and never support it.

What conservation efforts are underway?

National laws protect the Sunda flying lemur in many range countries, and studies have been conducted in places like Bako National Park and Singapore. However, much stronger protection is needed, particularly in habitat protection and indigenous-led conservation. Conservationists recommend protecting forest patches, especially those with >95% canopy cover, to ensure their survival (Lim et al., 2013).

Take Action!

Protect the Sunda flying lemur by choosing only products that are 100% palm oil-free. Avoiding palm oil directly combats deforestation and preserves vital canopy corridors these animals depend on. Support indigenous-led agroecology and forest protection movements. Never support the exotic pet trade or keep wild animals in captivity. Every purchase you make has the power to either destroy or safeguard their rainforest homes. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife

Support Sunda Flying Lemurs by going vegan and boycotting palm oil in the supermarket, it’s the #Boycott4Wildlife

Support the conservation of this species

This animal has no protections in place. Read about other forgotten species here. Create art to support this forgotten animal or raise awareness about them by sharing this post and using the #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife hashtags on social media. Also you can boycott palm oil in the supermarket.

Further Information

Boeadi & Steinmetz, R. 2008. Galeopterus variegatus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2008: e.T41502A10479343. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T41502A10479343.en. Accessed on 06 April 2025.

Lim, N. T-L., Giam, X., Byrnes, G., & Clements, G. R. (2013). Occurrence of the Sunda colugo (Galeopterus variegatus) in the tropical forests of Singapore: A Bayesian approach. Mammalian Biology, 78(1), 63–67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mambio.2012.06.008

Nasir, D., & Abdullah, M. T. (2009). Foraging ecology of the Sunda colugo (Galeopterus variegatus) in Bako National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia. Malayan Nature Journal, 61(4), 285–294. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/290610443_Foraging_ecology_of_the_sunda_colugo_galeopterus_variegatus_in_bako_national_park_sarawak_malaysia

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Sunda flying lemur. Retrieved April 6, 2025, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunda_flying_lemur

How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?

Take Action in Five Ways

1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.

• Twitter
• Facebook
• Instagram
• WordPress
• YouTube
• Mail
• Mastodon

Enter your email address

Sign Up

2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.

Wildlife Artist Juanchi Pérez

Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings

Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao

Health Physician Dr Evan Allen

The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert

How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy

3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.

https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20

https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20

https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20

4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.

5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here

Learn about other animals endangered by palm oil and other agriculture

Western Parotia Parotia sefilata

Capped Langur Trachypithecus pileatus

Mountain Tapir Tapirus pinchaque

Saola Pseudoryx nghetinhensis

Tucuxi Sotalia fluviatilis

Frill-Necked Lizard Chlamydosaurus kingii

Learn about “sustainable” palm oil greenwashing

Read more about RSPO greenwashing

A 2019 World Health Organisation (WHO) report into the palm oil industry and RSPO finds extensive greenwashing of palm oil deforestation and the murder of endangered animals (i.e. biodiversity loss)

Gursky’s Spectral Tarsier Tarsius spectrumgurskyae

Gursky’s Spectral Tarsier Tarsius spectrumgurskyae

IUCN Red List Status: Vulnerable

Location: Indonesia ( Sulawesi)

Found across the northern peninsula of Sulawesi in Indonesia, including from the northern tip to the Isthmus of Gorontalo, in primary forest, mangroves, and disturbed habitats with dense cover.

The Gursky’s spectral tarsier Tarsius spectrumgurskyae, also known locally as Wusing, is a recently recognised species of tarsier from northern Sulawesi. Listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN, they have lost more than 30% of their habitat in the past two decades. #Deforestation for #palmoil and #timber, agricultural encroachment, illegal logging, and the #pettrade all threaten their fragile populations. Their survival depends on wild spaces thick with shrubby undergrowth—the very places being rapidly erased. If you love unique #primates like the spectral #tarsier, use your voice and wallet to protect their forest home. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife

https://youtu.be/FqrauXhLBcY

Known locally as ‘Wusing’, Gursky’s Spectral #Tarsiers have enormous moon-like eyes to help them see in dark forests 🌛👀😽 #Palmoil and the #pet trade are serious threats. Help them survive when you #Boycottpalmoil 🌴🚜❌ #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2026/02/22/gurskys-spectral-tarsier-tarsius-spectrumgurskyae/

Found in tree hollows of #Sulawesi #Indonesia, tiny #primates 🐵🧐 Gursky’s Spectral #Tarsiers are #carnivores with their food, #insects 🪲🦗 being poisoned by #palmoil and #pesticides ☠️ Fight for them! #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2026/02/22/gurskys-spectral-tarsier-tarsius-spectrumgurskyae/

Appearance & Behaviour

Gursky’s spectral tarsiers also known locally as ‘Wusing’ are hauntingly beautiful tiny #primates with enormous, forward-facing eyes that shine like twin moons in the night. These tiny nocturnal primates have a soft, greyish pelage and elongated fingers adapted for gripping tree branches. They are famed for their extreme leaping ability, known as vertical clinging and leaping (VCL), allowing them to spring through the forest canopy with precision and grace.

Highly social and vocal, they live in monogamous or polygamous groups of 2–11 individuals. At dawn, their eerie territorial duets echo through the forest just before they return to their sleeping sites in dense foliage or tree cavities. They are shy, elusive, and deeply dependent on forest structure to hide, hunt, and sleep.

Threats

Habitat Loss from Illegal Logging

The primary threat to Gursky’s spectral tarsier is the ongoing destruction of Sulawesi’s forests due to illegal logging. These small nocturnal primates depend on dense understorey vegetation and tree cavities for shelter and foraging. When forests are cleared, their sleeping sites vanish and prey becomes scarce, forcing them into smaller, fragmented patches of habitat. Even moderate disturbance causes a sharp drop in population density—from over 150 individuals/km² to as few as 45 in degraded areas (Merker, 2003).

Agricultural Expansion and Palm Oil Plantations

Much of the Gursky’s Spectral Tarsier’s lowland habitat has already been converted to palm oil and timber agriculture, and expansion continues. Between 1990 and 2000, 15.26% of Sulawesi’s forests were cleared for crops, with at least 10% more lost since then (Salim, pers. comm. in IUCN, 2020). Palm oil plantations are one of the main drivers of this forest conversion. Although the species can survive in agroforestry and disturbed areas, their numbers drastically decline when natural vegetation is replaced with monocultures.

Pesticide Exposure from Nearby Farms

Chemical pesticides used in adjacent agricultural zones contaminate the tarsiers’ insect prey, leading to bioaccumulation and poisoning. Tarsiers consume a diet entirely composed of live animal prey, mostly insects, which makes them highly vulnerable to pesticide residues. Ingestion of contaminated insects can lead to neurological damage, reproductive failure, or death, further weakening populations in edge habitats near farmlands.

Predation by Domestic Animals

Domestic dogs and cats introduced into forested areas pose a significant predation risk to tarsiers. These animals often accompany humans into disturbed or agricultural areas, where they hunt or scavenge. Tarsiers are small-bodied, slow on the ground, and often descend to low levels of the forest, making them easy targets. Predation by pets fragments already-vulnerable populations and disrupts group dynamics.

Illegal Capture for the Pet Trade

Although not widespread, the illegal pet trade is an emerging threat. Gursky’s spectral tarsiers are occasionally taken from the wild to be sold in local markets or online. These sensitive, nocturnal animals suffer tremendously in captivity, often dying due to stress, malnutrition, or improper care. Removing them from the wild also breaks apart family groups and contributes to long-term population decline.

Geographic Range

Gursky’s spectral tarsier is endemic to Indonesia, restricted to northern Sulawesi, from the northern tip of the peninsula to the Isthmus of Gorontalo. Their habitat includes lowland primary forests, secondary growth, mangroves, and areas with some human disturbance, such as agroforestry and selectively logged landscapes. However, their density drops dramatically as habitat degradation increases.

Diet

Their diet is 100% carnivorous, consisting entirely of live animal prey. They primarily consume insects such as moths and crickets but also hunt small vertebrates like frogs and lizards. Their night-time hunting is punctuated by bursts of movement and quiet observation as they stalk their prey through the understorey.

Mating and Reproduction

Although detailed reproductive data are scarce for this species, Gursky’s spectral tarsiers likely follow similar breeding patterns to other tarsiers. They are known to breed throughout the year, producing one offspring at a time after a gestation period of about six months. The young are born furred and open-eyed, clinging to their parent as they learn to navigate the trees.

FAQs

How many Gursky’s spectral tarsiers are left in the wild?

Precise population numbers of these tarsiers are not known, but density estimates suggest that in pristine habitats, up to 156 individuals per km² may exist (Gursky, 1997). However, in heavily degraded areas, this number can plummet to as low as 45 individuals per km² (Merker, 2003). Their fragmented range and habitat loss make accurate counts difficult, but population declines are expected to continue if deforestation is not halted.

What is their lifespan in the wild?

While specific data for Tarsius spectrumgurskyae is not available, other tarsier species can live between 8–12 years in the wild. In captivity, where threats like predation are removed, their lifespan may be slightly longer. However, these animals do not thrive in captivity and should never be kept as pets.

What challenges do they face in conservation?

One major challenge is habitat degradation due to logging, agriculture, and the spread of palm oil plantations. Though they can tolerate some disturbance, their population density drops significantly with increasing habitat destruction. Additionally, their small size and elusive nature make them difficult to monitor, and they are sometimes misidentified as other tarsier species, complicating conservation strategies.

Do Gursky’s spectral tarsiers make good pets?

No. These sensitive and social primates should never be kept as pets. Capturing them from the wild is cruel and contributes directly to population collapse. It destroys their family groups, causes immense suffering, and feeds into illegal wildlife trade networks. If you care about their survival, never buy a wild animal and advocate against exotic pet ownership.

Take Action!

The future of the Gursky’s spectral tarsier hangs by a thread. Forests are falling at an alarming rate, replaced with monocultures and poisoned with pesticides. Speak up. Refuse to fund deforestation-driven industries. Boycott palm oil. Protect what’s left of Sulawesi’s dwindling forests and support indigenous-led conservation efforts. Never buy wildlife as pets. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife #Vegan #BoycottMeat

Support Gursky’s Tarsiers by going vegan and boycotting palm oil in the supermarket, it’s the #Boycott4Wildlife

Support the conservation of this species

This animal has no protections in place. Read about other forgotten species here. Create art to support this forgotten animal or raise awareness about them by sharing this post and using the #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife hashtags on social media. Also you can boycott palm oil in the supermarket.

Further Information

Shekelle, M., Groves, C. P., Maryanto, I., & Mittermeier, R. A. (2017). Two new tarsier species (Tarsiidae, Primates) and the biogeography of Sulawesi, Indonesia. Primate Conservation, 31, 37–56. https://researchportalplus.anu.edu.au/en/publications/two-new-tarsier-species-tarsiidae-primates-and-the-biogeography-o

Shekelle, M. 2020. Tarsius spectrumgurskyae. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T162336422A162336580. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T162336422A162336580.en. Accessed on 06 April 2025.

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Gursky’s spectral tarsier. Retrieved April 6, 2025, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gursky%27s_spectral_tarsier

How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?

Take Action in Five Ways

1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.

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2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.

Wildlife Artist Juanchi Pérez

Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings

Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao

Health Physician Dr Evan Allen

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How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy

3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.

https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20

https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20

https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20

4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.

5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here

Learn about other animals endangered by palm oil and other agriculture

Sunda Flying Lemur Galeopterus variegatus

Western Parotia Parotia sefilata

Capped Langur Trachypithecus pileatus

Mountain Tapir Tapirus pinchaque

Saola Pseudoryx nghetinhensis

Tucuxi Sotalia fluviatilis

Learn about “sustainable” palm oil greenwashing

Read more about RSPO greenwashing

A 2019 World Health Organisation (WHO) report into the palm oil industry and RSPO finds extensive greenwashing of palm oil deforestation and the murder of endangered animals (i.e. biodiversity loss)

Marsupials thought extinct for 6,000 years found in West Papua

In an astonishing discovery, two marsupial species believed to be extinct for 6,000 years have been rediscovered alive and well in the remote rainforests of West Papua. The pygmy long-fingered possum and the ring-tailed glider were located with the crucial assistance of local indigenous Vogelkop clans. However, their survival remains precarious as their habitats are increasingly threatened by logging and the expansion of the palm oil colonialism in West Papua. Laws and native title to protect this region is essential for indigenous land defenders. We musn’t let them disappear again #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife

Two #extinct #marsupials in #WestPapua found alive! The #marsupials highlight the need to protect #Papuan forests or they are gone for good! Resist for them and #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife when you shop 🌴🙊🔥☠️🚫 @palmoildetect #Boycott4Wildlife https://wp.me/pcFhgU-iOH

Two #possums thought extinct for 6000 years are alive in #WestPapua! The pygmy #possum and sacred ring-tailed #glider are #nature’s battlers who deserve a break from #palmoil ecocide. Stand with #indigenous defenders against palm oil #colonialism! 🌴🚫 @palmoildetect #BoycottPalmOil https://wp.me/pcFhgU-iOH

https://youtu.be/T1uWC5ZE4KI

Two extraordinarily rare marsupials, entirely believed to have been extinct for over six thousand years, have been discovered alive in the remote, Vogelkop mountain forests of the Bird’s Head peninsula in West Papua. This remarkable rediscovery of the pygmy long-fingered possum and the ring-tailed glider was confirmed by Australian scientist Professor Tim Flannery, alongside a team of local indigenous experts and university researchers.

“More important than finding a living thylacine in Tasmania.”

Scott Hucknull from Central Queensland University describes the magnitude of the discovery.

These species are rare examples of “Lazarus taxa”. Animals who disappear from the fossil record only to be found alive centuries later. Flannery noted that the likelihood of finding even one lost mammal was almost zero, let alone two.

“It’s unprecedented and groundbreaking, really, to find two Lazarus taxa,” Flannery says. “We’ve been able to finalise two pieces of work that are incredibly important from a biological and a conservation perspective, documenting the existence of rare marsupials in an area under threat. It’s sort of a crowning glory in my career as a biologist.”

The first of the resurrected species is the pygmy long-fingered possum, Dactylonax kambuayai. This tiny, striped marsupial possesses an extraordinary evolutionary trait: an elongated fourth finger on each hand that is double the length of other digits. Flannery explains that they use this finger to extract grubs from timber.

“They’ve got a whole lot of specialisations in their ear region as well, which seem to be related to detection of low-frequency sound. So presumably they’re listening for wood-boring beetle larvae, and they then rip open the rotting wood and use that finger to fish out the grub,” Flannery says.

The second species, the ring-tailed glider (Tous ayamaruensis), features unfurred ears and a strong, prehensile tail used for gripping branches. Flannery calls it “one of the most photogenic animals, most beautiful marsupials you’ll ever see.”

Crucially, the rediscovery of these elusive creatures was entirely dependent on the profound ecological knowledge of the local Tambrauw and Maybrat clans. These indigenous communities view the ring-tailed glider as deeply sacred, believing them to be manifestations of their ancestors’ spirits, and actively protect them from hunting. Rika Korain, a Maybrat woman and co-author of the research, emphasised that identifying the species relied entirely on traditional owners. “This connection has been essential,” she says.

“I’m very proud that Papuan researchers contributed to these landmark discoveries, and want to thank the people of the Misool, Maybrat and Tambrouw regions who supported us in the field,”

Dr Aksamina Yohanita of the University of Papua said.

“The Vogelkop is an ancient piece of the Australian continent that has become incorporated into the island of New Guinea. Its forests may shelter yet more hidden relics of a past Australia,”

Tim Flannery

To protect the remaining populations from the illegal wildlife trade, researchers are keeping their exact locations highly classified. Flannery delivered a stark warning to potential poachers regarding the animals’ survival in captivity: “They would be incredibly difficult to keep in captivity. because their diet is so highly specialised. Advanced warning for anyone who’s thinking of keeping one as a pet: it won’t live long,” he says.

While their rediscovery is a triumph, their future is highly uncertain. The proximity of power-hungry corporates intent on razing the rainforest for palm oil and timber casts a dark shadow over the region.

David Lindenmayer, an ecologist at the Australian National University, who was not involved in the study said “I am also hugely concerned about the extent of logging and land clearing happening in New Guinea,” he says. “It also makes me wonder what might have been lost in Australia as a result of all of the land clearing that has taken place here.”

The findings underline strong calls from scientists, environmentalists and indigenous rights advocates for Native Title legal land rights and indigenous-led protections of West Papua and its imperilled Vogelkop rainforest where these delightful marsupials are found.

Further information

Lam, L. (2026, March 6). Tiny possum and glider thought extinct for 6,000 years found in remote West Papua. BBC News. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwyg6p8g6yjo

Morton, A. (2026, March 6). Marsupials previously thought extinct for millennia discovered in New Guinea. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/mar/05/marsupials-discovered-new-guinea

Woodford, J. (2026, March 5). Two marsupials believed extinct for 6000 years found alive. New Scientist. https://www.newscientist.com/article/2518082-two-marsupials-believed-extinct-for-6000-years-found-alive/

ENDS

Learn about other animals endangered by palm oil and other agriculture

Gursky’s Spectral Tarsier Tarsius spectrumgurskyae

Sunda Flying Lemur Galeopterus variegatus

Western Parotia Parotia sefilata

Capped Langur Trachypithecus pileatus

Mountain Tapir Tapirus pinchaque

Saola Pseudoryx nghetinhensis

Learn about “sustainable” palm oil greenwashing

Read more about RSPO greenwashing

A 2019 World Health Organisation (WHO) report into the palm oil industry and RSPO finds extensive greenwashing of palm oil deforestation and the murder of endangered animals (i.e. biodiversity loss)

Take Action in Five Ways

1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.

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• Mail
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Enter your email address

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2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.

Wildlife Artist Juanchi Pérez

Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings

Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao

Health Physician Dr Evan Allen

The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert

How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy

3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.

https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20

https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20

https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20

4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.

5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here

More protein and good for the planet: 9 reasons we should be eating microalgae

As the climate change advances and deforestation continues at pace, the land we use for growing energy-intensive crops such as wheat corn, soy and palm oil is becoming less productive. We need to find ways to feed the earth’s growing population that isn’t so burdensome on the environment.

One potential solution is to cultivate microalgae – microscopic aquatic organisms that are packed with nutrients. Microalgae are single-celled organisms that look like tiny pills and taste a bit like grass.

#Research: Using #algae 🌱🥬 as a replacement for #palmoil has many benefits. It can be grown in wastewater all year round, is #crueltyfree, #vegan and has more protein than other plant-based foods 🤯💚 #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2022/04/10/more-protein-and-good-for-the-planet-9-reasons-we-should-be-eating-microalgae/

They are relatively easy to cultivate and have several advantages over animal and plant protein.

1. Less environmental impact

Algae don’t require pesticides to sustain their productivity. Algae can also be grown in wastewaters (water that has been used in the home or in some industrial process), taking up nutrients and other dissolved substances into their biomass. This results in fewer contaminants being released into the environment and less pollution in our waterways.

2. It can be grown year-round

High growth and reproduction rates mean microalgae can double their biomass in as little as one to three days, depending on the time of the year. While their growth rate is slower in winter, they are not limited to a growing season, such as plants, or a long maturation period, such as animals.

This means microalgae produce more biomass on a given area of land per year, than animals or plants.

High growth rates also mean frequent harvesting. This makes microalgal cultures more resilient to sudden or extreme weather events, where production losses may be only several days of growth rather than the entire annual crop.

3. It has more protein

Algae produce more protein than plant-based foods, including soybean and pulse legumes. While algae produce 3.5-13 tonnes of protein per hectare per year, soybean and pulse legumes produce 0.5-1.8 tonnes of protein per hectare per year.

The higher growth rate of microalgae and ability to produce their own food from the sun, means microalgal protein yields are more than 100 times greater than animal-based proteins, including beef, eggs and dairy (0.01 – 0.23 tonnes per hectare per year).

4. Farms can be built anywhere

Algae production systems don’t require arable land. They comprise either open ponds or closed vessels with a light source, known as photobioreactors. The systems can be built almost anywhere, including non-productive land or in the sea.

Open ponds are shallow (between 10 and 50 cm deep), and the algae culture is gently circulated by a paddlewheel. Closed photobioreactors consist of an array of tubes or flat panels, through which algae is circulated. Both types of production systems can be modified to suit the environment.

5. It doesn’t require fresh water

Thousands of marine and estuarine microalgal species grow best in seawater rather than freshwater. This would reduce our reliance on fresh water for food production.

6. It’s nutritious

Algae have long been recognised for their nutritional properties, forming a vital food source in human diets since as early as 14,000 BC. Over the last few decades, microalgae have been used in vitamin supplements and health food products, including protein bars and powders, green smoothies and Omega-3 capsules.

Microalgae contain proteins, fats, carbohydrates and other nutritional components that have wide potential application in the food industry. For example, algae have a broad array of amino acids that support human growth and development; some are comparable with the levels in egg, soy and wheat protein.

To date, microalgae have successfully been incorporated into a range of edible products to increase their nutritional value, including yoghurts, biscuits, bread and pasta. Manufacturers have been able to swap plant for algal-protein by simply introducing it as a powder into production streams.

Apart from adding nutrients, microalgae have other properties that facilitate their incorporation into foods, including emulsifying, foaming, gelation, and absorption of fat and water.

Using microalgae in emulsions allows for a decrease in the percentage of oil, showing promise for their potential use in low-fat products. When added to desserts as colouring agents, the cell structure in microalgae protects pigments from thermal degradation during processing, enabling foods to maintain their vibrancy.

7. It’s cruelty-free

Algae can be harvested by sedimentation, flotation or filtration, with not an abattoir or live exporter in sight.

8. It can be used in sustainable products

Microalgae are increasingly being used as sustainable components of other products, including cosmetics, nutraceuticals, industrial enzymes and bioplastics, and as a biofuel to replace fossil fuels in niche markets.

Many microalgae have high levels of palmitic acid. This acid is also the principal component of palm oil – a widely used oil in food production which drives mass deforestation and loss of animal habitat. Replacing palm oil with microalgae would reduce reliance on this unsustainable industry.

9. An opportunity for developing regions

The low-tech, basic infrastructure needed for microalgal farming could provide economic opportunities for developing regions. For example, research has shown a number of African nations have suitable land, labor and climatic conditions to grow microalgae as a source of bioenergy.

Where to now?

Microalgae are being produced commercially in Australia, including at Hutt Lagoon in Western Australia, the world’s largest microalgae production plant. There, the alga Dunaliella salina is grown to produce beta-carotene, a food pigment and source of vitamin A.

Elsewhere in Australia, microalgae is grown to produce Spirulina, which is marketed as a health food. Researchers are developing the use of microalgae further, including as a feed supplement for beef cattle.

But the current range of microalgae products grown in Australia is limited. The nation has a suitable climate and the technology; now it needs growers and manufacturers.

Government support is required to enable the agricultural and manufacturing sectors to create algae-based products – current stimulus spending provides such an opportunity. This would not only create new jobs, but enable Australian businesses to become more resilient into the future.

Martina Doblin, Senior Research Fellow, Plant Functional Biology & Climate Change, University of Technology Sydney; Donna Sutherland, Research Fellow, University of Technology Sydney, and Peter Ralph, University of Technology Sydney

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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#algae #biotechnology #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #conservation #consumerRights #consumerism #crueltyfree #diet #health #PalmOil #palmoil #plantBasedDiet #research #vegan

Land-grabbing for palm oil and the climate crisis

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A corporate monopoly for control over land and resources for palm oil must be dismantled immediately to give humanity, animals and our natural world a fighting chance for survival and to reverse the climate crisis. In Asia, many indigenous peoples are now joining forces and rising up to resist this corruption and ecocide. Help them to fight back and #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife

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Corporate monopolies 💰🔥👿 drive #landgrabbing for #palmoil. To give #indigenous peoples, animals and #nature a fighting chance, we must resist. “Sustainable” palm oil is #greenwashing! #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect 🌴🪔🧐🙊⛔️ https://palmoildetectives.com/2022/11/20/land-grabbing-and-the-climate-crisis-are-strongly-linked-to-palm-oil/

#Report by @FAO 📜 finds 90% of #deforestation is for BIG-AG by #Cargill, #Wilmar and #SimeDarby. Their monopoly drives #indigenous #landgrabbing for #palmoil 🌴💰 Take action! 🌴🪔💀🤢🚫 #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2022/11/20/land-grabbing-and-the-climate-crisis-are-strongly-linked-to-palm-oil/

Originally written by Arnold Padilla for Bulatlat.com as ‘Land Monopoly and Climate Crisis: A Look at Asia’. Read the original article. Published November 17, 2022. Arnold Padilla is the coordinator of the Food Sovereignty Program of PAN Asia Pacific (PANAP) and its “No Land, No Life” campaign against land grabbing.

Some closely following the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) say that the 27th session of its Conference of the Parties (COP27) puts more attention on food and agriculture than in previous years.

For instance, the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems (IPES) noted that the climate gathering in Egypt features four pavilions and about 200 events on food and farming. But these are still outside official negotiations, where states do the actual policymaking and commitments.

No meaningful focus at COP27 on accountability of industrial farming

It is apparent in the discussions that matter in the COP process that there is no meaningful focus on the role and accountability of corporate farming in warming the planet.

The industrial food system (i.e., agriculture and land use/land-use change activities plus supply chain activities like retail, transport, consumption, fuel production, waste management, industrial processes and packaging) contributes about 34% to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with an estimated environmental cost of US$ 3 trillion annually.

Yet, addressing and reversing the climate impacts of corporate farming through radical food systems transformation is not a priority among the COP27 negotiators.

6 out of 10 of the worst affected countries for climate change are in Asia

• For Asia, the urgency of the climate crisis cannot be overemphasised. Six of the ten worst affected countries by climate change in the past two decades are in Asia (i.e., Myanmar, Philippines, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Thailand, and Nepal).
• This year alone, heavy monsoon rains caused unprecedented flooding in Pakistan, affecting 33 million people and inflicting over US$ 30 billion in damages and economic losses.
• Consecutive typhoons – Noru and Nalgae – hit the Philippines in the two months leading to COP27.
• These disasters affected more than four million people, displaced more than 241,000, left more than 150 dead, and caused more than US$50 million in damages to agriculture alone.

Land monopoly: an indispensable requirement of corporate farming

Land monopoly, an indispensable requirement of corporate farming, creates favorable conditions for the climate crisis to persist and worsen. Corporate monoculture plantations, one of the most visible expressions of land monopoly since colonial times, are among the significant contributors to the existential crisis that the world faces today.

Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO): 90% of global deforestation is driven by agriculture

Big agribusiness firms are cutting down massive swathes of forests for conversion into industrial plantations and livestock grazing. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported that agricultural expansion drove almost 90 percent of global deforestation in the past two decades.

In Asia, nearly 80 percent of deforestation during the same period is due to conversion into croplands, mainly by corporate plantations, based on the UN body’s study.

Independent studies affirm this, such as the data compiled and analysed by the Land Matrix (a collaboration of civil society, farmers’ groups, and academic research institutions) on large-scale land acquisitions.

These refer to lands in low and middle-income countries acquired by foreign and local investors through purchase, lease or concession for agricultural production, timber extraction, carbon trading, industry, renewable energy production, conservation, and tourism. Their 2021 report noted that 964 land deals caused the deforestation of almost two million hectares between 2000 and 2019.

In East Asia and the Pacific, the Land Matrix reported that about 74 percent of the areas around the locations of land deals were still forested in 2000. By 2019, that number declined to 58 percent, mainly due to oil palm expansions in Malaysia and Indonesia and new agricultural frontiers in Cambodia, China, Laos, and Vietnam.

Clearing forests releases CO2 and contributes to rising temperatures

Clearing the forests releases the carbon dioxide (CO2) they store into the atmosphere, contributing to rising global temperatures.

According to one study, deforestation – which has already claimed 420 million hectares of forests in the last 30 years – can also affect temperatures through its effect on various physical processes of nature. For example, cutting down trees eliminates the forests’ ability to absorb water from the soil and release it into the air as moisture and cool the atmosphere.

Perpetuating plunder

At COP27, the world’s largest transnational food companies led by Cargill, Bunge, and Archer Daniels Midland, among others, launched a roadmap to eliminate deforestation from their supply chains for soy, beef, and palm oil by 2025.

However, these companies, which have already made similar pledges in the past only to fall short, continue to be implicated in the massive destruction of forests, like Cargill in the Amazon.

Related: New research: Indirect sourcing of up to 90% of palm oil from Cargill, Wilmar, Musim Mas cannot be traced and is linked to deforestation

Even worse, they use the climate crisis to legitimise and perpetuate resource grabbing, plunder, and land monopoly. One of the supposed climate solutions that big corporations tend to rally around is planting “new forests”.

However, the problem is that these large-scale tree-planting efforts are often a pretext to promote corporate plantations.

Based on another estimate, 45% of oil palm plantations were built in forest areas in Southeast Asia, considered the global hotspot of palm-driven deforestation.

Palm oil is considered the fastest-growing commodity crop worldwide, requiring an ever-expanding mass of arable lands and forests. FAO data shows that the size of land devoted to oil palm plantations in the past four decades ballooned by more than 571 percent – from 4.28 million hectares in 1980 to 28.74 million in 2020.

Climate justice vs. land monopoly

Corporate plantations – motivated by profits for their investors that include the world’s wealthiest people and largest investment firms from mostly the industrialised countries – produce commodities dictated by the global market’s needs, not by the food security requirements and overall development agenda of mostly the underdeveloped countries and local communities where they are built often in violent ways. These big capitalists and finance oligarchs are oblivious to their operations’ harsh socioeconomic and environmental impacts.

Aside from degrading or destroying the forests to establish monoculture, export-oriented industrial farms, corporate land monopolies also perpetuate the use of massive amounts of climate-warming fossil fuels by promoting harmful agrochemicals like synthetic fertilizers and pesticides and encouraging long supply chains. It is not a coincidence that as corporate plantations, agrochemicals such as pesticides have also soared by 80 percent in the past three decades.

Agroecological, localised, and diversified food systems offer sustainable and climate-friendly alternatives, as much evidence suggests, but ultimately, decisions on how to use and manage the world’s forests and farmlands for the benefit of the greatest majority without harming the people and planet rest on the question of who effectively controls these resources.

From colonialism to modern imperialism today, such control has been taken away from the indigenous and peasant communities, grabbed and monopolised by and for commercial interests.

The people rising for climate justice necessitates the struggle to dismantle this corporate monopoly control over land and resources and give humanity a fighting chance to survive and reverse the climate crisis.

Read more stories about human rights and land-grabbing in the palm oil industry and other extractive industries

Pictured: Mushrooms on the forest floor by Wooter Penning for Pexels

Indigenous Peoples Fight Climate Change

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SOCFIN’s African Empire of Colonial Oppression: Billionaires Profit from Palm Oil and Rubber Exploitation

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Palm Oil Threatens Ancient Noken Weaving in West Papua

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Family Ties Expose Deforestation and Rights Violations in Indonesian Palm Oil

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West Papuan Indigenous Women Fight Land Seizures

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Greasing the Wheels of Colonialism: Palm Oil Industry in West Papua 

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Palm Oil Practices Resemble Colonial Exploitation

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Papua’s ‘Empty Lands’: A Dangerous Myth Displacing Indigenous Peoples

Read more

Indigenous Empowerment to Reverse Amazonia’s Mineral Demand

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Written by Arnold Padilla for Bulatlat.com as ‘Land Monopoly and Climate Crisis: A Look at Asia’. Read the original article. Published November 17, 2022. Arnold Padilla is the coordinator of the Food Sovereignty Program of PAN Asia Pacific (PANAP) and its “No Land, No Life” campaign against land grabbing.

ENDS

Here are some other ways you can help by using your wallet as a weapon and joining the #Boycott4Wildlife

What is greenwashing?

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Why join the #Boycott4Wildlife?

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Greenwashing Tactic #4: Fake Labels

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The Counterpunch: Consumer Solutions To Fight Extinction

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Palm Oil Detectives is 100% self-funded

Palm Oil Detectives is completely self-funded by its creator. All hosting and website fees and investigations into brands are self-funded by the creator of this online movement. If you like what I am doing, you and would like me to help meet costs, please send Palm Oil Detectives a thanks on Ko-Fi.

#Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #Cargill #corporateSocialResponsiblity #deforestation #greenwashing #humanRights #indigenous #IndigenousActivism #indigenousRights #landRights #landgrabbing #nature #PalmOil #palmOilDeforestation #palmoil #report #SimeDarby #SouthEastAsia #tropicalRainforest #Wilmar

Air Pollution from Palm Oil: A Human Rights Issue

Forest-fire haze drifting from Indonesia to neighbouring countries every dry season has eluded efforts to curb it.

Land clearing by burning is prohibited in Indonesia and Malaysia. However, penalising foreign companies for palm oil and timber deforestation has been hampered by cronyism and corruption.

Under-explored legal avenues may provide new solutions to the decades-old problem. 

Everybody in the world deserves to breath in #cleanair. #Palmoil air #pollution is a global problem. Domestic and international laws could combat it together and provide solutions. #TheAirWeShare Story via @360info_global #Boycottpalmoil @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2024/03/03/air-pollution-from-palm-oil-deforestation-is-a-human-rights-issue-affecting-everyone-in-s-e-asia/

Penalising foreign companies for #palmoil and #timber #deforestation in #Indonesia and #Malaysia has been hampered by #cronyism and #corruption at the highest levels of government. Story: @360info_global #TheAirWeShare #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife https://palmoildetectives.com/2024/03/03/air-pollution-from-palm-oil-deforestation-is-a-human-rights-issue-affecting-everyone-in-s-e-asia/

Written by Cecep Aminudin, a PhD candidate in environmental law at Padjadjaran University, Indonesia. Originally published as ‘Laying down the law on air pollution’ by 360info.org and republished under Creative Commons License.

Forest and land fires in Indonesia have attracted global attention since the great fires in 1982–83 and 1997–98. Large haze events occurred again in 2007, 2012 and 2015, causing international alarm and cross-border pollution throughout Southeast Asia. Smoke from these sorts of fires is the biggest source of air pollution in Indonesia after transportation and energy emissions.

Companies – mostly oil-palm producers – have used fire as a tool to clear forests and peatland areas for agriculture, even though Indonesia and Malaysia are well aware of the need to strictly enforce bans on the practice. 

• Indonesian and Malaysian laws since the 1997 haze event have not prevented local burning.
• And penalising foreign companies for their actions in Indonesia and Malaysia has been hampered by cronyism and corruption, lack of awareness and education, weaknesses in the institutional framework and lack of political will.
• Also, the penalties are too low to deter further pollution.
• In recent years Indonesia’s environment ministry has brought more land- and forest-fire cases to court. Civil laws holding businesses accountable for the fires they cause have had some effect, according to a ministry report.

The ministry filed 21 cases between January 2015 and September 2020, and of these 10 were successful and 11 are still pending. Businesses have been ordered to pay compensation and restoration costs totalling almost US$1.38 billion.

These outcomes are related to the application of the precautionary principle in decision-making by Indonesian civil courts, as is common in environmental cases that involve scientific evidence.

According to this principle, lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used to make a decision regarding environmental protection. Indonesian courts applied the precautionary principle in the determining liable party and judging evidence even when there was scientific uncertainty.

Providing sufficient evidence in forest- and land-fire cases is often very difficult

Scientific evidence in the form of studies and expert opinion plays a crucial role in proving illegal fires have occurred, who started them, and how much environmental damage and loss they have caused.

Laboratory test reports can also be used as evidence in civil environmental-justice cases. Entirely at the judge’s discretion, these reports can be treated as expert testimony. Their relevance, which includes validity and reliability, and support from other expert testimonies, is a critical point in a judge’s decision to admit them as compelling legal evidence.

External regulation could complement and support the legal framework in each Southeast Asian country to ensure the activities of transnational companies meet environmental standards and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) notion of cooperation.

Holding palm oil companies to account for air pollution under international law

A legitimate legislative framework could impose and enforce international environmental standards recognised under human rights obligations. In this way, palm oil plantation companies could be held accountable under international law for the pollution they cause elsewhere.

The victims of transboundary pollution and other environmental destruction are the people whose health will suffer, either in the short or the long term. Many countries have also suffered economic loss from direct damage and loss of economic activity. 

Holding polluters accountable will not just uphold domestic laws but also demonstrate political willingness to recognise air pollution as a human rights issue.

Cecep Aminudin is a PhD candidate in environmental law at Padjadjaran University, Bandung, Indonesia. He is the Chairman of ECOTAS, a research institute on sustainability. Apart from pursuing his doctoral degree, Aminudin conducts research, delivers training and consults on environmental law. He declares no conflict of interest in relation to this article and does not receive special funds in any form.

Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

Written by Cecep Aminudin, a PhD candidate in environmental law at Padjadjaran University, Indonesia. Originally published as ‘Laying down the law on air pollution’ by 360info.org and republished under Creative Commons License.

ENDS

A 2019 World Health Organisation (WHO) report into the palm oil industry finds extensive greenwashing of human rights abuses, deforestation, air pollution and human health impacts

Big brands using “sustainable” RSPO palm oil yet still causing deforestation (there are many others)

Nestlé

Nestlé is destroying rainforests, releasing mega-tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere, and killing hundreds of endangered species. Once these animals are gone – they are gone for good. See Nestlé’s full list of…

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Colgate-Palmolive

Despite global retail giant Colgate-Palmolive forming a coalition with other brands in 2020, virtue-signalling that they will stop all deforestation, they continue to do this – destroying rainforest and releasing mega-tonnes of carbon…

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Mondelēz

Mondelez destroys rainforests, sending animals extinct and release mega-tonnes of carbon into air for so-called “sustainable” palm oil. Boycott them!

Read more

Unilever

In 2020, global retail giant Unilever unveiled a deforestation-free supply chain promise. By 2023 they would be deforestation free. This has been and gone and they are still causing deforestation. This brand has…

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Danone

Savvy consumers have been pressuring French Dairy multinational Danone for decades to cease using deforestation palm oil. Yet they actually haven’t stopped this. From their website: ‘Danone is committed to eliminating deforestation from…

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PepsiCo

Despite decades of promises to end deforestation for palm oil PepsiCo (owner of crisp brands Frito-Lay, Cheetos and Doritos along with hundreds of other snack food brands) have continued sourcing palm oil that…

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Procter & Gamble

Despite decades of promises to end deforestation for palm oil Procter & Gamble or (P&G as they are also known) have continued sourcing palm oil that causes ecocide, indigenous landgrabbing, and the habitat…

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Kelloggs/Kellanova

In late 2023, Kelloggs became Kellanova for their US arm. Savvy consumers have been pressuring Kelloggs for decades to cease using deforestation palm oil. Yet they actually haven’t stopped this. From their website:…

Read more

Johnson & Johnson

Global mega-brand Johnson & Johnson have issued a position statement on palm oil in 2020. ‘At Johnson & Johnson, we are committed to doing our part to address the unsustainable rate of global…

Read more

PZ Cussons

PZ Cussons is a British-owned global retail giant. They own well-known supermarket brands in personal care, cleaning, household goods and toiletries categories, such as Imperial Leather, Morning Fresh, Carex, Radiant laundry powder and…

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Take Action in Five Ways

1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.

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2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.

Wildlife Artist Juanchi Pérez

Read more

Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings

Read more

Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao

Read more

Health Physician Dr Evan Allen

Read more

The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert

Read more

How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy

Read more

3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.

https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20

https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20

https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20

4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.

5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here

#360infoOrg #airPollution #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #carbonemissions #cleanair #corruption #cronyism #deforestation #fire #fossilFuels #fossilfuel #fossilfuels #greenwashing #humanHealth #Indonesia #Malaysia #PalmOil #palmOilDeforestation #palmoil #pollution #SouthEastAsia #TheAirWeShare #timber

Deadly Harvest: How Demand for Palm Oil Fuels Corruption in Honduras

Latin America is the fastest-growing producer of palm oil, but at what price for the environment and its defenders? Park rangers in Honduras tell harrowing tales of daily threats to their lives and real dangers they face in the long-term fight for protect Honduran rainforests, indigenous peoples and animals from annihilation #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife

🌿 #LatinAmerica’s #Honduras is rapidly increasing #palmoil production – at HUGE cost. Rangers face daily death threats 💀 while defending #rainforests 🌳 #indigenous peoples and #wildlife. 💔 Fight back! #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://wp.me/pcFhgU-8YV

💀 Park rangers in #Honduras 🇭🇳 #SouthAmerica risk their lives every day to protect animals 🐒 #indigenous peoples and #rainforests from #palmoil plantations. Their fight is real. Resist when u shop! 💪 #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://wp.me/pcFhgU-8YV

Words and photography by Fritz Pinnow in Tela, Honduras. Originally published in The Guardian, 27 November, 2023 and republished via the Guardian’s open license agreement, read original article.

Park ranger Adonias Cruz was out monitoring illegal oil palm crops in Blanca Jeannette Kawas national park, on the north coast of Honduras, on 10 September, when an unknown armed man came to his flat and rang the bell. When the stranger realised Cruz was out, he left him a death threat.

“I had already received death threats from people in the community for leading a team to eradicate a new oil palm plantation in the central zone of the park,” says Cruz. “It was frightening to know they were in my flat and that everything could have ended differently if I had been home that day.”

Cruz, 28, is one of four park rangers dedicated to protecting national parks and monitoring illegal oil palm crops in Honduras. It is a high-risk job: groups linked to the exploitation of palm oil in environmental reserves and drug trafficking have made it clear they are ready to kill if they think the agents interfere too much in their business.

“Most people see us as their enemy. We can have friendly conversations with everyone here, but you never know who will be behind the next assassination attempt,” says Cruz.

Fellow park ranger Cesar Ortega, 22, adds that the team’s work is monitored by the criminals. “From when we leave the office, they know exactly where we are and where we are heading. They have people at every intersection calling in our position and asking if we are with soldiers,” he says.

Cruz and Ortega are two of the many rangers who have been threatened while fighting against the rapid spread of oil palm plantations. Palm oil, especially from the oil palm’s fruit, has become an essential export business in Honduras, used in the food industry, in beauty products and as a biofuel. Its low production costs make it a cheap substitute for most oils, such as sunflower and olive, significantly lowering manufacturing costs in global markets.

Palm oil accounts for about 40% of global demand for vegetable oil as food, animal feed and fuel – about 210m tonnes. Between 1995 and 2015, annual production quadrupled, from 15.2m tonnes to 62.6m tonnes, and it is expected to quadruple once more in 2050. Latin America, the fastest-growing producer, accounts for almost 7% of global palm oil production.

In Honduras, oil palm gained traction as a crop in 2014, when the former president Juan Orlando Hernández invested almost $72m (£57m) in loans and grants to incentivise its cultivation. “All one needed was the willingness to plant oil palm, and the rest was served on a plate,” says Pablo Flores Velásquez, professor of environmental investigations at the National Autonomous University of Honduras (UNAH).

For the traffickers, oil palm crops are a way of legitimising their presence in the territory and securing physical control over the land.

Frances Thomson, Latin America specialist

The problem is that the extensive cultivation of oil palm has not only proved to be lucrative, but also poses a risk to the environment. “The oil palm presents a serious threat to the biodiversity of the wetlands and the water quality communities depend on,” says Velásquez. “As a monoculture, the installation and establishment of the crop necessitates the complete eradication of the biodiverse area, paralysing the ecosystem completely and permanently.”

In Honduras, these crops – whose harmful effects on the soil can create “green deserts” – account for almost 4% of all exports, mostly going to the Netherlands, the US, Italy and Switzerland, with a value of $334m in 2021. Six large companies control the production, and two claim more than half of all exports.

Nevertheless, 60% of the production in Honduras is in the hands of smallholders, who sell to corporations for refinement and export. Palm oil is highly lucrative for the farmers and provides an income every 15 days. The regional price of palm oil fruit varies greatly, from about 2,400 lempiras (£77) a tonne during low season to double that in summer.

Read the remaining article on The Guardian’s website.

Words and photography by Fritz Pinnow in Tela, Honduras. Originally published in The Guardian, 27 November, 2023 and republished under Guardian’s open license agreement, read original article.

ENDS

Read more about deforestation and ecocide in the palm oil industry

Ecuadorean Viscacha Lagidium ahuacaense

Ecuadorean Viscachas are plump and fluffy rodents with sage-like long whiskers, only a handful of them remain alive. Take action for them and boycott4wildlife!

Read more

Climate Change Driving Mass Bird Deaths in the Amazon

A recent #study has revealed that even in the most isolated parts of the #Amazon, bird #populations are collapsing due to #climatechange. Research published in Science Advances found that a 1°C increase in…

Read more

Declining primate numbers are threatening Brazil’s Atlantic forest

#Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, one of the most biodiverse ecosystems in the world, is facing severe threats due to deforestation and habitat fragmentation. This has led to a sharp decline in primate species, including…

Read more

Southern Pudu Pudu puda

Darting around and hiding on the forest floor, the Southern Pudu, known as püdü or püdu in Mapudungun (the language of the indigenous Mapuche people), is the world’s second-smallest #deer species. Weighing just…

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The Indigenous Malaysian concept of ‘Badi’: respecting the land and wildlife

The Indigenous Semai #indigenous people of #Malaysia can teach us a lot about how to protect people, planet and biodiversity. The Indigenous concept of #badi is not superstition or taboo, it’s about respecting…

Read more

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Take Action in Five Ways

1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.

• Twitter
• Facebook
• Instagram
• WordPress
• YouTube
• Mail
• Mastodon

Enter your email address

Sign Up

2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.

Wildlife Artist Juanchi Pérez

Read more

Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings

Read more

Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao

Read more

Health Physician Dr Evan Allen

Read more

The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert

Read more

How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy

Read more

3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.

https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20

https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20

https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20

4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.

5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here

#BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #corrupt #corruption #deforestation #Honduras #humanRights #indigenous #indigenousRights #landgrabbing #LatinAmerica #PalmOil #palmOilBiofuel #palmOilDeforestation #palmoil #rainforests #SouthAmerica #violence #wildlife #workersRights #WorkersRights

Johnson & Johnson

Global mega-brand Johnson & Johnson have issued a position statement on palm oil in 2020.

‘At Johnson & Johnson, we are committed to doing our part to address the unsustainable rate of global deforestation, particularly in precious rain forests.’

~ Johnson & Johnson

However, despite this virtue signalling, the brand’s supply chain continues to slash and burn forests and release mega-tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere, and killing hundreds of endangered species. Once these animals are gone – they are gone for good. See research on Johnson & Johnson’s palm oil sources.

JohnsonAndJohnson @JNJNews use “sustainable” #palmoil yet they continue with mass #deforestation #extinction 🦏🐘🦧 for #palmoil ☠️🌴🪔⛔️. Say no to their #greed and #greenwashing! When you shop #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/02/09/johnson-johnson/

Do u use JohnsonAndJohnson #soap and #cleaning products? “Sustainable” #palmoil they use is far from “clean”. It’s linked to #deforestation 🦏🐘🦧, all for a dirty ingredient nobody even wants! ☠️🌴🪔⛔️.#BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/02/09/johnson-johnson/

View Johnson & Johnson’s recent palm oil deforestation

Data courtesy of Palm Watch, a multidisciplinary research initiative by the University of Chicago.

Johnson & Johnson makes claims of sustainability including a ‘promise’ to stop deforestation. Promises mean nothing – action is what matters.
Johnson & Johnson has a high ranking on the WWF Scorecard and an RSPO certification. However this high ranking is greenwashing and this mega-brand is purchasing huge amounts of palm oil from two mills that are responsible for deforestation: Peputra Group and Jhonlin.

Source: chain reaction research

Johnson & Johnson own a vast global stable of consumer health, personal care and pharmaceutical products….

Consumer health products

• Tylenol
• Motrin
• Zyrtec
• Benadryl
• Benylin
• BENGAY
• Zarbee’s
• Imodium
• Rhinocort
• Nicorette
• Pepcid
• Sudafed
• Listerine
• Band-Aid
• Neosporin
• Polysporin
• Caladryl
• Johnson’s (including Baby Powder)
• Desitin
• Penaten
• Maui Moisture
• Carefree
• Stayfree
• Compeed
• Rembrandt
• Mylanta
• Tucks

Medical devices

• Acclarent
• Biosense Webster
• Cerenovus
• DePuy Synthes
• Ethicon
• Mentor

Pharmaceutical subsidiaries

• Janssen
• Actelion
• Cilag
• Crucell
• Novira

Food Products

• Splenda
• Lactaid
• Benecol

Personal care and skincare

• Clean & Clear
• C&C By Clean & Clear
• OGX
• Neutrogena
• Aveeno
• Aveeno Baby
• Dr.Ci:Labo
• Neostrata
• Exuviance
• Dabao
• bebe
• Genomer
• Sundown
• Rogaine
• Women’s Rogaine
• Regaine
• Labo Labo
• Lubriderm
• PizBuin
• Le Petit Marseillais

Vision and optical

• Acuvue
• Abbott Medical Optics
• Tear Science
• Visine

More Information

The Chain: Repeat Offenders Continue to Clear Forests for Oil Palm in Southeast Asia

Wikipedia

The Drug Report

Kelloggs/Kellanova

In late 2023, Kelloggs became Kellanova for their US arm. Savvy consumers have been pressuring Kelloggs for decades to cease using deforestation palm oil. Yet they actually haven’t stopped this. From their website:

‘All of the palm oil that is used in our products is sourced from a combination of the Roundtable of Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) Certified Segregated supply chain, RSPO Mass Balance mixed-source supply and the purchase of Green Palm certificates.’

Read more: Kelloggs website

This phrasing above means absolutely nothing. In reality, Kelloggs’ supply chain continues to slash and burn thousands of hectares of forests and release mega-tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere. Kellogg’s is therefore involved in the killing thousands of endangered species. Once these animals are gone – they are gone for good. See research on Kelloggs’s palm oil sources including a PDF of their palm oil mills.

View Kelloggs/Kellanova’s recent palm oil deforestation

Data courtesy of Palm Watch, a multidisciplinary research initiative by the University of Chicago.

#Kelloggs/Kellanova uses so-called “sustainable” #palmoil yet still causes #deforestation and child slavery for #palmoil in their child-friendly #cereal 🥣 Fight back when you #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect 🌴⛔️🧐🔥https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/02/09/kelloggs/

#Palmoil used by #Kelloggs’s brands is so-called “sustainable” yet it still causes #deforestation #ecocide #extinction and #indigenous landgrabbing. Fight back against the greenwash ☠️🧐🌴🤮⛔️ and #BoycottPalmOIl #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/02/09/kelloggs/

Global Witness October 2021 Report: Violence and death for palm oil connected to household supermarket brands (RSPO members)

“One palm oil firm, Rimbunan Hijau, [Papua New Guinea] negligently ignored repeated and avoidable worker deaths and injuries on palm oil plantations, with at least 11 workers and the child of one worker losing their lives over an eight-year period.

“Tainted palm oil from Papua New Guinea plantations was sold to household name brands, all of them RSPO members including Kellogg’s, Nestlé, Colgate, Danone, Hershey’s and PZ Cussons and Reckitt Benckiser”

The true price of palm oil: How global finance funds deforestation, violence and human rights abuses in Papua New Guinea – Global Witness, 2021

Kelloggs makes claims of sustainability for palm oil on their website. However these claims do not match what is happening on the ground. This is pure greenwashing.
The brand has a high ranking on the WWF Scorecard and has an RSPO certification. However this high ranking is greenwashing and this mega-brand is purchasing huge amounts of palm oil from four mills that are responsible for 44% of all deforestation: Jhonlin, Mulia Sawit, Tunas Baru Lampung and Peputra Group

Source: chain reaction research

Palm Oil Detectives thinks it is wise to boycott all Kelloggs sub-brands until it has been independently verified that they have stopped 100% of their deforestation activities throughout the world.

Sign a petition telling Kelloggs to stop deforestation!

Kelloggs own a vast global empire of cereal and food brands…

The most updated list of their stable of brands from their website includes:

All-Bran®
Apple Jacks®
Austin®
Bear Naked®
Carr’s®
Cheez-It®
Club®
Corn Pops®
Cracklin’ Oat Bran®
Crispix®
Eggo®
Froot Loops®
Frosted Mini-Wheats®
Gardenburger®
Honey Smacks®
Incogmeato™

Joybol
Jumbo Snax
Kashi®
Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes®
Kellogg’s Limited Edition
Kellogg’s Corn Flakes®
Kellogg’s Raisin Bran®
Krave®
MorningStar Farms®
Mueslix®
Nutri-Grain®
Pop-Tarts®
Pringles®
Pure Organic
Rice Krispies®
Smart Start®
Special K®
Toasteds®
Town House®
Zesta®

More Information

The Chain: Repeat Offenders Continue to Clear Forests for Oil Palm in Southeast Asia

Wikipedia

Kelloggs

Research: Palm Oil deforestation and its connection to retail brands

Climate change is forcing human and non-human beings to become climate refugees

Climate change. Climate denial. Global warming. Call it what you will, the planet is shouting at us. We have ignored the warning signs for decades, but we can no longer ignore what is happening right now.

Decade old muted warnings have now become loud alarms. We need #ClimateActionNow to prevent human and non-human beings becoming #climatechange refugees. By @RStacilee #Boycott4Wildlife https://palmoildetectives.com/2022/07/31/climate-change-is-forcing-human-and-non-human-beings-to-become-climate-refugees/ via @palmoildetect

The definition of refugee or displaced person is someone fleeing a life-threatening crisis. The emerging refugees of this century are fleeing unliveable environmental conditions brought about by climate change and other complex interrelated factors including conflict, disease and famine. Humans and non-human beings alike are becoming climate change refugees. The choices are stark and clear – move and live or stay where you are and perish.

What started out decades ago as muted warnings about the future have now turned into blaring bull horns. Politicians waste time spinning whatever tales fit their agenda but we are out of time if we don’t want to go down with the sinking ship called Earth.

The damage we have done to the planet’s natural resources can never be undone. Equally damaging is the lack of political will to pivot to more sustainable less damaging forms of energy or food production. None of this happened in a bubble nor did it happen overnight.

According to the Internal Displacement Migration Centre (IDMC)’s 2022 GRID report, from the total of 38 million new internal displacements registered in 2021, 23.7 million were triggered by disasters. At the end of 2021, at least 5.9 million people in 84 countries and territories were living in displacement as a result of disasters that happened not only in 2021, but also in previous years (IDMC, 2022).

As far back as the 1970s and 80s we knew much of the damage we were doing. One can only blow up so many mountains or release so many chemicals into the air and water before our fragile ecosystems become damaged beyond repair.

We humans attribute the term refugee (or displaced person) only to other humans. However, the reality is that any living creature who is forced to leave their native home in order to survive is a climate refugee or a climate displaced being.

For non-human beings, the extreme impacts of climate change mean either dying or quickly adapting and moving on. In many cases, adaptation is not a realistic or feasible choice.

For humans living at sea level on the coast – they too will face having to migrate to higher ground and risk losing their homes to coastal erosion and rising tides. These changes are already occurring in different parts of the world.

What the oceans tell us

We’ve all heard the news stories with dire warnings about a warming ocean, rising tides and ocean acidification. This is having a devastating effect on marine animals, as they rely on shells for protection. Acid in the water is thinning the delicate shells of these crustaceans and putting species survival in jeopardy.

Rising tides have already caused erosion for many coastal dwellers. For many small island nations that means many residents will be forced to emigrate or (if possible) move inland. In wealthy nations, waterfront property that was once highly prized will become harder to sell. As buyers will weigh up the likelihood of the property being flooded.

Bio: Staci-Lee Sherwood

Staci-Lee Sherwood is a courageous writer and passionate animal advocate based in the US who highlights the plight of frequently forgotten species on the brink of extinction, as well as persecuted species, such as wild horses and wolves in her home country. She started Reality Checks with Staci-Lee as a way of providing helpful information to concerned animal lovers about what is really happening to wild animals in America. She does not shy away from naming and shaming individuals, corporations and government agencies responsible for this immense cruelty. In addition to her website Reality Checks with Staci-Lee, she often publishes companion videos on Youtube. She is a part of the #Boycott4Wildlife collective of activists and she is deeply concerned about the threat of palm oil agriculture, deforestation, poaching and other threats on rare rainforest animals.

Her work has been published in Scubaverse, Emagazine, Wild World magazine, Sea Speak Sphere, DiscoverScience 2020, Pagosa Daily Post, Daily Kos, The Good Men Project, Straight from the Horse’s Heart, Spirit Change and her poetry has been published in Fevers of the mind.

Follow Staci-Lee Sherwood

• Twitter
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Boycott the brands causing deforestation for palm oil, soy and meat by joining the #Boycott4Wildlife

#animalBehaviour #AnimalBiodiversityNews #animalExtinction #animalRights #Bird #Boycott4wildlife #Climate #climateChange #ClimateActionNow #climatechange #deforestation #extinction #ForgottenAnimals #humanRights #Migration #refugees #StaciLeeSherwood #USA

Seaweed is high in vitamins and minerals – but that’s not the only reason westerners should eat more of it

Now

This article was written by Rochelle Embling, a PhD researcher in psychology at Swansea University, and Laura Wilkinson, a senior lecturer in psychology at Swansea University. It is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Edible seaweeds and algae – or sea vegetables – are a group of aquatic plants that are found in the ocean. Kelp, dulse, wakame and sea grapes are all types of seaweeds that are used in seaweed-based dishes.

#Algae has a tasty ‘umami’ flavour and a superb nutrient profile, especially for #vegans. It doesn’t cause #deforestation either! Replacing #palmoil with #algae makes sense for rainforests #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife #Together4Forests

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Though eating seaweed is mostly common in Asian countries, today seaweeds are widely growing in popularity as an ingredient in a range of food and beverages. This notably includes sushi, where nori seaweed is used as an edible wrap for vegetable, fish, and rice-based fillings.

Our research suggests that people in the UK, like consumers in other western countries, are less familiar with seaweed as an ingredient. This is important because food neophobia (wanting to avoid novel foods) may prevent consumers from trying new products.

And for seaweeds in particular, first impressions may be less appealing when associated with the plant washed up on our beaches. For example, many participants in our research imagined seaweed to be “smelly”, “salty”, and “slimy” when asked.

Despite it being considered an Asian staple, people have been eating seaweed in Europe as well for centuries

Many European countries have a history of consuming seaweeds. This includes laverbread, a savoury puree made from laver seaweed, which is eaten alongside other seafood as part of Welsh cuisine. A sweet alternative is carrageen pudding, a jelly-like dessert made from carrageen seaweed (otherwise known as Irish moss).

Spirulina algae by Madeleine Steinback on Getty Images

However, this traditional consumption of seaweed remains somewhat niche today. And with the exception of sushi, seaweed consumption is relatively low in most western countries.

In a recent study, we explored how consumers rate seaweeds and potential food products (that could be supplemented with seaweed) when thinking about eating them. We found that people expected seaweed food products (such as seaweed burgers) to be more appealing than seaweed as a general food source.

Notably, as participants already expected seaweed products to be healthy and sustainable, these attributes were less important to their acceptance of seaweed. Taste and familiarity were the two factors that had the greatest influence on participants’ willingness to try and buy seaweed-based foods.

Seaweed: a superb way to get nutrients as a vegan

Seaweeds are a highly versatile and nutritious food source that can benefit our diet. Seaweeds are often rich in fibre and high in vitamins and minerals. This includes iodine and vitamin B12, which can be lacking in vegetarian and vegan diets.

Submerged algae and seaweed Lucas B Bracht on Getty Images

Has a super tasty ‘umami’ flavour, despite its reputation for being a stinky plant of the sea

And seaweeds can be added to a range of products for their taste as well as how they can be used to thicken soups or stabilise the texture of ice cream. As seaweeds have a umami flavour, many chefs also favour seaweeds as a way to enhance the depth of flavour in their dishes.

A climate-friendly and forest-friendly food

Thinking about what we eat has become an important environment-related talking point. As more of us try to eat less meat and dairy, we have seen a rise in the consumption of plant-based products (including burger patties, nuggets, and sausages), plant-based milk (soya, almond, rice, and oat milk), and other dairy alternatives (such as dairy-free yoghurt and cheese).Kelp recipes.

In the current market, plant-based “meat” is typically made from soya, with other plant-based proteins including peas, mushrooms, and wheat.

High in protein, low in salt

Importantly, seaweeds and algae could be worthy additions to this list. Though the protein content of seaweed differs between species (particularly as it goes through the production process), protein can account for up to 25% of the dry weight for green seaweeds, and 47% for red seaweeds.

This means that seaweeds could be used to supplement the nutritional content of protein alternatives. In particular, seaweeds are often low in sodium. As the salt content of plant-based meat products can be higher than similar products, seaweeds could be used as an alternative seasoning to salt, helping to improve the healthiness of these items while enhancing taste

Seaweeds also have the potential for sustainable farming along the UK coastline. When compared to other plant-based alternatives, this means they stand out for their ability to grow without freshwater or fertilisers and do not compete for land space.

Seaweed needs ‘taste profiling’ on the packaging (like wines do) for consumers to appreciate it more

Our research also suggests that including more taste-focused language on packaging (delicious, warm, rich) and providing recipe ideas to consumers (serve seaweed as a side dish) may be an important marketing strategy if future seaweed products are to find new audiences.

We need to make seaweed cheaper so everyone can enjoy it

There are some additional barriers that we need to consider. For example, like other plant-based alternative foods, seaweed can be more expensive, and high street availability is limited compared to online. Also, as the nutrients in seaweeds are affected by the waters they grow in, eating too much or consuming seaweeds from unregulated sources can affect food safety.

Overall, however, there are plenty of reasons why seaweed is a great food for the future.

Here are more Reasons to be Hopeful

Songbirds Socialise Mid-Flight During Migration

Read more

Why Pangolins Are So Special

Read more

Protecting Peru’s Grasslands Vital for Spectacled Bears

Read more

Javan Rhinos Not Safe from Poachers

Read more

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Boycott the brands causing deforestation for palm oil, soy and meat by joining the #Boycott4Wildlife

Palm Oil Detectives is 100% self-funded

Palm Oil Detectives is completely self-funded by its creator. All hosting and website fees and investigations into brands are self-funded by the creator of this online movement. If you like what I am doing, you and would like me to help meet costs, please send Palm Oil Detectives a thanks on Ko-Fi.

#algae #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #consumerRights #consumerism #deforestation #diet #food #health #healthProducts #humanHealth #nutrition #PalmOil #palmOilAndHealth #palmoil #plantBasedDiet #ReasonsToBeHopeful #vegan #veganism #vegans

Palm oil substitutes can offer beleaguered rainforests a fighting chance

Palm oil is a versatile substance used in a wide range of products from foods to cosmetics. The trouble with it is that the cultivation of oil palm trees has caused massive enviromental harm, especially in Malaysia and Indonesia, which together account for 85% of palm oil production in the world.

But scientists from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore and the University of Malaya in Malaysia say they have an answer as to how we can wean ourselves off palm oil.

#Algae #biotech 🌱🥬 is a healthy replacement for the #ecocide of #palmoil and offers hope that rainforests, rare #plants and #animals could be saved from #extinction. Take action when you shop #Boycottpalmoil 🌴🩸☠️⛔️ #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2022/11/09/palm-oil-substitutes-can-offer-beleaguered-rainforests-a-fighting-chance/

Article written by Daniel T. Cross and originally published in Sustainability Times under a Creative Commons licence.

But scientists from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore and the University of Malaya in Malaysia say they have an answer as to how we can wean ourselves off palm oil.

The researchers have extracted edible oils from a common strain of microalgae that have similar properties to palm oil but contain fewer saturated fatty acids. That feature will have health benefits as saturated fats raise levels of LDL cholesterol in our blood, thereby increasing the risk of heart disease.

Better yet: these microalgae can be cultivated at scale, obviating the need for further deforestation to plant yet more oil palms.

Better yet: these microalgae can be cultivated at scale, obviating the need for further deforestation to plant yet more oil palms.

[Pictured] Spirulina algae by Madeleine Steinback on Getty Images

At the same time, the researchers have developed a relatively simple technique to replace the microalgae culture medium with fermented soybean residues while improving microalgae biomass yields. After two weeks the cultured microalgae is washed and dried before being treated with methanol to break down the bonds between the oils and the algae protein. That enables the oils to be extracted through an environmentally friendly processing technology also devised by the scientists.

For a standard 100-gram bar of chocolate, for instance, 160 grams of microalgae would suffice in providing the oil, the scientists say.

“Uncovering this as a potential human food source is an opportunity to lessen the impact the food supply chain has on our planet,” stresses William Chen, director of NTU’s Food Science and Technology Program and head of the research team, who published their findings in a study.

“Our solution is a three-pronged approach to solving three pressing issues. We are capitalising on the concept of establishing a circular economy, finding uses for would-be waste products and re-injecting them into the food chain, Chen explains.

“In this case, we rely on one of nature’s key processes, fermentation, to convert that organic matter into nutrient-rich solutions, which could be used to cultivate algae, which not only reduces our reliance on palm oil, but keeps carbon out of the atmosphere,” the scientist adds.

The reseachers are working on fine-tuning their methods to improve the yield and quality of oils extracted from microalgae and are expecting their inventions to become commercially viable in a couple of years.

Such initiatives aimed at replacing palm oil with greener substitutes cannot come soon enough as deforestation in Sumatra, Borneo and elsewhere in Indonesia and Malaysia have reached massive proportions with huge environmental costs. Critically endangered endemic species such as orangutans and Sumatran rhinos have been pushed by habitat loss to the very edge of extinction.

“If the current destruction of the rainforest continues, then I have absolutely no hope that any orangutans will remain in the wild,” warns Alan Knight, chief executive of the conservationist group International Animal Rescue. “I would probably say 10 years if we cannot stop the destruction. I think the Sumatran [orangutan] will go before then if they don’t sort out the situation they are in.”

Although orangutan populations in the interiors of remaining forests have remained stable, they have been declining to varying degrees in patches of forest interspersed by oil palm plantations, which are a primary source of revenue for Malaysia.

At the same time, Indonesia, the world’s top palm oil producer, is stepping up its plans to ship millions of tons of crude palm oil and its derivatives after a self-imposed three-week ban on exports in May to tackle domestic shortages. As the global market continues being flooded by palm oil, rainforests in Indonesia and Malaysia remain at grave risk of being fragmented further.

In order to give these remaining forests and rare, endangered forest-dwelling species of plants and animals a fighting chance at survival, we’ll need to find eco-friendly substitutes to palm oil as soon as possible.

Here are more Reasons to be Hopeful

Songbirds Socialise Mid-Flight During Migration

Read more

Why Pangolins Are So Special

Read more

Protecting Peru’s Grasslands Vital for Spectacled Bears

Read more

Javan Rhinos Not Safe from Poachers

Read more

Load more posts

Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.

Here are some other ways you can help by using your wallet as a weapon and joining the #Boycott4Wildlife

What is greenwashing?

Read more

Why join the #Boycott4Wildlife?

Read more

Greenwashing Tactic #4: Fake Labels

Read more

The Counterpunch: Consumer Solutions To Fight Extinction

Read more

Contribute to my Ko-Fi

Did you enjoy visiting this website?

Palm Oil Detectives is 100% self-funded

Palm Oil Detectives is completely self-funded by its creator. All hosting and website fees and investigations into brands are self-funded by the creator of this online movement. If you like what I am doing, you and would like me to help meet costs, please send Palm Oil Detectives a thanks on Ko-Fi.

Palm Oil Detectives is 100% self-funded

Palm Oil Detectives is completely self-funded by its creator. All hosting and website fees and investigations into brands are self-funded by the creator of this online movement. If you like what I am doing, you and would like me to help meet costs, please send Palm Oil Detectives a thanks on Ko-Fi.

#algae #animals #biotech #biotechnology #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #deforestation #disruptiveTechnology #ecocide #extinction #humanHealth #humanRights #newTechnology #PalmOil #palmOilDeforestation #palmoil #plants #ReasonsToBeHopeful #reasontohope #superfood

Humble Algae: The Solution to Palm Oil Ecocide

Consumers, businesses and researchers have shown growing interest in microalgae in recent years. Use of Arthrospira platensis (spirulina) as a food supplement is one example. Others include how microalgae can be used as crop support tools, bioplastics or biofuels. Take action for your health and be #vegan and #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife

#Agriculture is destroying the planet – #algae is a #climatechange resilient answer needing no land to grow, it has a superb nutrients for human #health and more 🌱🍃🥕🥦 #Boycottpalmoil go #vegan 🌴🔥❌ #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2022/12/28/soy-and-palm-oil-agriculture-is-destroying-the-planet-algae-is-the-answer/

Agriculture is destroying the planet: algae is the answer

The emerging and predicted impacts on agriculture and food supplies are stark, according to the panel. For instance, heat waves, drought and increasing rainfall variability could adversely affect crop yields and livestock productivity. This, in turn, could cause problems with food availability and nutritional quality, as well as risks of malnutrition and hunger.

Written by Jules Siedenburg, Research fellow, School of International Development, University of East Anglia. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Some parts of the world disproportionately bear this burden: over three billion people are currently deemed highly vulnerable to climate change, most of them in Africa, South Asia and Latin America. Small-scale farmers and pastoralists are particularly at risk.

The need for climate action is now evident, but finding viable pathways can be challenging. Yet effective climate actions can reduce climate-related risks while fostering sustainability. “Climate smart” agricultural technologies offer various proven climate actions, such as agroforestry or drought-tolerant seeds. Such technologies can potentially raise farm productivity while also mitigating (that is, combating) climate change or helping farmers adapt to it, or both.

Growing interest in microalgae

Microalgae are a diverse group of microscopic aquatic organisms. Maryna Lahereva/Shutterstock

Microalgae are a diverse group of microscopic aquatic organisms. Like plants, they typically generate energy from sunlight through photosynthesis. But they differ from plants in basic ways. For instance, they grow in water instead of on land and absorb nutrients directly instead of via roots. While some microalgae are seen as harmful, others provide useful products.

One question that has remained largely unexamined, however, is whether “agri-food” applications of microalgae might offer promising options to mitigate or adapt to climate change.

A new academic paper set out to provide provisional answers. It reviewed the available evidence on microalgae as food supplements, livestock feeds, biofertilisers, biostimulants and biochar feedstocks. It then assessed the potential of these five microalgae applications to serve as the basis for climate actions.

Agri-food applications and climate action

Microalgae have been used as traditional foods in various countries where suitable species occur naturally, such as Mexico and Chad.

Nowadays microalgae food supplements are principally eaten by health-conscious consumers. Yet they can also be used to address malnutrition and to improve health in places where diet is poor. As foods, microalgae can be potent sources of nutrients, including high-quality proteins, lipids and vitamins.

• Microalgae production has characteristics that clearly distinguish it from plant or animal production.
• It doesn’t require fertile land.
• It is largely independent of local weather patterns and could potentially recycle water.
• It has elevated productivity and scope for continuous harvests.

Microalgae is climate resilient

This technological profile is well suited to coping with climatic shocks, so microalgae production can be climate resilient. The delivery of microalgal biomass for use as a food or for other applications can thus also be climate resilient.

Novel feeds like microalgae, seaweed and insects offer options to improve the sustainability of livestock production by providing protein-rich complements to staple feeds like grasses and feed crops. Microalgae feeds have been tested on cattle, goats, sheep, pigs, poultry and fish. The results have typically included improved productivity, better nutritional quality of products, or both. Microalgae could also provide a secure source of feeds in places where livestock deaths linked to climate change are a growing concern.

Global crop production continues to rely heavily on chemical fertilisers to boost crop productivity. However, such products can sometimes undermine agricultural sustainability or not cope well with climate change impacts.

Biofertilisers and biostimulants are natural alternative options for boosting crop production. Biofertilisers provide nutrients to plants. Biostimulants promote plant growth by stimulating biological or chemical processes in plants or microbes associated with roots.

Early studies of microalgae-based biofertilisers and biostimulants suggest they can boost productivity while also building the resilience of crops to climate-related stresses like elevated temperatures, water scarcity and soil salinity. Treated maize plants, for example, showed more developed roots than untreated plants. This resulted in better resistance to drought.

Microalgae could also support crop production

by using algal biomass to make biochar, or charred biomass. Applying biochar to fields can improve soil fertility and enhance soil’s capacity to hold water. Such effects could help crops cope with climate change impacts like erratic rainfall and extreme weather events.

Biochar was a traditional soil management tool in some cultures, and treated fields sometimes remain distinct. For instance, fields treated many centuries ago in South America were found to contain up to 9% carbon compared with 0.5% on neighbouring fields. Moreover, their productivity was twice as high as that of untreated fields. Early studies on biochar made from microalgae have suggested it could be an effective soil amendment.

Mitigating and adapting to climate change

Taken together, these five agri-food applications of microalgae could be seen as possible ways to enhance the climate resilience of food production, and hence as climate change adaptation measures. Concretely, they offer options to help secure both food supplies and agricultural livelihoods despite climate change.

These five applications were also found to offer possible ways to mitigate climate change, whether by reducing greenhouse gas emissions or transforming these gases into physical form. One example is partially replacing an imported livestock feed like soymeal – associated with transport emissions and tropical deforestation – with microalgae-based feeds that need comparatively little land and could be locally sourced. Another example is using microalgae-based biochar to build up soil organic carbon in stable form.

In future, such mitigation measures could perhaps be supported by the carbon markets. These markets offer mechanisms to pay for projects that mitigate climate change. In theory this could provide cash flows to participating stakeholders, including farmers. Such projects might moreover be attractive to potential participants given sharp rises in carbon credit prices in recent years, even if these initiatives have sometimes proven disappointing in the past. Several institutional developments would, however, be needed to make this possible.

The five microalgae applications examined clearly hold promise, both as avenues for fostering climate resilient food production and as climate change mitigation measures. These applications could thus be framed as climate actions. But more research is needed to explore and verify this potential, and to examine issues like consumer acceptance and managing possible contamination risks.

In the meantime, these five microalgae technologies merit greater attention from consumers, farmers and governments as timely and hopeful innovations.

Here are some other ways you can help by using your wallet as a weapon and joining the #Boycott4Wildlife

What is greenwashing?

Read more

Why join the #Boycott4Wildlife?

Read more

Greenwashing Tactic #4: Fake Labels

Read more

The Counterpunch: Consumer Solutions To Fight Extinction

Read more

Contribute to my Ko-Fi

Did you enjoy visiting this website?

Palm Oil Detectives is 100% self-funded

Palm Oil Detectives is completely self-funded by its creator. All hosting and website fees and investigations into brands are self-funded by the creator of this online movement. If you like what I am doing, you and would like me to help meet costs, please send Palm Oil Detectives a thanks on Ko-Fi.

Contribute to my Ko-Fi

Did you enjoy visiting this website?

Palm Oil Detectives is 100% self-funded

Palm Oil Detectives is completely self-funded by its creator. All hosting and website fees and investigations into brands are self-funded by the creator of this online movement. If you like what I am doing, you and would like me to help meet costs, please send Palm Oil Detectives a thanks on Ko-Fi.

#Agriculture #algae #biotechnology #BoycottPalmOil #BoycottSoy #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #climatechange #consumerism #diet #health #humanhealth #PalmOil #plantBasedDiet #ReasonsToBeHopeful #soyDeforestation #vegan #veganism

Around 25% of Africa’s Land is Damaged: This is How We Fix It!

Almost 25% of all land in Africa has been damaged. Land degradation is worrying issue across the continent of Africa. This is being driven by climate change and deforestation for extractive industries like rare mineral mining and monocultures like palm oil and cocoa. Other big drivers includes invasive species and environmental pollutants and toxins. Mlungele Nsikani is a land restoration specialist and environmental scientist. He explains how ecological restoration and agroecology is a great way to reverse land degradation so that people, plants and animals can thrive. Another powerful way to make an impact is through boycotting industries destroying the world like gold mining, palm oil and the meat industry. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife

25% of #land in #Africa is damaged by #climatechange #mining and #palmoil #deforestation. Yet strong policies for #agroecology would restore land for people, plants and animals to thrive #BoycottPalmOil #ClimateActionNow #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://wp.me/pcFhgU-90N

Written by Mlungele M. Nsikani, Senior scientist, South African National Biodiversity Institute. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

https://youtu.be/obON0prYOGw

What’s driving land degradation on the continent?

Africa is one of the most degraded continents in the world. About 23% of the surface of Africa, or over 700 million hectares of land, is already degraded. Another three million hectares is being further degraded annually.

Degraded land is land that has lost some of its natural productivity through processes caused by humans. It’s estimated that up to 40% of the planet’s land is degraded.

The “big five” drivers of land degradation globally and in Africa are:

• biological invasions, where plant species have spread outside their indigenous area and disrupted the services provided by ecosystems
• climate change driven events, such as intense droughts and severe fires
• extractive activities, such as mining and over-harvesting
• habitat transformation or fragmentation, including deforestation and poor agricultural practices
• pollutants such as sulphur dioxide, and eutrophication – where algae and other plants take over plant life.

Factors that have made the situation worse in Africa include: development demands; a high dependency on natural resources at the household level (such as the use of firewood for cooking); agricultural practices (including clearing indigenous plants to grow cash crops); weak governance; insecure land tenure; pervasive poverty; and population growth.

What is ecological restoration?

Ecological restoration is the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged or destroyed. Removing invasive plants and reintroducing indigenous species is one way to reverse damage. Ecological restoration is about helping to create conditions in which plants, animals and microorganisms can carry out the work of recovery themselves.

Assisting recovery can be as complex as altering landforms (intentionally changing aspects of the landscape), planting vegetation, changing the hydrology (water flow), and reintroducing wildlife. It can also be as simple as removing an invasive species or reintroducing a lost plant species to the land.

For example more than 8,750 plant species have found their way to South Africa. Over 785 species have made the country their permanent home on a significant scale and have had negative impacts. These include at least 14 Australian Acacia tree species which are invasive across South Africa. These cover about 554,000 hectares of the country.

They use up water resources and reduce grazing land. They also change soil microbial community structure, diversity and function. Invasive Acacia trees have established extensive woodlands that compete against native species, leaving little room for native plants and trees to grow. This costs more than R4 billion annually (about US$214 million) – the combined cost of clearing invasive species and the value of reduced ecosystem services in invaded areas.

The fynbos biome, which covers large parts of South Africa’s Western Cape province, has been the most affected. Since 1995, the publicly funded Working for Water programme has cleared invasive species, leaving ecosystems to recover naturally. The Greater Cape Town Water Fund has also funded the removal of thousands of thirsty invasive trees in mountain areas in a bid to save water and restore indigenous fynbos. This is known as passive restoration.

Planting native vegetation (often done through seed) – active restoration – has also helped the land recover. However, it has been applied at a smaller scale than passive restoration because it is more expensive. Planting native vegetation after clearing invasive species is often a more effective way to help native species recover in the restoration site, particularly if the native soil seedbanks have been depleted by the long duration of invasion.

How can people help?

Anyone can contribute to the restoration of ecosystems. The first thing is to advocate for and actively engage in the conservation of intact ecosystems. As the old adage goes, prevention is better than cure.

Ecological restoration is a great tool to tackle land degradation. But it’s not a quick fix. It’s still necessary to protect and conserve natural ecosystems.

Secondly, everyone should get involved in ecological restoration efforts, no matter how small. We can help remove invasive species or plant native species where we live. We can donate or be part of organisations that are involved in ecological restoration.

Above all, we should continue to spread the ecological restoration message and show that we are #GenerationRestoration!

The need for ecological restoration on the continent is great. Only functioning landscapes can provide affordable food, water and energy. These are the cornerstones of economic development. Ecological restoration can protect and enhance environmental assets and natural resources, provide employment, and help national development, security and social stability.

Written by Mlungele M. Nsikani, Senior scientist, South African National Biodiversity Institute. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

ENDS

Read more about conservation and reasons to be hopeful

Protecting India’s Tigers Saves One Million Tonnes of CO2

#India’s fifty year long Project #Tiger has been a successful conservation project. A new research study finds that protecting tigers and their rainforest home has additional benefits to #carbonemissions, saving 1 million tonnes…

Read more

Dung Beetles Are Rainforests’ Diligent Regrowth Soldiers

The dung beetle may eat and nest in poop, but their role in nature is anything but humble. These hardshelled scarabs live on every continent except Antarctica, recycling feces and suppressing parasites that…

Read more

Protect Nature to Avoid Future Pandemics

Research from University of Queensland and published in The Lancet: Planetary Health finds that the COVID-19 pandemic is linked to the decline of ecosystems and biodiversity, creating a cycle that could lead to…

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Food Without Agriculture

Researchers argue food can be made without destroying rainforests, using alternative energy sources like microbes, yeast and CO2, saving animals and emissions

Read more

Indigenous Farming: Science, Not Superstition

What does it mean when you encounter snakes slithering along paths or find a bird nest with eggs? For Indigenous peoples in Malaysia, these are tell-tale signs passed down by their ancestors discouraging…

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Take Action in Five Ways

1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.

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2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.

Wildlife Artist Juanchi Pérez

Read more

Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings

Read more

Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao

Read more

Health Physician Dr Evan Allen

Read more

The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert

Read more

How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy

Read more

3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.

https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20

https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20

https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20

4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.

5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here

#Africa #agroecology #agroforestry #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #ClimateActionNow #climatechange #conservation #deforestation #environment #GenerationRestoration #land #mining #PalmOil #palmOilDeforestation #palmoil #ReasonsToBeHopeful

Beef, Palm Oil and Timber: How Wealthy Nations Fuel Deforestation

A major #research study reveals that demand for #beef #palmoil, and #timber in wealthy nations is driving mass deforestation and species extinction in tropical regions. Habitat destruction mainly for agriculture accounts for 90% of all tropical #deforestation. Countries like the US, UK, and Germany are main drivers of rainforest destruction in the #Amazon, #Indonesia, and #Africa, displacing indigenous communities and sending many rare species of animals towards #extinction. Advocates call for a boycott of deforestation-linked products to stop this crisis such as meat and #palmoil. Every time you shop you can resist and fight for them when you #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife and go #Vegan.

https://youtu.be/DAlTg6eVUQk

News: 🌍 #research finds 90% of wild animal #extinction caused by habitat loss mainly for #agriculture: #beef #palmoil, #timber, soy and cocoa. Reduce demand when you shop and fight back! Be #Vegan 🥦🍅 and #BoycottPalmOil 🔥🌴🙊⛔️ #Boycott4Wildlife https://wp.me/pcFhgU-alG

Study Confirms Wealthy Nations’ Demand for Palm Oil, Beef & Timber is Driving Global Deforestation

A major new study has revealed that the world’s richest nations are directly responsible for mass deforestation and biodiversity loss through their consumption of palm oil, beef, timber, soy, and cocoa. The research confirms that these industries are fuelling habitat destruction, species extinction, and displacement of indigenous communities.

The study found that high-income countries account for 13% of global forest loss occurring beyond their own borders. The biggest culprits are:

• Beef 🐄 – The leading cause of global deforestation, responsible for nearly 60% of all forest loss. Rainforests in the Amazon and Central America are burned and cleared to make way for cattle ranching.
• Palm Oil 🌴 – Found in 50% of supermarket products, palm oil plantations have destroyed vast rainforests in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Africa, pushing orangutans, tigers, and hornbills to the brink of extinction.
• Timber and Paper 📄 – Logging for furniture, construction, and paper production is wiping out old-growth forests across South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. Many so-called “certified” or “sustainable” wood products still drive illegal deforestation.
• Soy 🌱 – Vast areas of the Amazon and Cerrado are destroyed for soy production, most of which is used to feed animals in factory farms.
• Cocoa 🍫 – Chocolate production is linked to widespread deforestation in West Africa, where rainforests are illegally cleared to grow cocoa.

https://youtu.be/GNYH-yWC7ug?si=xv62Njdgrl7KD4oX

Exporting Extinction: The True Cost of Consumption

The study warns that wealthy nations are effectively outsourcing biodiversity destruction. The US, UK, Germany, and China import massive amounts of these deforestation-linked products, making them directly responsible for the loss of critical ecosystems.

• Thousands of species at risk 🦧🐅 – Around 90% of global biodiversity loss is caused by habitat destruction, most of which comes from agriculture.
• Indigenous communities under threat – Land grabs and deforestation for commodities like palm oil and beef displace indigenous peoples, violating their rights and destroying their traditional ways of life.
• Carbon emissions rising – Forest destruction is worsening climate change, eliminating the world’s most important carbon sinks.

Read the full article here in The Guardian

Weston, P. (2025, February 14). Richest nations ‘exporting extinction’ with demand for beef, palm oil and timber. The Guardian. Retrieved February 14, 2025, from https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/feb/14/richest-nations-exporting-extinction-with-demand-for-beef-palm-oil-and-timber-aoe.

ENDS

Learn about other animals endangered by palm oil and other agriculture

Grey Crowned Crane Balearica regulorum

Keep reading

Ecuadorean Viscacha Lagidium ahuacaense

Keep reading

Southern Pudu Pudu puda

Keep reading

Blue-streaked Lory Eos reticulata

Keep reading

Blonde Capuchin Sapajus flavius

Keep reading

Savage’s Glass Frog Centrolene savagei

Keep reading

Learn about “sustainable” palm oil greenwashing

Read more about RSPO greenwashing

A 2019 World Health Organisation (WHO) report into the palm oil industry and RSPO finds extensive greenwashing of palm oil deforestation and the murder of endangered animals (i.e. biodiversity loss)

Take Action in Five Ways

1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.

• Twitter
• Facebook
• Instagram
• WordPress
• YouTube
• Mail
• Mastodon

Enter your email address

Sign Up

2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.

Wildlife Artist Juanchi Pérez

Read more

Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings

Read more

Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao

Read more

Health Physician Dr Evan Allen

Read more

The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert

Read more

How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy

Read more

3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.

https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20

https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20

https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20

4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.

5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here

#Africa #Agriculture #Amazon #animalBehaviour #AnimalBiodiversityNews #animalCommunication #animalCruelty #animalExtinction #animalIntelligence #animalRights #AnimalCruelty #animalrights #beef #biodiversity #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #deforestation #extinction #Indonesia #palm #PalmOil #palmOilDeforestation #palmoil #research #timber #vegan

Javan Rhinos Not Safe from Poachers

Recent testimony by arrested illegal poachers in #Indonesia finds 26 of the estimated remaining 72 living Javan #Rhinos were slaughtered for their horns over the past five years. In the so-called “protected” Ujung Kulon National Park in the western tip of the island of Java. This must spark a national emergency to protect these beings before they are gone for good! End the wildlife trade and #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife

Shocking news: 26 of the 72 remaining #Javan #Rhinos 🦏 were poached recently from Ujung Kulon National Park, #Indonesia making their protection even more serious. End disgusting #poaching! Help them survive when you #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://wp.me/pcFhgU-91C

Testimony by arrested #poachers in #Indonesia finds 26 of the remaining 72 #Javan #Rhino 🦏 are still alive 😭 We must scramble to protect these beautiful and unique #animals urgently! #Boycottmeat #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://wp.me/pcFhgU-91C

Written by Jason Gilchrist, Lecturer in the School of Applied Sciences, Edinburgh Napier University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

26 of the estimated maximum 72 Javan rhino have been poached by two gangs in the last five years. Absolutely shocking news!

I am an ecologist, and I have been lucky to work with white rhino in Africa. This work has involved capturing rhino, dehorning and moving them – methods used to try to save rhino from poachers.

Poachers target these large, plant-eating mammals for the illegal trade in rhino horn, fuelled by demand from Asia, principally China and Vietnam, where the horn is perceived as a status symbol, a cure for illness and an aphrodisiac.

Poaching is the main threat to the African rhino, but it was not considered a risk for the critically endangered Javan rhino in Asia. So rare and difficult to detect are Javan rhino, which live in dense jungle, that it was thought poachers would not be able to find them.

However, recent testimony from poachers arrested in Indonesia has indicated that 26 of the estimated maximum 72 Javan rhino have been poached by two gangs in the last five years. That is shocking news.

This revelation turns a worrying situation into an emergency – and demands increased efforts to save the Javan rhino from extinction.

How many Javan rhino are there?

Indonesian police arrested 13 members of two poaching gangs who revealed the otherwise undetected loss of rhino from Ujung Kulon National Park, the home of the world’s only remaining Javan rhino population, on the island of Java in the Indonesian archipelago.

Javan rhino were once widespread in southeast Asia. The last one outside of Indonesia was poached in Vietnam in 2010.

The actual number of rhino killed by the poaching gangs cannot be verified. It’s possible that sources within the government or conservation teams are passing information to poachers.

Indonesia’s forests are home to 10-15% of the planet’s plants, birds and mammals. While Indonesia harbours the greatest amount of rainforest in Asia, over 74 million hectares (three times the land area of the UK) have been lost in the past 50 years to palm oil extraction and paper mills.

Indonesia’s forest cover has fallen from 80% to less than 50% amid one of the fastest deforestation rates in the world. Pandeglang, the Javan region containing the national park, has lost nearly 10% of its rainforest since 2000.

All scientists know about the abundance of Javan rhino is gleaned from camera traps, remote cameras that are triggered to take photos by passing animals. The last government population estimate was released in 2019.

A report published in 2023 criticised this estimate because 18 of the rhino counted had not been detected by a camera trap for three years, and three of the rhino counted were known to be dead.

Saving the Javan rhino from extinction

Indonesian conservationists have focused on habitat loss as the leading threat to Javan rhino, as it deprives the species of breeding opportunities. Scattered across separate fragments of jungle, rhino are unlikely to find each other during the brief window when females are receptive to mating.

There is also evidence of inbreeding, exacerbated by there being more adult males than females. Some biologists have called for Javan rhino to be taken into captive breeding programmes.

With just 46 Javan rhino in the wild (perhaps even less), poaching could wipe out the species or reduce it to such a low number that low breeding success deals the final blow.

So, what now? It is likely that the Javan rhino cannot afford to lose any further animals to poaching, and vital that further poaching is prevented. The Indonesian government has now increased security in the national park with police and military combining forces.

Allowing forests to naturally regenerate and planting corridors of trees between jungle patches will help the remaining rhino find suitable habitat and each other. Conservationists have also called for cutting down trees in some locations to allow fresh, young trees with more accessible leaves to grow.

Research has also shown that removing an invasive palm boosts the availability of rhino food plants. Livestock must be excluded from the park too, as domestic cattle can transmit disease.

As far back as 1986, conservationists called for some rhino to be moved out of the park (perhaps to the neighbouring island of Sumatra). Splitting an already limited population is risky, but not establishing the safety net of at least one other population elsewhere is riskier still.

What if a tsunami hit the park? And the park may already be near capacity, as it is estimated to be able to support only 68 rhino.

Bringing Javan rhino into captivity and using reproductive technologies on stored eggs and sperm (techniques in development for the more common white rhino) may also need to be considered. Although, it is still possible that captive breeding may not be required: camera traps have photographed newborn Javan rhino, as well as adults, as recently as March 2024.

Scientists don’t know much about Javan rhino biology. There have been few studies of wild rhino and only 22 have ever been kept in captivity, the last of which died more than 100 years ago. More research is needed to understand as much as possible about Javan rhino ecology and reproduction – in the wild and from museum specimens.

More effective habitat and wildlife conservation across Indonesia will benefit other Indonesian species, including the Sumatran tiger, Sumatran elephant, all three species of orangutan, and the Sumatran rhino (estimated population of 24-47, making it the world’s most endangered rhino).

If effective conservation action is not taken now, the remaining Javan rhino population will go the same way as that in Vietnam.

Written by Jason Gilchrist, Lecturer in the School of Applied Sciences, Edinburgh Napier University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

ENDS

Learn about other animals endangered by palm oil and other agriculture

Frill-Necked Lizard Chlamydosaurus kingii

Keep reading

Grey Crowned Crane Balearica regulorum

Keep reading

Ecuadorean Viscacha Lagidium ahuacaense

Keep reading

Southern Pudu Pudu puda

Keep reading

Blue-streaked Lory Eos reticulata

Keep reading

Blonde Capuchin Sapajus flavius

Keep reading

Learn about “sustainable” palm oil greenwashing

Read more about RSPO greenwashing

A 2019 World Health Organisation (WHO) report into the palm oil industry and RSPO finds extensive greenwashing of palm oil deforestation and the murder of endangered animals (i.e. biodiversity loss)

Take Action in Five Ways

1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.

• Twitter
• Facebook
• Instagram
• WordPress
• YouTube
• Mail
• Mastodon