IUCN Status: Vulnerable
Locations: Endemic to Yamdena and Larat islands, Tanimbar Archipelago, Indonesian occupied West Papua.
The Tanimbar Eclectus Parrot Eclectus riedeli also known as the Eclectus Parrot or Tanimbar Eclectus is a rare and striking #parrot found only on the #Tanimbar Islands of Indonesian occupied #WestPapua. Males display a brilliant emerald green plumage, while females are adorned in deep crimson and cobalt blue feathers, making them one of the most visually stunning #parrots in the world. These parrots face growing threats from habitat destruction, the pet trade, and climate change.Forests are disappearing due to timber logging and #palmoil monoculture, while #poaching for the illegal #pettrade continues to remove individuals from the wild, disrupting their populations. #Climatechange also poses an increasing risk, with rising temperatures, storms, and unpredictable weather patterns affecting their habitat and food sources. The best way to protect these parrots is to keep them in the wild, not in cages. Use your wallet as a weapon in the supermarket and choose #PalmOilFree #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife.
Stunning and vibrantly coloured Tanimbar Eclectus #Parrots 🦜💚💋are #vulnerable due to the illegal pet trade and #palmoil’s endless devastation. Fight for their survival when u #Boycottpalmoil 🌴🪔☠️⛔️ #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect.bsky.social wp.me/pcFhgU-a7t
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The curious Tanimbar Eclectus #Parrots 🦜 of #WestPapua fall in love with each other’s exquisite plumage 🌈😻 #PalmOil #ecocide is a big threat 😿 Resist for these #birds and go #PalmOilFree #Boycottpalmoil 🌴🛢️💩🤮❌ #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect palmoildetectives.com/2025/07/…
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Tanimbar Eclectus parrots are known for their dramatic sexual dimorphism. Male birds are covered in vibrant green feathers, with a yellow-orange beak, while females are deep red with bright blue undersides and a striking black beak. Their unique colours provide camouflage in the dense tropical foliage of their island home. These parrots are highly intelligent, social, and vocal, using a range of calls to communicate with their mates and flock members. They are strong fliers and spend most of their time in the high canopy, searching for food and nesting sites.
The Tanimbar Islands still hold large areas of forest, but deforestation for timber and palm oil is rapidly increasing. Logging, agricultural expansion, and human settlement rapidly shrinking the habitat of the Tanimbar Eclectus Parrot. This bird species’ range has already experienced an estimated 8% loss over the past three generations, and this rate is expected to accelerate as pressure on the islands’ forests grows.
Although the Tanimbar Eclectus is not yet widely traded internationally, it is still caught and sold within local markets. Parrots stolen from the wild often die from stress and injury before they even reach a buyer. The pet trade not only depletes populations but also leaves chicks abandoned in nests, causing further losses.
Rising temperatures and unpredictable weather patterns threaten the Tanimbar Eclectus in multiple ways. Intense storms and cyclones damage the forests they rely on, destroying nesting trees and food sources. Heatwaves and prolonged droughts also impact their breeding success and reduce fruit availability, making survival even more challenging.
The Tanimbar Eclectus Parrot is found exclusively on the islands of Yamdena and Larat in the Tanimbar Archipelago, of West Papua, a region illegally occupied by Indonesia. They primarily inhabit lowland and forest edges, relying on dense tropical forests for nesting and foraging.
The Tanimbar Eclectus Parrot feeds primarily on fruit, seeds, nuts, and flowers. They are particularly dependent on native fig trees and tropical fruiting plants found in their lowland forests. Their role as seed dispersers is crucial for maintaining the health of their ecosystem.
These parrots are monogamous and form strong pair bonds. Breeding pairs nest in large tree hollows, where the female seals herself inside for protection while incubating eggs. The male is responsible for feeding his mate and chicks throughout this period. They typically lay 2–3 eggs, though only one chick often survives due to competition for food.
Yes, the Tanimbar Eclectus is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List due to habitat destruction and the pet trade. While not as heavily trafficked as some other bird species, local trapping remains a threat, and deforestation is reducing their available habitat.
The real cost of buying an Eclectus parrot is far greater than any price tag. Whether wild-caught or captive-bred, keeping these intelligent, highly social birds in cages is cruel and unnatural. In the wild, they soar across vast rainforests, flying hundreds of kilometres each day, foraging, socialising, and raising their young in the towering canopy. No cage—no matter how large—can ever replace this freedom.
Parrots are not ornaments, conversation pieces, or living decorations. Confined to captivity, they suffer from boredom, frustration, and loneliness, often plucking out their own feathers, screaming incessantly, or developing neurotic behaviours. Their wings, meant for the open skies, become symbols of imprisonment.
Rather than supporting the pet trade, which fuels the demand that threatens wild populations, the best way to protect the Tanimbar Eclectus is to advocate for their conservation, protect their rainforest habitat, and reject the captivity of wild animals altogether.
Keeping a wild Tanimbar Eclectus or Eclectus Parrot as a pet is an incredibly damaging and selfish act. Many parrots captured for the pet trade are taken from their nests as chicks, leading to the destruction of their family units. Parrots stolen from the wild often die from stress and malnutrition before they even reach a buyer. Removing them from their habitat weakens their population, pushing them closer to extinction. Parrots born in a cage live in unnatural and cruel conditions all of their lives. These intelligent beings never know what its like to fly for 100’s of kilometres a day as they are meant to do. How would you feel to be born in a cage, live for around 70 years and then die in a cage?
Eclectus parrots are not naturally aggressive, but they are highly intelligent and require constant social interaction and mental stimulation. In captivity, frustration and isolation can cause behavioural issues, including biting and screaming. This is another strong reason why these birds should be left in the wild.
Climate change poses a serious threat to this species. Rising temperatures, unpredictable storms, and habitat degradation are already having negative effects. More frequent cyclones destroy nesting trees and fruiting plants, while prolonged droughts limit their food supply. Changes in seasonal patterns may also disrupt their breeding cycles.
The Tanimbar Eclectus Parrot needs your help. The pet trade and palm oil deforestation are driving them toward extinction. Every time you shop, make ethical choices to protect their future.
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.
Bishop, K.D., & Brickle, N. W. (1999). The status of the Tanimbar Eclectus in Indonesia. Retrieved from dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.201….
BirdLife International. 2019. Eclectus riedeli. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T155073764A155087808. dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.201…. Accessed on 07 February 2025.
Parrots.org. (n.d.). Tanimbar Eclectus species profile. Retrieved from parrots.org/encyclopedia/tanim….
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#animals #Asia #birds #Birdsong #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #climatechange #deforestation #ecocide #ForgottenAnimals #hunting #Indonesia #PalmOil #palmOilDeforestation #palmoil #palmoilfree #PapuaNewGuineaSpeciesEndangeredByPalmOilDeforestation #Parrot #Parrots #pettrade #poaching #song #songbird #songbirds #Tanimbar #TanimbarEclectusParrotEclectusRiedeli #vegan #vulnerable #VulnerableSpecies #WestPapua #WestPapua
Discover the environmental and social issues caused by palm oil production. Learn about its impacts on wildlife, indigenous communities, and how to take action with Palm Oil DetectivesPalm Oil Detectives
Deforestation-driven Climate Change and Natural Disasters
Deforestation in Indonesia is worsening the impact of severe weather events such as floods and landslides, as seen in West Sumatra in March 2024. Environmental groups cite deforestation and environmental degradation as key factors in intensifying natural disasters. Indonesia’s rainforests, crucial for biodiversity and indigenous livelihoods, have been heavily logged for palm oil, paper, and mining. Despite government efforts to slow deforestation, including a palm oil permit freeze, illegal logging and large-scale developments continue to threaten forest areas. Experts warn that more equable land planning is needed to mitigate future disasters. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife#Palmoil 🌴 #nickel 🧺 and #paper 📰 #deforestation in #Indonesia 🇮🇩 has accelerated the frequency and severity of extreme weather: #floods and #landslides as seen in #Sumatra. Fight back and #BoycottPalmOil 🌴🔥⛔️ #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect palmoildetectives.com/2024/11/…
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Share to Twitter#Climatechange ⛈️ and #deforestation 🔥🔥 in #Indonesia 🇮🇩 is being driven to a point of no return say experts, citing massive #forest loss for #palmoil 🌴⛔️ and #nickel #mining. Take action when you #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect palmoildetectives.com/2024/11/…
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Share to TwitterWritten by Victoria Milko. Originally published by Associated Press, 30 March, 2024. Original title: ‘In Indonesia, deforestation is intensifying disasters from severe weather and climate change’. Excerpt published, read the original article.
The shelves in supermarkets and stores are full of certified products. The packaging displays different labels indicating products were made with “sustainable” paper or wood, food or cosmetic products made with “sustainable” palm oil, “responsible” soybeans and so on and so forth.
In Jakarta Indonesia, roads turned to murky brown rivers, homes were swept away by strong currents and bodies were pulled from mud during deadly flash floods and landslides after torrential rains hit West Sumatra in early March, marking one of the latest deadly natural disasters in Indonesia.
Government officials blamed the floods on heavy rainfall, but environmental groups have cited the disaster as the latest example of deforestation and environmental degradation intensifying the effects of severe weather across Indonesia.“This disaster occurred not only because of extreme weather factors, but because of the ecological crisis,” Indonesian environmental rights group Indonesian Forum for the Environment wrote in a statement. “If the environment continues to be ignored, then we will continue to reap ecological disasters.”
A vast tropical archipelago stretching across the equator, Indonesia is home to the world’s third-largest rainforest, with a variety of endangered wildlife and plants, including orangutans, elephants, giant and blooming forest flowers. Some live nowhere else.For generations the forests have also provided livelihoods, food, and medicine while playing a central role in cultural practices for millions of Indigenous residents in Indonesia.
Since 1950, more than 74 million hectares (285,715 square miles) of Indonesian rainforest — an area twice the size of Germany — have been logged, burned or degraded for development of palm oil, paper and rubber plantations, mining and other commodities according to Global Forest Watch.
Indonesia is the biggest producer of palm oil, one of the largest exporters of coal and a top producer of pulp for paper. It also exports oil and gas, rubber, tin and other resources. And it also has the world’s largest reserves of nickel — a critical material for electric vehicles, solar panels and other goods needed for the green energy transition.
Indonesia has consistently ranked as one of the largest global emitters of plant-warming greenhouse gases, with its emissions stemming from the burning of fossil fuels, deforestation and peatland fires, according to the Global Carbon Project.Read the remainder of the article on AP
Written by Victoria Milko. Originally published by Associated Press, 30 March, 2024. Original title: ‘In Indonesia, deforestation is intensifying disasters from severe weather and climate change’. Excerpt published, read the original article.
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An explosive report by the Environment Investigation Agency (EIA) details how Indonesia’s Fangiono family, through a wide corporate web, is linked to ongoing #deforestation, #corruption, and #indigenousrights abuses for #palmoil. Calls mount for…
West Papuan Indigenous Women Fight Land Seizures
Indigenous Melanesian women in West Papua fight land seizures for palm oil and sugar plantations, protecting their ancestral rights. Join #BoycottPalmOilLoad more posts
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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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#Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #climateChange #ClimateAction #climatechange #climatecrisis #ClimateEmergency #deforestation #floods #Forest #Indonesia #landslides #mining #nickel #palmoil #paper #Sumatra
Pink Beach - ещё одна стандартная остановка на пути к варанам на Комодо.
На мой взгляд, не особо он розовый, но какой уж есть.
18.08.2025
Pink Beach(Pantai Merah), Komodo, Indonesia
Montasik, #Indonesia
People walk down a road running through paddy fields at sunrise.
Photograph: Chaideer Mahyuddin/AFP/Getty Images
#NewSpecies!
New land snail from #indonesia just crawled in:
Chamalycaeus dayangmerindu
Treatment: treatment.plazi.org/id/AE12127…
Publication: doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1272.1…
#ZooKeys #ChamalycaeusDayangmerindu
#FAIRdata
#science #OA #openaccess #biology #taxonomy #ecology #biodiversity #nature #wildlife #conservation #animals #fauna #malacology #gastropods #snails #landsnails
Tesso Nilo National Park in #Sumatra, #Indonesia, has lost 78% of its primary forest between 2009 and 2023, primarily due to #palmoil plantations. This #deforestation threatens the habitat of critically endangered species like the Sumatran #tiger and #elephant. Advocating for indigenous-led conservation efforts and adopting a vegan lifestyle can help protect these vital ecosystems. #Vegan #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife
#News: Tesso Nilo National Park in #Sumatra #indonesia 🇮🇩has lost 78% of primary forest since 2009 due to illegal #palmoil plantations, endangering species like #tigers #orangutans #elephants. Help them to survive! #BoycottPalmOil 🌴🔥⛔️ #Boycott4Wildlife wp.me/pcFhgU-aly
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Tesso Nilo National Park, established two decades ago to safeguard one of Sumatra’s largest remaining lowland forests, is facing severe deforestation. Recent satellite imagery from Global Forest Watch indicates that the park has lost 78% of its primary forest cover between 2009 and 2023.
The primary driver of this deforestation is the expansion of illegal oil palm plantations. A 2018 investigation by the World Wildlife Fund revealed that nearly 75% of the park had been converted into such plantations. The development of these plantations introduces roads, increasing accessibility for poachers and further endangering wildlife.
Tesso Nilo is a biodiversity hotspot, home to over 4,000 plant species and nearly 3% of the world’s mammal species, including critically endangered Sumatran tigers and Sumatran elephants. The ongoing deforestation poses a significant threat to these species, leading to palm oil habitat loss and ecosystem disruption.
In addition to biodiversity loss, deforestation contributes to climate change by releasing stored carbon into the atmosphere, exacerbating global warming.
Efforts to combat deforestation in Tesso Nilo include raising awareness about the consequences of palm oil deforestation and promoting indigenous-led conservation initiatives. Make sure you resist against animal and plant extinction when you shop #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife!
For a detailed analysis, read the full article on The Cool Down.
Marino, J. (2024, December 15). Satellite imagery identifies disturbing problem in national park — here’s why experts are concerned. The Cool Down. Retrieved from thecooldown.com/outdoors/tesso…
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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.
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.
twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status…
twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status…
twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1…
4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.
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#BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #corruption #deforestation #elephant #elephants #Indonesia #News #orangutans #PalmOil #palmOilBiofuel #palmOilDeforestation #palmoil #Sumatra #SumatranCochoaCochoaBeccarii #SumatranElephantElephasMaximusSumatranus #SumatranGroundCuckooCarpococcyxViridis #SumatranLaughingthrushGarrulaxBicolor #SumatranLeafbirdChloropsisMedia #SumatranMesiaLeiothrixLaurinae #SumatranOrangutanPongoAbelii #SumatranTigerPantheraTigrisSondaica #TessoNiloNationalPark #tiger #tigers #vegan
Recent satellite images reveal the shocking extent of deforestation in Indonesia's Tesso Nilo National Park.Juliana Marino (The Cool Down)
Extinction On Our Plates
The contents of your fridge and dining table directly impacts the future of rare rainforest and ocean animals. That’s because industrial agriculture and aquaculture for commodities like meat, dairy, fish and palm oil is driving animals in the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet closer towards extinction.However, reducing the biodiversity footprint of global food consumption requires more than just consumer intervention. It requires immediate and widespread action from government policy-makers and law-makers as well, writes Ecologist Dr Quentin Read of North Carolina State University for 360info
Extinction On Our Plates: 🔥😿 Expanding agricultural land for #meat 🥩 #dairy 🧈 and #palmoil is pushing #biodiversity past limits for survival. Help animals, use your wallet 🤑 as a weapon, be #vegan 🥦 #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect wp.me/pcFhgU-71v
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Share to TwitterDYK what you buy and eat either helps or hurt wild #animals? 😿 Commodities like #meat 🥩 and #palmoil 🪔are driving wild animal #extinction. Fight for them 💪 and be #vegan 🥕 #palmoilfree #Boycottmeat 🤩#Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect wp.me/pcFhgU-71v
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Share to TwitterArticle written by Dr Quentin Read, data scientist and ecologist. He is currently the Southeast Area Statistician with the Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) based at North Carolina State University. This article has been republished for the COP15 Biodiversity Summit. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.
Land is foremost among those resources. As food is transported from farm to fork, the land used to grow the food is ‘virtually transported’ along with it. Depending on what you’re eating, one bite might have a potpourri of virtually embedded land supporting a wide diversity of wild plants and animals.
The food on our plates has a footprint. Every bite of food we consume represents the environmental impact of all the resources used to produce that food
Expanding agricultural land is pushing biodiversity past a safe limit
Wild biodiversity is under threat from the production and consumption of global food systems. Some species may already be ‘walking dead’, doomed to extinction because they no longer have a habitat large enough to avoid a population crash.
In collaboration with NASA, researchers from universities across the United States are undertaking complex geospatial statistics to closely examine these future biodiversity impacts. Similar efforts around the world are leading some governments, including the United States, to set priorities to protect land within their borders.But more ambitious conservation efforts are urgently needed.
Latest estimates show 64 percent of land in North America would need to be conserved to safeguard biodiversity, primarily because of the ecologically intact areas of Canada and the United States. By contrast, at least 33.1 percent of Europe’s land area requires conservation. The most threatened land is concentrated in developing countries where mining and farming are economic mainstays. More than half of the most at-risk habitat is in Africa.
To preserve biodiversity we must not only work on protecting natural habitats but also on reducing the food system’s demand for land. If we’re expected, as predicted, to feed 10 billion people by 2050, all that extra food would require clearing at least 1.5 billion acres of forests, savannas and wetlands, an area nearly twice the size of India.
However, all is not lost
There are two key ways governments and individuals can reduce the land demand pressure from the food system: eating a smart plant-based diet and reducing food waste.First, consider your diet. Animal products need large amounts of land to grow feed and pasture livestock. This includes not only meat but also dairy, eggs, and even fish, which are increasingly sourced from aquaculture farms that use land-grown feed. A smart plant-based diet is a major way to reduce land demand and biodiversity impact relative to a diet high in meat and dairy.
But not just any plant-based diet will do. Only a smart plant-based diet that avoids sourcing too much food from regions that have high levels of imperiled biodiversity will reduce impact relative to a diet high in meat and dairy.
This means reducing consumption of some of our favourite foods like avocados, chocolate, cashews, and other tropical fruits. The international food trade of products like these spreads local biodiversity impacts around the globe.
If that sounds too hard, then here’s the good news. Reducing pre-consumer and consumer food waste by 50 percent – which might be an easier change than a radical diet overhaul – has almost as much positive impact on reducing land demand in high-biodiversity areas as changing diets does. In the United States, cutting food waste in half has the potential to reduce biodiversity impacts by 18 percent.Diet and food waste adaptations are not just up to individuals – governments must play a part
It’s important to keep in mind that both diet changes and food waste reduction are not only individual choices. Governments could implement policies that more aggressively target food waste on the farm, in the supermarket, and in the home. As a recent UN report showed, developed-world household waste is currently on the rise globally. Incentivising the production of plant-based meat alternatives would also help consumers make biodiversity-friendly choices.There are challenging decisions to be made. We need to carefully navigate complex issues and unforeseen consequences to reduce biodiversity impacts of the food we eat. An important piece of the puzzle is helping consumers better understand how their diets and food waste behaviors influence global biodiversity. This means tough trade-offs at the personal and societal level may be needed to better balance human health, economics, and environmental sustainability.
Article written by Dr Quentin Read, data scientist and ecologist. He is currently the Southeast Area Statistician with the Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) based at North Carolina State University. This article has been republished for the COP15 Biodiversity Summit. Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.
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Read more about human health, veganism, nutrition and why you should #Boycottpalmoil, #Boycottmeat for your own and the planet’s health
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Wildlife Artist Juanchi Pérez
Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings
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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.
twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status…
twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status…
twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1…
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
#animalExtinction #animals #biodiversity #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottMeat #BoycottPalmOil #dairy #deforestation #diet #extinction #health #humanHealth #meat #nutrition #PalmOil #palmOilDeforestation #palmoil #palmoilfree #plantBasedDiet #vegan
In Peninsular Malaysia, a new study published in Cell Biology by a team led by Dr Anna Holzner of German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig has found that infant mortality rates among wild southern pig-tailed macaques are alarmingly high due to frequent visits to oil palm plantations.These plantations expose the infants to increased risks from predators, human encounters, and harmful agricultural chemicals, potentially affecting the development and survival of infant macaques. The study, conducted in collaboration of international researchers, observed that prolonged exposure to these plantations during infancy triples the likelihood of death.
The study suggests that pesticides used in agriculture could cross the placental barrier or be transmitted through breastmilk, impacting fetal development and health. This significant research underlines the urgent need for eco-friendly agricultural practices to protect wildlife and human communities near plantations. Take action and join the movement to #Boycottpalmoil and #Boycott4Wildlife every time you shop!
#News: #Research in Current Biology finds infant pigtailed #macaques visiting ＃palmoil plantations 3 x more likely to die young from #pesticide poisoning. Agricultural chemicals are detrimental to infant ＃primates #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife 🌴🔥⛔️ wp.me/pcFhgU-7aa
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It’s not just #orangutans 🦧🧡 countless #rainforest animals are at risk from #oilpalm 🐵🐒 A #study in Cell Biology finds #macaque babies 3 x more likely to die from palm oil #pesticide. Help them and #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife! 🌴🩸 @palmoildetect wp.me/pcFhgU-7aa
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Anna Holzner, Nurul Iza Adrina Mohd Rameli, Nadine Ruppert, Anja Widdig (2024): Agricultural habitat use affects infant survivorship in an endangered macaque species. Current Biology, DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.12.002. Media release published by German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv)
Halle-Jena-Leipzig, 8th January, 2024, read original.
Frequent visits to oil palm plantations are leading to a sharp increase in mortality rates among infant southern pig-tailed macaques (Macaca nemestrina) in the wild, according to a new study published in Current Biology. In addition to increased risk from predators and human encounters, exposure to harmful agricultural chemicals in this environment may negatively affect infant development.
In wild populations, infant survival is crucial for determining individual fitness and for maintaining viable populations in changing environments. For primates, agricultural areas adjacent to tropical forest habitat can be a mixed blessing: While crop plantations can provide easy access to food, they also come with increased exposure to various hazards, which is likely contributing to reduced infant survival in several wild primate species.
In a long-term collaboration between Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Leipzig University (UL), and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (MPI EVA), researchers set out to investigate potential links between frequent visits to oil palm plantations and the particularly high infant mortality they observed among wild southern pig-tailed macaques in Peninsular Malaysia. In a habituated study population in this region, 57% of all infants born between 2014 and 2023 died before the age of one – a rate that far exceeds mortality rates reported in other wild primate populations.
For almost ten years, the researchers followed two groups of macaques living in a mosaic of rainforest and oil palm plantations. They found that prolonged exposure to oil palm plantations during infancy tripled the likelihood of infant mortality. This key finding could be explained by increased encounters with predators and humans, and potential exposure to harmful chemicals such as pesticides in this environment.
“Some of these risks are relatively clear: infant macaques are more likely to fall prey to feral dogs that roam in the plantations in packs or to be captured by humans and sold illegally as pets,” explains Dr Nadine Ruppert from USM, who established and leads the field site. “But the potential long-term effects of the pesticides used to manage the monocultures on mammalian wildlife are much less obvious and very poorly understood.”
The study also found increased infant mortality rates when mothers gave birth for the first time or when there was a long interval between two consecutives births, which contradicts studies that report increased mortality when the interbirth interval is shorter. The accumulation or uptake of pesticides in the mother’s body may play a key role: “The literature suggests that certain harmful substances used in agriculture can cross the placental barrier and be passed on to the unborn offspring. We also know that certain fat-soluble molecules can be passed on through breastmilk,” says lead author Dr Anna Holzner (iDiv, MPI EVA, UL and USM). “Accordingly, the longer the chemicals accumulate in the mother’s body, the more they could influence foetal development during pregnancy and also during lactation.”
The study highlights the urgent need to address anthropogenic threats to animals in agricultural landscapes. “We know that the use of pesticides in agriculture has led to drastic declines in insect populations, so chemical analysis is essential to understand the effects of pesticides on mammalian wildlife,” says Professor Dr Anja Widdig (UL, MPI EVA and iDiv), senior author and leading PI in this iDiv Flexpool project. “Our findings underscore the critical need to implement environmentally friendly cultivation practices that minimise the risks to wildlife populations and also to people living near plantations.”
Anna Holzner, Nurul Iza Adrina Mohd Rameli, Nadine Ruppert, Anja Widdig (2024): Agricultural habitat use affects infant survivorship in an endangered macaque species. Current Biology, DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.12.002. Media release published by German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv)
Halle-Jena-Leipzig, 8th January, 2024, read original.
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Gursky’s Spectral Tarsier Tarsius spectrumgurskyae
Gursky’s Spectral Tarsier Tarsius spectrumgurskyae
IUCN Red List Status: VulnerableLocation: 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 #Boycott4WildlifeKnown 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 palmoildetectives.com/2026/02/…
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Share to TwitterFound 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 palmoildetectives.com/2026/02/…
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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 #BoycottMeatSupport 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. researchportalplus.anu.edu.au/…Shekelle, M. 2020. Tarsius spectrumgurskyae. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T162336422A162336580. dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.202…. Accessed on 06 April 2025.
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Gursky’s spectral tarsier. Retrieved April 6, 2025, from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gursky%2…
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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.
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Learn about other animals endangered by palm oil and other agriculture
Global
South America
S.E. Asia
India
Africa
West Papua & PNG
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
Lying
Fake labels
Indigenous Land-grabbing
Human rights abuses
Deforestation
Human health hazardsA 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 #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottMeat #BoycottPalmOil #BoycottPesticides #carnivores #deforestation #ForgottenAnimals #GurskySSpectralTarsierTarsiusSpectrumgurskyae #hunting #illegalPetTrade #Indonesia #insects #nocturnal #PalmOil #palmOilDeforestation #palmoil #pesticide #pesticides #pet #petTrade #pettrade #poaching #Primate #primates #primatology #Sulawesi #tarsier #tarsiers #timber #vegan #vulnerable #VulnerableSpecies
The Problems with Palm Oil
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Extant (resident): Brunei Darussalam; Indonesia (Kalimantan); Malaysia (Sarawak, Sabah)
The #Borneo Forest Dragon, also known as the Borneo Anglehead #Lizard is a vividly coloured lizard native to Borneo. This arboreal #reptile is known for their prominent crest and beautifully camouflaged body, allowing them to blend seamlessly into their rainforest surroundings. Found primarily in undisturbed and secondary rainforests, the Borneo Forest Dragon thrives in humid environments, often near streams.Although the latest assessment by IUCN Red List revealed that they are ‘least concern’, the plans to move the capital of Indonesia to Kalimantan is concerning to conservationists and animal lovers alike. Rampant habitat loss from #palmoil and #timber #deforestation on the island of Borneo posses a grave threat. Protect these striking animals and their rainforest home when you #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife!
youtu.be/gN-KYLuDvPg?si=EGkkEN…
Cheeky, charismatic Borneo Forest #Dragons 🦎are the most beautiful #lizards you’ve never heard of. Living inside of #Borneo’s #forests, threats include #palmoil #deforestation and more. Help them survive #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect wp.me/pcFhgU-8PU
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Borneo Forest Dragons 🦎 are cold-blooded #reptile royalty in the #rainforests of #Malaysia and #Indonesia. Endless forests are being destroyed for #palmoil and #mining. Fight for #lizards 👊💚when u shop #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect wp.me/pcFhgU-8PU
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Male Borneo Forest Dragons are bigger than females, with longer tails and a more prominent crest. They lay up to four eggs per clutch, which are deposited in a small burrow in the soil. Their colouration provides excellent camouflage from predators in the rainforest canopy, where they spend most of their time.
Males can grow to up to 13.6 cm long and with longer tails than females, who are slightly smaller. These lizards stand out thanks to the crest on their necks and backs, which looks like a sharp, lance-shaped ridge. Males and females show colour dimorphism, with males typically brown, olive, and green, with dark patterns. Meanwhile females have a striking rust-red colour with oval spots on their sides.
Found in the vines and tree trunks of primary and secondary rainforests, these lizards are tree-dwellers, spending most of their time in the forest canopy. When they feel threatened, they raise their bodies and flare the crest on their neck to look bigger.
The primary threat to the Borneo Forest Dragon is habitat loss due to the clearing of forests for agriculture, including palm oil plantations, and logging activities. As rainforests are cut down, lizards lose access to the trees they depend on for shelter, food, and breeding sites. Fragmentation of their habitat isolates populations and increases their vulnerability to other threats. They are also threatened by agricultural run-off and toxic pesticides impacting their fragile ecosystem.
Selective logging and human encroachment have fundamentally changed the structure of the forest making it less suitable for arboreal species like the Borneo Forest Dragon and other reptiles. Secondary forests, while still viable habitats, do not offer the same quality of resources as primary forests.
Extreme weather and changes to rainfall patterns due to climate change are likely to threaten their rainforest ecosystem. This shift in weather conditions may disrupt their breeding and food availability, forcing them to move to less suitable environments.
The Borneo Forest Dragon is an insectivore, feeding primarily on small invertebrates found in their rainforest habitat. These lizards may opportunistically eat other small prey available in the forest, hunting in the trees.
Borneo anglehead lizards reproduce by laying eggs. Females deposit up to four eggs in a small burrow dug in the soil. The eggs, which are around 22 mm in length, are laid at intervals of three months. The species’ arboreal nature means they rely on well-structured forests with plenty of trees and lianas for shelter and nesting sites.
The Borneo Forest Dragon is endemic to the island of Borneo. Their range includes Malaysia (Sabah and Sarawak) and Indonesia (Kalimantan), along with the Kingdom of Brunei. The Borneo Anglehead Lizard inhabits primary and secondary rainforests up to 700 metres above sea level. Preferring humid environments near streams where they can find abundant food and nesting sites.
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.
Ecology Asia. (2024). Borneo anglehead lizard. Retrieved from ecologyasia.com/verts/lizards/…
Iskandar, D. & McGuire, J. 2019. Gonocephalus bornensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T99929470A99929479. dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.201…. Accessed on 15 September 2024.
Wikipedia contributors. (2024). Gonocephalus bornensis. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gonoceph…
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Human health hazards
#animals #Borneo #BorneoForestDragonGonocephalusBornensis #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #climateChange #deforestation #Dragons #forests #ForgottenAnimals #Indonesia #lizard #lizards #Malaysia #mining #PalmOil #palmOilDeforestation #palmoil #petTrade #rainforests #Reptile #SouthEastAsia #timber #VulnerableSpecies
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Green Dragontail Lamproptera meges
Green Dragontail Lamproptera meges
Vulnerable
Shimmering and transparent Green Dragontails 🐛🦋🪞 are forest-dwelling butterflies of SE Asia, fighting to survive due to #palmoil #deforestation 🌴🔥 help them by going #vegan 🍇🌽🍓 #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife in the supermarket @palmoildetect palmoildetectives.com/2024/01/…
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Share to TwitterGreen Dragontails could be called the most exquisite and beautiful #butterflies alive 😻🤟🦋They are #vulnerable due to #palmoil 🌴🪔🚫 and other #deforestation. Help them to survive! Be #vegan and #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect palmoildetectives.com/2024/01/…
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Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, south China, Brunei, eastern Malaysia, Philippines, Brunei, Indonesian archipelago (Nias, Java, Sulawesi, Java, and Bangka) and northeastern India (Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Assam, Manipur)
Green Dragontails could arguably be called the most exquisite and beautiful butterflies alive.They flutter through sunlit patches of leaves near to streams and rivers in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar, the Philippines, and northeastern India.
They are mostly black and white with a bright turquoise or light green band running roughly parallel to their abdomens.
Their forewings feature a stunning glass-like transparent triangle known as a hyaline. Their tail features a star-like galaxy pattern that glints in sunlight.
It has been over a decade since they were last surveyed, their range overlaps significantly with areas already cleared for palm oil. Help their survival and use your wallet as a weapon! #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife
Green Dragontails belong to the swallowtail butterfly family, endemic to South and Southeast Asia. They are mostly black and white with a bright turquoise or light green band running roughly parallel to their abdomens.
The smallest of the dragontail butterflies, adult green dragontails have an average wingspan of only 40-55mm. They flutter through sunlit patches of leaves near to streams and rivers and are typically found in groups of two to three individuals.
Their forewings feature a stunning glass-like transparent triangle known as a hyaline. Their tail features a star-like galaxy pattern that glints in sunlight.
Dragontail butterflies fly in a unique way, flapping their wings extremely rapidly similar to a hummingbird or dragonfly. They use their long ribbon-like tails as rudders for balance while in flight.
Males appear differently to females, with the latter of a more dull coloured appearance. As caterpillars they have a dark green body spotted in black.
Green Dragontail sub-species
- Lamproptera meges meges Sumatra, Java, Borneo
- Lamproptera meges ennius (C. & R. Felder, 1865) northern Sulawesi, central Sulawesi
- Lamproptera meges akirai Tsukada & Nishiyama, 1980 southern Sulawesi
- Lamproptera meges virescens (Butler, [1870]) Burma, Vietnam, Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Hainan
- Lamproptera meges annamiticus (Fruhstorfer, 1909) eastern Thailand, southern Vietnam
- Lamproptera meges pallidus (Fruhstorfer, 1909) northern Vietnam
- Lamproptera meges niasicus (Fruhstorfer, 1909) Nias
- Lamproptera meges decius (C. & R. Felder, 1862) Philippines
- Lamproptera meges pessimus Fruhstorfer, 1909 Philippines (Palawan, Balabac, Dumaran)
- Lamproptera meges amplifascia Tytler, 1939 Yunnan, Burma
Green Dragontail Lamproptera meges
Green Dragontail Lamproptera meges
Threats
The green dragontail is considered vulnerable and in need of protection in peninsular Malaysia. Although they have not been recently assessed by conservationists, their range overlaps significantly with forests already cleared for palm oil, rubber, timber and other agriculture.
A 2004 study of swallowtails in Assam, India finds they were already extremely rare there
In a study of swallowtail assemblages in Rani-Garbhanga Reserve Forest in Assam in 2003 and 2004, dragontails (Lamproptera species) were found to have one of the lowest mean abundances; both L. meges and L. curius being found in gaps (open patches) as well as in closed forest.[5]A 2004 report had earlier suggested that the status of the green dragontail in Garbhanga Reserve Forest was “very rare”; later a total of 108 butterflies of genus Lamproptera were seen during the 2003 and 2004 survey, the species-wise breakdown not being published.[
Green Dragontail Lamproptera meges
Habitat
Green Dragontails are found in tropical and sub-tropical rain forests in riverine settings like streams, waterfalls, and rivers as well as in leaf litter.Their range includes northeast India including the states of Arunachal, Assam, Pradesh, Manipur and Nagaland. They are also found in SE Asia in the countries of Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, China, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. In 2006 they were reportedly found on the islands of Java, Kalimanta, Sulawesi, Nias and Bangka.
However, in the decades since they were surveyed, their range has been cleared significantly for palm oil in SE Asia. Therefore, it is highly likely that these butterflies have now either gone extinct in these regions or are approaching extinction. Efforts to expand the growth of palm oil in the Assam region of India would also be a serious threat to this butterfly species.
Diet
Because of their straw-like mouthparts, butterflies are mainly restricted to a liquid diet. Butterflies use their proboscis to drink sweet nectar from flowers. The green dragontail has been observed eating from various tropical flowering plants including the family Hernandiaceae.Mating and breeding
This butterfly’s beauty is ephemeral and shortlived – they have a typical lifespan of between 7 to 12 days. Their eggs are spherical, smooth and pale green. As caterpillars, they are dark green and spotted with black.Support Green Dragontails 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
Green Dragontail on Butterfly Identification
Green Dragontail Lamproptera meges
How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?
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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.
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twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1…
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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
#animals #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #butterflies #butterfly #China #deforestation #dragon #ForgottenAnimals #GreenDragontailLampropteraMeges #India #Indonesia #insect #insects #PalmOil #palmOilDeforestation #palmoil #pollination #pollinator #SouthEastAsia #Thailand #vegan #Vietnam #vulnerable #VulnerableSpecies
Green Dragontail Butterfly: Identification, Facts, & Pictures
Green Dragontail Butterfly eggs, caterpillar, pupa, & adult description, their wingspan, flight pattern, host plants, distribution, imagesPoppy Glendening (Butterfly Identification)
Extant (resident)
Philippines, West Papua
Stunning bright coloured Philippine sailfin lizards are becoming more and more rare due to #palmoil #deforestation across their range in #WestPapua #Philippines and eastern #Indonesia. They are also threatened by hunting and the illegal pet trade. Males turn a dark violet colour during mating season and flare their extravagant sail-like fins to announce their mating prowess. They have a third eye on the top of their head which enables them to sense sunlight. Help them survive every time you shop and #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife
Stunning vividly coloured Philippine Sailfin #Lizards 🦎😍 of #WestPapua and #Philippines 🇵🇭 need you to fight for them! Use your wallet as a weapon in the supermarket @palmoildetect #Boycottpalmoil 🌴🪔🚫🧐 #Boycott4Wildlife palmoildetectives.com/2023/11/…
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Amazing Philippine Sailfin #Lizards of #WestPapua can walk on water and turn purple during the mating season 🧙♂️🪄🦎💜 They are decreasing in number due to multiple threats. Help their survival when you #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife 🌴🚫 @palmoildetect palmoildetectives.com/2023/11/…
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Although this animal was previously recorded on IUCN Red List as being ‘Least Concern’ 100,000’s of hectares of rainforest in Papua and Philippines have since disappeared for palm oil – so likely, this rating is longer relevant. These lizards are most likely going to be upgraded to ‘vulnerable’ or ‘endangered’ due to massive deforestation throughout their range.
Stunning bright coloured Philippine sailfin lizards are becoming more and more rare from palm oil deforestation across their range in #WestPapua #Philippines and eastern #Indonesia.
The Philippine sailfin lizard is also known by the common names sailfin water lizard, crested lizard, sailfin lizard and the soa-soa water lizard.
Found on the islands that make up the Philippines, New Guinea and Eastern Indonesia.
Known for their dramatic and attractive colouration patterns and sail-like dorsal crests which give them the appearance of a dragon – these lizards are prized on the illegal pet trade.
Philippine Sailfin Lizards belong to the genus Hydrosaurus meaning water lizard. Juvenile lizards have the ability of running on water due to the structure of their feet and toe pads which are flat and enable this.
These fascinating lizards are studied carefully by herpetologists and other sciences as their colouration and form is unique.
Male lizards use their impressive sail-like dorsal fins as forms of territorial display between males competing for mates.
These large and brightly coloured lizards can grow anywhere between 06.-1.2 metres in length and weigh between 1.3 – 2.2 kg.
Their sail-like crest helps them with mating territorial displays, and as a way of moderating the body’s temperature, but it’s also used as a ballast for balance when swimming.
Males have a larger crest, bigger head and darker limbs. During the mating season the head and neck of the male lizard becomes a vivid violet colour, whereas only the female’s crest can become violet during the mating season.
Philippine sailfin lizards have dark green and brown skin with yellow patches on the back side of their body and near their heads.
They use their flattened tail like a rudder to propel themselves through the water and quickly evade predators. In the presence of predators they can drop from tree branches and swim to the bottom of a river and stay there for up to 15 minutes holding their breath.
They have a vestigal eye (also known as a parietal or pineal eye) this is at the top of their skull and is thought to be used to give them a sense of direction and light from the sun.
The threats to the two species of Hydrosaurus in the Philippines are generally very similar. Populations appear to be principally threatened by habitat loss, often the conversion of wooded land to alternative uses (including agriculture), and through logging operations. In addition, animals (especially hatchlings) are heavily collected for both the pet trade (national and possibly international) and local consumption. Because of inter-island trade, there is some possibility of introduced animals mixing with indigenous populations. In some parts of is range it is additionally threatened by water pollution resulting from the use of agrochemicals and increased sedimentation.
IUCN RED LIST
Philippine sailfin lizards face a number of human-related threats, including:
The Philippine sailfin lizard is found in tropical wooded habitats, mangroves, rice-fields, riverine environments and near bodies of freshwater. They are found on several islands in the Philippines including Guimaras, Romblon, Negros, and Cebu, New Guinea, West Papua and some of eastern Indonesia.
These lizards are omnivores and will eat a varied diet of plants including leaves and fruits in addition to insects and crustaceans.
Philippine sailfin lizards are completely reliant upon access to a river or stream in order to mate and reproduce.
Female Philippine sailfin lizards are able to lay several clutches of eggs a year that each can contain anywhere between 2 and 8 eggs. These eggs are nestled into the soil near a river or stream for an incubation period of two months and then hatchlings emerge.
As hatchlings the lizards are born with natural agility and swiftness, including being able to run along the surface of water to evade predators.
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.
Ledesma, M., Brown, R., Sy, E. & Rico, E.L. 2009. Hydrosaurus pustulatus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2009: e.T10335A3194587. dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.200…. Accessed on 31 October 2022.
Sailfin Water Lizard Hydrosaurus pustulatus on Wikipedia
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.
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.
twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status…
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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
#animals #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #deforestation #ForgottenAnimals #illegalPetTrade #Indonesia #lizards #PalmOil #palmOilDeforestation #palmoil #PhilippineSailfinLizardHydrosaurusPustulatus #Philippines #poachers #poaching #Reptile #SouthEastAsia #VulnerableSpecies #WestPapua #WestPapua
Stunning bright coloured Philippine sailfin #lizards are becoming more and more rare from palm oil deforestation across their range in #WestPapua #Philippine...Palm Oil Detectives (YouTube)
Amphibians Glow in Ways People Can’t See
Many animals have a colourful, yet largely hidden, trait. Marine creatures like #fish and corals can glow blue, green or red under certain types of light. So can land animals like penguins and #parrots. But until now, experts knew of only one salamander and a few #frogs that could glow. No longer. Among #amphibians, this ability to glow now appears fairly common — even if you can’t see it. Research has found that most amphibians glow as well – even if it’s not visible to human eyes. Protect amphibians and reptiles every time you shop and #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4WildlifeDYK not only #fish or #insects glow 🐟🐠🐛🦋? #Research has found that amphibians glow as well – even if it’s not visible to human eyes 🌈🌟🎇 Protect #amphibians and #reptiles every time you shop and #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect palmoildetectives.com/2024/06/…
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Share to TwitterWritten by Erin Garcia de Jesús for Science News Explores under creative commons licence. Read the original article here.
The glow is produced through a process is known as fluorescence. A body absorbs shorter (higher energy) wavelengths of light. Almost immediately, it then re-emits that light, but now at longer (lower energy) wavelengths. People can’t see this glow, however, because our eyes aren’t sensitive enough to see the small amount of light given off in natural light.
Blue poison dart frogs by Aleksei Stemmer for Getty Images
Jennifer Lamb and Matthew Davis are biologists at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota. They shone blue or ultraviolet light on 32 species of amphibians. Most were salamanders and frogs. Some were adults. Others were younger. One animal was a wormlike amphibian known as a caecilian (Seh-SEEL-yun).The researchers found some of the creatures in their natural habitats. Others came from places like the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, Ill. (There, the pair were allowed to “come into the exhibit after dark and basically run through their exhibit,” Davis notes.)
Blue poison dart frog by Zoological Consult for Getty Images
Forest Rainbowfish Melanotaenia sylvatica
Research shows that biofluorescence is widespread and common not only among fish amongst amphibians
To the researchers’ surprise, all the animals they tested glowed in brilliant colors. Some were green. The glow from others was more yellow. The colors glowed most strongly under blue light. Until now, scientists had seen such fluorescence only in marine turtles. The new finding suggests that this biofluorescence is widespread among amphibians.The researchers reported their findings February 27 in Scientific Reports.
Red Eyed Tree Frog by Getty Images
Which parts of an animal glow differ with the species, Lamb and Davis found. Yellow spots on the eastern tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum) glow green under blue light. But in the marbled salamander (A. opacum), the bones and parts of its underside light up.Malayan Forest Gecko Cyrtodactylus pulchellus close up of face
The researchers didn’t test what these amphibians use to glow. But they suspect the animals rely on fluorescent proteins or the pigments in some cells. If there are multiple ways they fluoresce, that would hint that the ability to glow evolved independently in different species. If not, the ancient ancestor of modern amphibians may have passed one trait on to species that are alive today.Bornean Rainbow Toad Ansonia latidisca
Fluorescence may help salamanders and frogs find one another in low light. In fact, their eyes contain cells that are especially sensitive to green or blue light.One day, scientists might also harness the amphibians’ ability to glow. They could use special lights to search for the animals to survey their presence in the wild. That might help them see creatures that blend into their surroundings or hide in piles of leaves.
Blue poison dart frog by Zoological Consult for Getty ImagesTake Action in Five Ways
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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.
twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status…
twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status…
twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1…
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
Pledge your support
#amazingAnimals #Amphibian #amphibians #animalCommunication #animalRights #biodiversity #bioluminescence #BorneanRainbowToadAnsoniaLatidisca #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #deforestation #extinction #fish #ForestRainbowfishMelanotaeniaSylvatica #ForgottenAnimals #Frog #Frogs #GlassFrog #insects #PalmOil #palmOilDeforestation #Parrots #reptiles #research #SavageSGlassFrogCentroleneSavageiCaecilians: The other amphibian
John Measey flew to Venezuela in 1997 in search of peculiar amphibians that looked like snakes or worms and lived underground. Measey’s team trekked throughRoberta Kwok (Science News Explores)
When Indonesian prosecutors went after the leader of an illegal wildlife syndicate operating near the Malacca Strait, they relied on the country’s then relatively new 2019 Quarantine Act to seek a prison sentence.After being connected to the illegal smuggling of four lion cubs, a leopard, and 58 species of Indian Star tortoises from Malaysia to Indonesia, Irawan Shia received a four-year prison sentence and fine of IDR 1 billion (USD$65,468). If the fine is not paid, the replacement is three months imprisonment.
The sentence was the biggest ever handed out, but falls far short of what it could have been had Indonesia brought its laws in line with global conventions.
Illegal #wildlife #crime is rampant in #Indonesia, from #birds to #orangutans, to coral. #Trafficking online is worth $852.6mil USD per year. Indonesia is weak in response. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife #extinction @palmoildetect palmoildetectives.com/2024/11/…
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Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™, written by Anugerah Rizki Akbari. Read the original article here.
Illegal trading of wildlife is rampant in Indonesia, from bird species and orangutans, to coral specimens. Wildlife traffickers using online platforms have found a new marketplace.
Environmental crime is the world’s third largest illegal trade, according to INTERPOL. It’s worth more than USD$20 billion a year but remains overlooked and under-prosecuted. In Indonesia, illegal trade of wildlife costs the economy an estimated USD$852,4 million every year, and according to INTERPOL it’s growing at between 5-7 percent per year.
Despite the numbers, Indonesia is falling short in its response to wildlife trafficking. Observers have called for better criminal investigations and more suitable punishments for the offenders as well as an upgrade to the legislative frameworks tackling these criminal activities.
Due to its lucrative nature and extensive markets, it is almost impossible for criminals to act individually when trafficking wildlife. Similar to drugs and human trafficking, illegal trade of wildlife requires a multitude of criminal networks with individuals holding various duties in committing the crime. Poachers, brokers, intermediaries, exporters-importers, wholesale traders, and retailers are all present in the chain of criminal enterprises.
The involvement of organised crime actors, other crime groups, officials, authorities, and militias in the different stages of wildlife trafficking complicates the state’s intervention to tackle an offence considered a nested complex crime. Because of this, the illegal trade of wildlife is generally considered to be transnational organised crime, requiring a matched response.
For example, the United Nations Conventions against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC), in tackling transnational organised crime enables governments to criminalise participation, introduce liability for legal persons, undertake special investigation techniques and cooperate internationally. There are programmes for law enforcement agencies to effectively collaborate in combating these crimes, such as collecting, exchange and analysis of information on the nature of organised crime and training and technical assistance.
But Indonesia has yet to adopt these initiatives in its own regulations. Despite ratifying UNTOC in 2009, the primary foundation of Indonesia’s response to illegal trade of wildlife lies in its Conservation of Biological Natural Resources and their Ecosystems Law. This more than 30-year old law is not suited to combating today’s rampant wildlife trafficking.
For instance, the maximum criminal sentence of five years’ imprisonment and fines of up to IDR 100 million (USD$6,548) are far too lenient compared to the harm caused by the illegal wildlife trade. Indonesian law fails to regulate the involvement of corporations in the illicit trade of protected floras and faunas as it only criminalises individual offenders. Subsequently, it does not equip law enforcement agencies with the necessary powers to investigate and prosecute if such crimes have cross-border characteristics and involve syndicates.
The possibility of using technology to stop wildlife trafficking is yet to be regulated. Even though the government’s claims that Indonesia has succeeded in replenishing and restoring endangered species, the law remains insufficient to comprehensively react to the evolving nature of wildlife trafficking.
Despite being recorded as the biggest verdict of a wildlife-smuggling case, Shia’s prison time does not even reach the maximum term under the 1990 Conservation Law, which various observers considered too lenient. The Quarantine Act is not specifically designed to combat wildlife trafficking as it demands the complete documents for fauna coming to Indonesia. If the offenders could provide such paperwork, the possibility of prosecuting traffickers using this law would be off the table.
Being unable to consider it an organised crime, law enforcement agencies rarely proceed with wildlife trafficking cases until the very top of its business chain. Even though the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) recommends a complete analysis on the potential money laundering risks relating to the illegal wildlife trade, convictions haven’t gone beyond the leaders and their couriers.
The fact that money laundering and other high-ranking corrupt officers were never present in Shia’s trial reiterates the fragmented strategy of pursuing wildlife trafficking syndicates.
Indonesia’s approach to legislating against wildlife trafficking is threatening its ambition to remain a biodiversity hotspot in Southeast Asia as more endangered species come closer to extinction.
Anugerah Rizki Akbari is a PhD Candidate at the Van Vollenhoven Institute for Law, Governance, and Society, Leiden Law School, Universiteit Leiden. He also holds a non-permanent position as lecturer at Department of Criminology, Faculty of Social and Political Science, University of Indonesia. His research interests are crime, criminal law, and criminal justice. He can be found on Twitter @anugerahrizki. A.R. Akbari declares no conflict of interest and did not receive special funding in any form.
Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.
Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™, written by Anugerah Rizki Akbari. Read the original article here.
ENDS
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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.
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.
twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status…
twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status…
twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1…
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
#birds #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottMeat #BoycottPalmOil #bushmeat #corruption #crime #deforestation #extinction #illegal #illegalPetTrade #Indonesia #Indonesian #Malaysia #orangutans #PalmOil #palmOilDeforestation #poaching #trafficking #wildlife
When Indonesian prosecutors went after the leader of an illegal wildlife syndicate operating near the Malacca Strait, they relied on the country’s then relat...Palm Oil Detectives (YouTube)
Glaucous Macaw Anodorhynchus glaucus
Glaucous Macaw Anodorhynchus glaucus
Critically endangered
Extant (resident)Argentina; Brazil; Paraguay; Uruguay
The Glaucous #Macaw stands out not only for their vibrant coloration but also for their vocalisations, which led to its Guaraní name “guaa-obi.” As part of a larger group of neotropical macaws, they are closely related to the Lear’s macaw (A. leari) and the hyacinth macaw (A. hyacinthinus). Although often confused with similar species, the Glaucous Macaw is a unique denizen of South America’s gallery forests and palm savannahs.Use your wallet as a weapon and help the Glaucous Macaw and other rare #birds. They face many threats to their survival including forest destruction for meat, palm oil, soy and gold. Join the movement to #BoycottPalmOil #BoycottGold and #Boycott4Wildlife. Together we can empower people we know to make conscious supermarket decisions for wildlife survival.
Their regal blue feathers have led the Glaucous #Macaw to being targeted by those in the illegal #pet trade and their home is being razed for #palmoil, #gold and #meat Help them to survive! #Boycottpalmoil #BoycottGold and be #vegan @palmoildetect wp.me/pcFhgU-7R7
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Share to TwitterThe alluring deep blue Glaucous #Macaw 🦜 has an immeasurably tragic tale to tell 😭🙁 Critically endangered in #SouthAmerica, fight for their survival, when you shop make sure you #Boycottpalmoil #BoycottGold 🚫🔥#Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect wp.me/pcFhgU-7R7
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The Glaucous Macaw Anodorhynchus glaucus are known for their pale turquoise-blue plumage and distinctive grey head, is a critically endangered bird native to South America. With a length of 70 cm (28 in), this striking macaw features a long tail, yellow eye ring, and half-moon lappets around its large mandible. Despite their formidable size and stunning appearance, the bird is rarely seen in the wild today due to habitat loss and poaching.
Threats
The Glaucous Macaw faces have faced significant human-related threats that have driven them to the brink of extinction. This is an immeasurable tragedy.
- Habitat Loss: Widespread logging, gold mining and palm oil agriculture led to the destruction of crucial yatay palm groves.
- Poaching: The bird was heavily targeted for the illegal pet trade due to their striking appearance.
- Deforestation: Conversion of forests for palm oil and cultivation along with gold mining and cattle ranching has destroyed many suitable habitats for the Glaucous Macaw.
Habitat
The Glaucous Macaw was historically found across Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Brazil, favoring river basins with yatay palms or open forests. They relied on these palm groves for nesting and feeding. Their disappearance from these areas due to logging, agriculture, and hunting is a poignant reminder of the importance of habitat conservation. We cannot let them disappear!Diet
Primarily feeding on the yatay palm nuts, the Glaucous Macaw supplemented their diet with other fruits and seeds. The loss of these critical palms directly impacted the bird’s survival and forced the remaining macaws to seek alternative, often insufficient, food sources.Mating and breeding
Little is known about the breeding behaviour of this species due to their rarity. It is thought they nested on rocky cliffs in colonies, likely laying eggs in secure nests. Their colonial nature made them especially vulnerable to hunters.Support Glaucous Macaw 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.). Glaucous Macaw. Retrieved from animalia.bio/glaucous-macawBirdLife International. (n.d.). Glaucous Macaw Conservation. Birds of the World
BirdLife International. 2019. Anodorhynchus glaucus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T22685527A154380861. dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.201…. Accessed on 09 May 2024.
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.
Enter your email addressSign Up
Join 3,178 other subscribers
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.
twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status…
twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status…
twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1…
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
Global
South America
S.E. Asia
India
Africa
West Papua & PNG
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
Lying
Fake labels
Indigenous Land-grabbing
Human rights abuses
Deforestation
Human health hazardsA 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 #argentina #Bird #birds #Birdsong #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottGold #BoycottPalmOil #Brazil #CriticallyEndangeredSpecies #deforestation #ForgottenAnimals #GlaucousMacawAnodorhynchusGlaucus #gold #hunting #illegalPetTrade #macaw #meat #PalmOil #palmOilDeforestation #palmoil #Paraguay #pet #poaching #song #songbird #songbirds #SouthAmericaSpeciesEndangeredByPalmOilDeforestation #SouthAmerica #uruguay #vegan
The Problems with Palm Oil
Discover the environmental and social issues caused by palm oil production. Learn about its impacts on wildlife, indigenous communities, and how to take action with Palm Oil DetectivesPalm Oil Detectives
Extant (resident)
Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia (Borneo).
The tufted ground squirrel, or groove-toothed squirrel, is a striking nut-cracking rodent native to the island of Borneo. Sporting a voluminous, club-shaped tail, the tufted ground squirrel carries the largest tail-to-body size ratio of any mammal. Scientists believe the tail could serve to confuse predators or attract mates. They are listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List and are threatened by deforestation, hunting, and forest conversion to palm oil. To protect these charismatic creatures, make sure you #BoycottPalmOil and #Boycott4Wildlife in the supermarket!
With the most magnificent tail of all in the #jungle, the #vulnerable Tufted Ground Squirrel of #Borneo 🇲🇾🇮🇩 is losing a battle against #palmoil #ecocide. Fight for them when you shop and be #vegan 🥕🥦🍆 #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect wp.me/pcFhgU-7P9
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Mistaken as ‘vampire squirrels’ 🧛🦷 for their sharp teeth, Tufted Ground #Squirrels only eat nuts. They are vulnerable in #Indonesia and #Malaysia from #palmoil #deforestation. Help them survive! #Boycottpalmoil 🌴🪔🤮⛔️ #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect wp.me/pcFhgU-7P9
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The tufted ground squirrel, or groove-toothed squirrel, is a striking nut-cracking rodent native to the island of Borneo. Weighing in at around 2 kg their bodies are overshadowed by a fluffy, charcoal-and-white frosted tail that’s 130% the volume of their body. Their head-and-body length is around 34 cm with a tail almost as long, bringing their total length to nearly 70 cm! They have the largest tail-to-body ratio of any animal on the planet.
Their sharp incisors feature 7-10 saw-like grooves that are perfect for cracking hard nuts. Their fur is primarily brown with a reddish tint, and they sport dramatic tufts of dark fur on their ears, giving them a striking appearance. They’re agile climbers and forage both on the forest floor and in the lower canopy.
You can help spread awareness about impacts of palm oil on these squirrels and 1000’s of other species. By using your wallet as a weapon every time you shop and being a part of the #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife you are taking an empowering step for them.
Glimpsing Tufted Ground Squirrels in their natural home is exceedingly rate. They are found only on the island of Borneo and prefer dense lowland primary forests up to 1,100 meters in elevation. However, they will sometimes venture into secondary forests, orchards or smallholdings. They are elusive and not often seen, sometimes their fluffy tailed forms are captured by camera traps or chance sightings.
The tufted ground squirrel’s diet includes mostly hard seeds, particularly those of the Canarium tree. They also eat fruits, nuts, and insects, adapting to the available food sources in their forest habitat. Despite their sharp teeth, tales of their carnivorous nature have led to them being dubbed “vampire squirrels”, however these claims were subsequently discovered to be lacking in evidence. Their ultra sharp teeth give them the ability crack open even the toughest nuts.
Much remains unknown about the mating and reproduction of the tufted ground squirrel due to their elusive nature. Researchers hope that future studies using motion-activated cameras will uncover more details about their behaviour, including how their elaborate tail might play a role in courtship.
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.
Animalia. (n.d.). Tufted ground squirrel: Groove-toothed squirrel. animalia.bio/tufted-ground-squ…
Meijaard, E. 2016. Rheithrosciurus macrotis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T19474A22248783. dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.201…. Accessed on 08 May 2024.
Pare, S. (2023, December 24). Tufted ground squirrel: The Borneo rodent once believed to disembowel deer and feast on their organs. livescience.com/animals/land-m…
Stokstad, E. (2015, September 2). ‘Vampire’ squirrel caught on film: Researchers in Borneo get first video of mammal with fluffiest tail. science.org/content/article/va…
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Tufted ground squirrel. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tufted_g…
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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 #Boycott4WildlifeUnusual 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 palmoildetectives.com/2026/01/…
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Share to TwitterWith 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 palmoildetectives.com/2026/01/…
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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 #BoycottMeatSupport 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 iucnredlist.org/species/227061…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. 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. doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8312.20…
Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Western parotia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 6 April 2025, from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_…
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Take Action in Five Ways
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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.
twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status…
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Learn about other animals endangered by palm oil and other agriculture
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Gursky’s Spectral Tarsier Tarsius spectrumgurskyae
Sunda Flying Lemur Galeopterus variegatus
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
Lying
Fake labels
Indigenous Land-grabbing
Human rights abuses
Deforestation
Human health hazardsA 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
The Problems with Palm Oil
Discover the environmental and social issues caused by palm oil production. Learn about its impacts on wildlife, indigenous communities, and how to take action with Palm Oil DetectivesPalm Oil Detectives
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
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 palmoildetectives.com/2026/02/…
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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 palmoildetectives.com/2026/02/…
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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
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.
Boeadi & Steinmetz, R. 2008. Galeopterus variegatus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2008: e.T41502A10479343. dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.200…. 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. doi.org/10.1016/j.mambio.2012.…
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. researchgate.net/publication/2…
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Sunda flying lemur. Retrieved April 6, 2025, from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunda_fl…
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.
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.
twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status…
twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status…
twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1…
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
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Lying
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Human health hazards
#animals #Asia #Borneo #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottMeat #BoycottPalmOil #Brunei #Cambodia #colugo #dams #deforestation #ForgottenAnimals #glidingMammal #humanWildlifeConflict #hunting #hydroelectric #Indonesia #Java #Kalimantan #Laos #lemur #Malaysia #Mammal #Myanmar #nocturnal #PalmOil #palmOilDeforestation #palmoil #poaching #rainforests #Sumatra #Sunda #SundaFlyingLemurGaleopterusVariegatus #Thailand #timber #Vietnam #VulnerableSpecies
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Ecosystems Sell Dirt Cheap for Palm Oil Filled Snickers and KitKat
A recent report highlighted by Mongabay uncovers that deforestation-linked palm oil may still be in popular snacks like Snickers and Kit Kat, despite pledges from brands like Mars, Nestlé, and Mondelēz to use only deforestation-free palm oil. The issue lies in the palm oil-based animal feed used for dairy production, which these companies are not being transparent about. Thirteen out of the fourteen largest U.S. dairy processors, including Mars, Nestlé, and Mondelēz, fail to disclose how much palm oil-based animal feed is in their supply chains, raising concerns over hidden deforestation. If you are wanting to be kind to farmed and wild animals and ecosystems, make sure that you be #vegan #BoycottPalmOil #BoycottDairy #Boycott4Wildlife#Kitkat and #Snickers makers #Mondelez, #Nestle, Mars lace snacks with #palmoil #deforestation by way of animal feed for #dairy cows. #Consumers may be buying #ecocide unaware! Fight back, be #vegan 🥕🥦#Boycottpalmoil 🌴🚫 #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect palmoildetectives.com/2024/09/…
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Share to TwitterMondelez, #Nestle and Mars show flagrant disregard for #rainforests. A new #report finds they purchase #palmoil to use in dairy animal feed. Take a strong stance! Don’t buy #Kitkat and #Snickers and #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife 🌴🚫🔥 @palmoildetect palmoildetectives.com/2024/09/…
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Share to TwitterWritten by Hans Nicholas Jong, for Mongabay. Published 24th of September, 2024. Republished under the Creative Commons attribution licence. Read original article.
- Makers of iconic snacks like Snickers and Kit Kat have pledged to only use deforestation-free palm oil, but a new report says deforestation-linked palm oil may still be finding its way into their products.
- That’s because much of the dairy that goes into these foods comes from cattle raised on palm oil-based animal feed, whose import into the U.S. doesn’t account for whether it derives from deforested land.
- The report found 13 of the 14 biggest dairy processors in the U.S. — including Mars, Nestlé and Mondelēz — don’t provide information about how much palm oil-based animal feed they use in their supply chains.
- It calls on the Consumer Goods Forum (CGF), of which many of these companies are members, to include this so-called embedded palm oil in their deforestation-free policies, similar to how the CGF has a policy for accounting for embedded soy.
Consumers in the U.S. might be unknowingly exposed to palm oil products that come from deforestation, despite major consumer goods producers there adopting zero-deforestation pledges. That’s because these companies, which include the makers of iconic foods like Snickers, Kit Kat and Nutella, don’t account for the significant role that palm oil-based animal feed plays in their supply chains, according to a new report.
Its relatively low price and extremely versatility mean palm oil has become the most widely used vegetable oil in the world. In the U.S. itself, palm oil can be found in roughly half of all packaged goods in the average grocery store, from shampoo to cookies and crackers.
Palm oil is also increasingly being used as an additive in livestock feed, particularly for dairy cows. As such, it has become “embedded” in consumer goods products deriving from dairy, such as milk, cheese, ice cream and chocolate.
This indirect use of palm oil is often overlooked in the zero-deforestation accounting process, despite its growing use, according to a report by U.S.-based advocacy group Rainforest Action Network (RAN). The report found that palm oil-based animal feed is now the single largest palm oil product category imported by the U.S., accounting for 36% of all palm oil imports into the country by weight.
This dairy — “embedded” with palm oil, some of which may be associated with deforestation — then enters the supply chains of major food producers. And these producers, despite their public pledges to avoid deforestation-linked products, are largely ignoring this source of palm oil in their accounting, according to the report.
The report analyzed 14 of the largest dairy-processing and consumer goods companies operating in the U.S.: Arla, Dairy Farmers of America, Danone, Ferrero, Frontera, FrieslandCampina, Lactalis, Mars, Mengniu, Mondelēz, Nestlé, Saputo, Unilever and Yili.
The report found that 13 of them don’t provide information about how much palm oil-based animal feed is used in their supply chains.
The only company that provides such information is Unilever, which says that embedded palm oil in its dairy supply chain in 2022 accounted for just 3%, or 30,0000 metric tons, of its overall palm oil consumption.
Thirteen of the 14 assessed companies also don’t mention embedded palm oil in their “No Deforestation, No Peatland, No Exploitation” (NDPE) policies, and as such have no commitments to sourcing only deforestation-free embedded palm oil. Only Danish-Swedish dairy giant Arla’s NDPE policy explicitly states that it applies to palm oil-based feed used in its milk supply chain.
“When companies have adopted palm oil policies, they completely refuse or haven’t considered palm oil use in their dairy supply chain,” RAN forest policy director Gemma Tillack told Mongabay. “Lack of attention to this issue means that it hasn’t [been] accounted for in companies’ NDPE policies, or if it’s included, it’s not adequately enforced.”
Import-export oversight
This oversight extends to both importers and exporters of palm oil-based livestock feed into the U.S. The report assessed 24 exporters based in Indonesia and Malaysia, the world’s top two producers of palm oil, and 17 U.S. companies that import palm oil-based animal feed.It found that 15 of the 24 exporters companies and 15 of the 17 importers companies don’t have public NDPE policies. These 15 exporting companies account for two-thirds of exports to the U.S. by weight.
The report also found that 28% of U.S. imports of feed-grade palm oil products came from Indonesia, the country with the highest deforestation rates associated with palm oil. That makes it likely that such problematic palm oil has found its way into dairy products like milk and confectionaries regularly consumed by Americans, according to the report.
Cattle in Colombia. Image by Rhett A. Butler / Mongabay.
Deforestation-free claims
Without adequately accounting for embedded palm oil in their NDPE policies and supply chains, consumer goods brands can’t guarantee that their products are deforestation free, even if they claim that’s the case, RAN said.Nestlé, for instance, says 96.0% of its “primary supply chain” of palm oil in 2023 was deforestation-free, but makes no reference to embedded palm oil in that claim.
If embedded palm oil were accounted for, then Nestlé’s deforestation-free claim would fall to about 72%, according to RAN’s analysis. It based this on the assumption that 10% of the milk the company sources was linked to palm oil-based animal feed.
This large variance means deforestation-free claims by the likes of Nestlé and others might be inaccurate or misleading, the report said.
Responding to the findings, Nestlé said the figures used by RAN and the corresponding assumptions are incorrect, but didn’t provide details about its concerns.
The failure to account for embedded palm oil in supply chains could have broader implications for these brands, as most of them also do business in the European Union. The EU market will, from the end of this year, be subject to a deforestation-free regulation known as the EUDR, which will ban the import of commodities like palm oil and its derived products if they’re associated with deforestation.
To prove that the products they bring into the EU aren’t linked to deforestation, companies have to be able to trace the products all the way back to the production units and ensure no deforestation has taken place there after a cutoff date of Dec. 31, 2020.
The RAN report’s revelations suggest it’s unlikely that companies like Danone and Ferrero — which are headquartered in the EU and source much of their milk from there — as well as Nestlé and Unilever — which have significant operations within the EU that process dairy products — can guarantee the deforestation-free status of their animal feed imports.
As a result, the EUDR should be of particular concern to these companies, the report said.
Bulldozers are being used by palm oil plantation PT Sawit Panen Terus to destroy significant areas of lowland rainforest in the Leuser Ecosystem, in February 2024. Image courtesy of RAN.
Call for action
The failure to account for embedded palm oil in their supply chains and NDPE policies is an “industry-wide problem that needs an industrywide solution,” the report said. It called on the Consumer Goods Forum (CGF), a network of the world’s largest consumer goods brands, to encourage its members, including Danone, Ferrero, FrieslandCampina, Nestlé, Mars, Mengniu, Mondelēz and Unilever, to include embedded palm oil in their NDPE policies.So far, the CGF has failed to do so, RAN noted.
It has also failed to include embedded palm oil in its road map that sets the expectations for how members of its so-called forest-positive coalition should implement NDPE policy commitments in the palm oil sector. The coalition aims to accelerate efforts to eliminate deforestation from the supply chains of each member.
This is in contrast to the CGF’s initiative for the soy industry, which has its own road map that details the types of “embedded soy” products that need to be accounted for — such as soy used in feed mix for animal products and soy embedded in meat, dairy and eggs used in processed food.
“We need to see these commitments in place to ensure palm oil-based animal feed is not a new leakage market,” RAN’s Tillack said.
Written by Hans Nicholas Jong, for Mongabay. Published 24th of September, 2024. Republished under the Creative Commons attribution licence. Read original article.ENDS
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#BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottDairy #BoycottPalmOil #consumers #corruption #dairy #deforestation #ecocide #Kitkat #Mondelez #Nestle #PalmOil #palmOilBiofuel #palmOilDeforestation #palmoil #rainforests #report #Snickers #vegan
Ecosystems Sell Dirt Cheap for Palm Oil Filled Snickers and KitKat!
Ecosystems Sell Dirt Cheap for Palm Oil Filled Snickers and KitKat! A recent report highlighted by Mongabay uncovers that deforestation-linked palm oil may s...Palm Oil Detectives (YouTube)
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
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 palmoildetectives.com/2026/02/…
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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 palmoildetectives.com/2026/02/…
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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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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. researchportalplus.anu.edu.au/…
Shekelle, M. 2020. Tarsius spectrumgurskyae. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T162336422A162336580. dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.202…. Accessed on 06 April 2025.
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Gursky’s spectral tarsier. Retrieved April 6, 2025, from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gursky%2…
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#animals #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottMeat #BoycottPalmOil #BoycottPesticides #carnivores #deforestation #ForgottenAnimals #GurskySSpectralTarsierTarsiusSpectrumgurskyae #hunting #illegalPetTrade #Indonesia #insects #nocturnal #PalmOil #palmOilDeforestation #palmoil #pesticide #pesticides #pet #petTrade #pettrade #poaching #Primate #primates #primatology #Sulawesi #tarsier #tarsiers #timber #vegan #vulnerable #VulnerableSpecies
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Demystifying the Strange Beauty of the Proboscis Monkey’s Large Nose
Of all the #monkey species around the world, one stands out with its large, bizarre nose. In male proboscis monkeys, their bulbous noses will often hang past their mouths.But why did they evolve such a strange feature? Are they a visual sign of health and status to potential female mates, and to other males? Or did they evolve to help the monkeys make honks and other loud sounds? New groundbreaking #research has much to reveal about the mysterious large nose of the Proboscis Monkey!
Fascinating and oddly beautiful Proboscis #Monkeys of #Malaysia #Indonesia, have webbed feet and live in harems. Now #researchers discovered why they have such long noses! Help them survive when you #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect wp.me/pcFhgU-5G6
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Share to TwitterGentle Proboscis #Monkeys of #Borneo are famous for their long noses. Until recently the reasons why baffled scientists, not anymore! They’re threatened by #palmoil #deforestation. You can help when you Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect wp.me/pcFhgU-5G6
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Share to TwitterWritten by Katharine Balolia, Senior Lecturer in Biological Anthropology, Australian National University The author would like to acknowledge the paper’s co-author, former ANU Masters student Pippa Fitzgerald. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Proboscis monkey side view with a large nose Slavianin/Shutterstock
In our new study, published in Scientific Reports, we have deepened our understanding of these enlarged nasal structures by investigating what lies beneath: the structures in the skull.Our findings help to explain how these noses function as visual and acoustic signals of health and status. They also add to a growing body of evidence that shows researchers can use close examinations of skulls to glean information about primate social behaviour.
A battle of noses
One of the largest monkey species in Asia, proboscis monkeys (Nasalis larvatus) are endemic to the island of Borneo. They live in coastal mangroves, peat swamps and riverine forests, and have an unusual diet made up mostly of leaves.They can swim quite well and have webbed fingers and toes. They typically live in harem groups, made up of a single adult male (who tends to have a large, bulbous nose), some adult females and their offspring.
Males don’t often get the opportunity to attract a harem until they reach middle age. These older, dominant and large-nosed males don’t easily tolerate other large-nosed males, often trying to ward them off aggressively with deep honks and “nasal roars” – loud calls they make using their noses.
Young adult males with smaller noses often live in all-male bachelor groups, and don’t tend to fight aggressively with each other. When these bachelor males get older and become large (and large-nosed) enough to compete with males that are part of a breeding group, they are in a position to overthrow the tenured male. Females then often choose to form a harem group with this new, high-status male.
The nose is considerably smaller in female proboscis monkeys. Milan Zygmunt/Shutterstock
What’s behind the nose?
We investigated the size and shape of the proboscis monkey nasal cavity. That’s the bony chamber of the skull that sits behind the fleshy nose. Our goal was to find out if the size and shape of the nasal aperture – the front part of the cavity, where the fleshy nose tissue attaches – can tell us more about why these peculiar appendages evolved.Previous research that looked at the bulbous nose in males suggests it evolved to advertise status. In our new research, we wanted to better understand how this could be the case, this time using data taken from the skull.
We used 3D surface models, downloaded from a public repository, to take size and shape measurements from 33 adult proboscis monkey skulls. We compared these with the adult skulls of king colobus monkeys, blue monkeys and crab-eating macaques, three old world monkey species.
Crab-eating macaques have tiny noses by comparison. Erik Klietsch/Shutterstock
We chose some measurements to quantify the nasal cavity, and others to quantify the nasal aperture in all the species. We also looked at tooth wear, since older adult monkeys have more worn teeth than younger adults. That would allow us to find out if older adult males had a larger nasal aperture than younger adult males.Better honks
If male proboscis monkeys have a different nasal cavity shape to females, and a unique shape compared to the other monkey species, it would support the idea these enhanced nasal structures – both the fleshy nose and the cavity behind it – evolved to allow for more effective honks and nasal roars.That was indeed what we found. The shape of the male nasal cavity was low and long compared to females. This allows males to build up resonance (sound vibration) in their nasal cavities, allowing them to emit deeper and louder calls through their noses.
The nasal aperture shape was also different between the sexes. In males, it looks a bit like an eggplant, while in females it looks more like an upside-down pear. This unique opening shape in males allows for higher intensity sounds to be emitted through the nose.
3D model screenshots of a male proboscis monkey (left) and a female proboscis monkey (right). Male nasal aperture size is 29% larger than that of females, and males and females differ in their nasal aperture shape. Katharine Balolia/Morphosource Media (USNM521841; ID 000345556 and USNM142224; ID 000345144)
The sex differences in cavity shape were also larger than what we found in other old world monkey species. This further supports the idea that the nasal cavity of male proboscis monkeys underwent an evolutionary change for the purpose of making certain sounds.Lastly, the age. Older proboscis monkey males really do have larger nasal apertures than younger adult males, but the cavity itself didn’t increase with age. This supports the idea that the large noses act as a visual signal. It’s also consistent with the fleshy nose size increasing in middle-aged or older adult males, which we know from behavioural studies in the wild.
Making honks and nasal roars really does seem to be the evolutionary purpose of these fleshy noses. Nokuro/Shutterstock
Our evidence from the skull allows us to better understand how nasal structures in male proboscis monkeys evolved for both acoustic and visual signalling.The more we know about how regions of the skull function as social signals, the better chance we have of reconstructing extinct primate social behaviour using fossilised skull remains.
Written by Katharine Balolia, Senior Lecturer in Biological Anthropology, Australian National University The author would like to acknowledge the paper’s co-author, former ANU Masters student Pippa Fitzgerald. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Learn about other animals endangered by palm oil and other agriculture
Global
South America
S.E. Asia
India
Africa
West Papua & PNG
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
Lying
Fake labels
Indigenous Land-grabbing
Human rights abuses
Deforestation
Human health hazardsA 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)
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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.
twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status…
twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status…
twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1…
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
#animalBehaviour #AnimalBiodiversityNews #animalCommunication #animalIntelligence #animalRights #Borneo #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #deforestation #Indonesia #Malaysia #monkey #monkeys #PalmOil #palmOilDeforestation #palmoil #ProboscisMonkeyNasalisLarvatus #research #Researchers #SouthEastAsia
The Problems with Palm Oil
Discover the environmental and social issues caused by palm oil production. Learn about its impacts on wildlife, indigenous communities, and how to take action with Palm Oil DetectivesPalm Oil Detectives
A bird's-eye view of Tegallalang. These rice terraces are a masterclass in organic geometry. Looking down from the drone, the layers of emerald green feel less like a farm and more like a living sculpture carved into the Bali hillside.
#bali #tegallalang #riceterraces #dronephotography #indonesia #green #photography #fotografia
#Paraquat is a dangerous #pesticide 🤢 banned in #EU ⛔️and limited in #USA yet used widely in #Indonesia by #palmoil workers with grave #health impacts on (mainly) women 👩👧 and children workers #Boycottpalmoil 🌴🚫 @palmoildetect.bsky.social wp.me/pcFhgU-8Bt?utm_source=ma…
Paraquat: Banned in EU, Destroying Lives of Palm Oil Workers in Indonesia
The dangerous pesticide Paraquat is banned in the EU and strictly limited in the USA, however it continues to destroy the lives of palm oil workers in Indonesia. Paraquat has severe human health impacts including respiratory problems, severe burns and skin and eye irritation. America’s Centre for Disease Control links it to Parkinson’s disease and other life-threatening illnesses. Read this story below originally published in Geographical Magazine about the lives of vulnerable palm oil workers in Indonesia. Afterwards you can learn how to take action to resist the human rights abuses and ecocide of dangerous pesticide use in palm oil agriculture. #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife#Paraquat is a dangerous #pesticide 🤢 banned in #EU ⛔️and limited in #USA yet used widely in #Indonesia by #palmoil workers with grave #health impacts on (mainly) women 👩👧 and children workers #Boycottpalmoil 🌴🚫Story via @geographicalmag @palmoildetect wp.me/pcFhgU-8Bt
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Share to Twitter#Paraquat #pesticide is deadly and causes respiratory illnesses, #Parkinsons #disease. It’s banned in the #EU yet used routinely in #Indonesian #palmoil. Palm oil workers are paying with their lives #Boycottpalmoil Story: @geographicalmag @palmoildetect wp.me/pcFhgU-8Bt
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Share to TwitterThis article was originally published as ‘Paraquat: banned in Europe, on sale in Indonesia in Geographical Magazine on the 28th of June 2024. Written by Daniela Sala, Adi Renaldi & Budi Baskoro. Photography by Daniela Sala. Republished with permission. Read original.
A local farmer sprays the herbicide Roundup among the oil palms in the small plot of land she and her family owns. She also routinely sprays Gramoxone, without protection
“I used to spray both the yellow and the green poison,” Herna says.
For nearly six years, from 2006 to 2011, Herna worked for the so-called ‘maintenance team’ on one of the oil palm plantations of Musim Mas, a Singapore-based multinational corporation, in Central Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of Borneo. The green poison she refers to is Gramoxone, the brand name for a highly toxic herbicide based on the organic compound paraquat. Sold by the Swiss, now Chinese-owned multinational Syngenta, paraquat has been banned in the European Union since 2007 due to concerns related to its effect on the health of workers and the environment.
‘I often had nausea, vomiting and dizziness after my work. I don’t know exactly why, but most of my colleagues experienced the same symptoms. I knew these were dangerous substances and I was always afraid to handle them,’ she says. Herna got an indication of how toxic paraquat is when one morning, while she was diluting it with water as instructed, a drop of the liquid splashed onto her hand, causing a burn that took weeks to heal.
Backpacks used for paraquat spraying
Sitting cross-legged on the floor of her home in Penyang, Herna looks tired. The humid heat gives no respite, the air is heavy and the fan Herna sits next to is of little use. It’s difficult to imagine how, in these conditions, Herna and her colleagues could work an entire eight-hour shift with a heavy container (weighing some 13 kilograms) on their backs, without ever removing their masks.Herna grew up in a small cluster of houses surrounded by rainforest. Her family relied on hunting and farming; they had a small area of land where they harvested rice and fruit. It was a simple, quiet life. In the late 1990s, however, their economic situation rapidly deteriorated with the arrival of oil palm plantations. They lost not only their land, but also access to the forest. Herna, in her early 20s, had no choice but to accept a job on one of the plantations that had so drastically altered the way of life in her village. For five years, from 7am to 3pm, she sprayed highly toxic herbicides, which prevented weeds and other plants from proliferating and allowed oil palms to grow faster and taller.
Herna endured continuous discomfort for years, sometimes so intense that she had to stay in bed for days. The plantation doctor, whom she sometimes asked for help, always told her not to worry too much, prescribing at most paracetamol or an anti-emetic.
A fisher arrives at Bikal market with his meagre catch after a night’s fishing
Eventually, Herna began to suffer a pain in the pit of her stomach, ‘like a stab wound’. The doctor speculated that it might be a symptom of a lung problem. The cause was never clarified because Herna couldn’t take further tests as they were too expensive. She decided, however, that she couldn’t take it anymore and quit her job.Paraquat’s known direct health effects include respiratory problems, severe burns and skin and eye irritation. In the USA, it has also been linked to Parkinson’s disease. In Indonesia, paraquat should only be used by properly trained workers with appropriate protections. However, a report by PANAP (Pesticide Action Network Asia Pacific) documented how these conditions are rarely met.
Herna, who is now 48 and has six children, did her best to find another job, ‘but since the plantations are here, there is no other job,’ she says.
As she goes silent, the background noise becomes more obvious: it’s the constant traffic along the Trans Kalimantan, the highway that cuts through southern Borneo, just a few dozen metres from Herna’s home. Trucks follow one another in a constant back-and-forth. In one direction, they transport oil palm fruits to the refineries. In the opposite direction, they transport the refined oil to ports for the export market.
Villagers in Tanjung Puting National Park only use river water to wash and rely on rainwater for cooking and drinking
Made in Europe
Indonesia is by far the world’s largest exporter of palm oil, accounting for nearly 50 per cent of global exports in 2022, closely followed by Malaysia, with 30 per cent. The industrial uses are countless, from food and cosmetics to the production of biofuels. About ten per cent of palm oil exports from Indonesia end up in Europe.The oil palm, a plant native to West Africa, was first introduced to Indonesia during Dutch colonialism. Over a few decades, the expansion of monocultures in the archipelago triggered the destruction of large portions of Borneo’s rainforest. Despite intense environmental campaigns in recent years, the rate of deforestation due to plantation expansion only slowed; it started to rise again in 2023.
In Indonesia, intensive palm oil production and the heavy use of paraquat and other herbicides are inextricably linked. In total, Indonesia imported pesticides worth about half a million US dollars in 2020, a market that has steadily grown over the past decade.
Old man’s hand and palm oil. Image: Daniela Sala
In 2019, Indonesia imported from the UK 2,300 tons of paraquat, largely manufactured by Syngenta’s Huddersfield plant. Since 2017, with ChemChina’s acquisition of Syngenta, production and exports from China have also increased, making the paraquat supply chain increasingly difficult to track.The countries that are responsible for most of the manufacturing and export (China, Switzerland and the UK) ban paraquat domestically, as has the EU. While the EU’s internal regulations are increasingly protective of the environment, it remains the largest pesticide exporter, with EU companies investing more and more in countries in the Global South.
Environmental Disaster
In Kalimantan, the effects of palm oil monocultures and the extensive use of pesticides are unspooling before the eyes of the local communities.A short drive from Herna’s house, just on the other side of the Trans Kalimantan highway in the village of Bangkal, most residents still have first-hand memories of life before the plantations. The village is located on the shore of the biggest lake in the region, Sembuluh Lake. Its 4,000 residents, mostly Dayaks, the indigenous peoples of Borneo, relied on farming and fishing, and they drank water from the lake. Now, they have lost their land and, in one of the wettest areas in the world, they struggle to access clean water.
It all started with huge concessions to palm oil companies. ‘It happened suddenly, without any consultation with the community,’ says Sangkai Rewa, secretary of Bangkal and leader of AMAN, the association that represents the indigenous people of Central Kalimantan. Sangkai has been connected to Bangkal for generations. His wooden house, on stilts, like all the houses in the surrounding area, sits on the edge of the village. The residents did everything they could to resist the arrival of the plantations. In the late 1990s, they managed to force the Indonesian company Agro Indomas to back down. But in 2005, their fight against another conglomerate, PT Hamparan Masawit Bangun Persada, failed, due in part to support for the company from the then local governor, Darwan Ali, as revealed by a Gecko Project investigation.
Worker carries palm oil fruits. Image: Daniela Sala
‘The people of Bangkal were forced to give up their land by threats and deception. Around us it was all forest. Look around: what is left today?’ says Sangkai. The establishment of Hamparan plantation paved the way for the arrival of more companies. Bangkal is now surrounded by a dozen plantations and refineries.‘We saw the colour of the water changing’, says Sangkai. ‘We can not even use the water for washing: it feels itchy and you get rashes. The water is polluted, and because of that, our entire ecosystem is under threat.’
At dawn every day, a few narrowboats approach the small wooden dock next to the daily market in Bangkal. Nouredin, a 60-year-old fisherman from a nearby village, is busy untangling a few dozen small fish from his net. He spent the whole night fishing, but the catch was meagre. ‘It did not used to be like that,’ he explains while unloading his catch. ‘Fish were bigger and easier to catch. There are species that are slowly disappearing.’
Fish have become scarcer, while the fast-growing weed water hyacinth is invading the shore of Sembuluh, forcing fishermen to travel much further. Residents say that the overgrowth must be associated with fertilisers and chemicals dumped from the plantations.
The village of Bangkal on the shores of the now heavily polluted Lake Sembuluh
In 2018, the Central Kalimantan Environment Agency had the water in the lake tested. Nothing is wrong, they stated, dismissing the residents’ protests.But not everybody agrees. ‘We openly challenged the agency’s findings,’ says Muhammad Habibi, director of the NGO Save Our Borneo. ‘We asked the agency to disclose the actual results, and to share all the relevant details: where the samples had been taken, how they had been treated, what residues they had been analysed for. But the agency simply refused to comply.’
Save Our Borneo and Ecoton, another environmental NGO, conducted some water testing in Sambas, Western Borneo, in an area geographically very similar to Lake Sembuluh and similarly affected by palm oil monoculture. The results were worrying, with levels of chloride and phosphates in the region’s river far higher than accepted norms. Habibi fears for the fate of Lake Sembuluh. ‘Our suspicion is that the local authorities have no interest in going against the palm oil industry. What if it becomes known that the ongoing ecological disaster in Lake Sembuluh is caused by the companies?’
Farmer Turned Protester
‘Palm oil means Gramoxone, Gramoxone means palm oil’, says James Watt, a farmer in Bangkal. Watt is among the few residents who still have a small piece of land left: he used to grow rubber plants, fruit and vegetables. He started life as a traditional farmer and had no interest in palm oil cultivation. But as the vast plantations came to dominate the region, he was forced to switch. Around the same time, in 2015, he was introduced to paraquat, under the label Gramoxone. ‘I needed a stronger herbicide, and I went to the shop in Sampit, the nearest city. I asked the shopkeeper for advice, and he gave me this,’ Watt says, holding out the five-litre plastic package of the substance. Paraquat became a familiar household item and can be found in most farmers’ houses in Bangkal. ‘When I have to spray it, I smoke a cigarette first, so I make sure of the wind direction,’ Watt says.Watt has no love for palm oil. In addition to being a farmer, he’s an activist. At 54, he has spent nearly half his life fighting against the palm oil industry, trying to mediate between residents and companies, and paying the price himself.
In 2020, following a demonstration against the plantation, Watt was sentenced to ten months in prison on a charge of stealing oil palm fruit from the land that once belonged to Bangkal residents.
Bottles of paraquat and pesticide – Image: Daniela Sala
The last major protest against palm oil companies in Bangkla was in October 2023. Gijik, a 35-year-old man, was killed by a gunshot fired by police deployed to defend the plantation. Such cases, according to the Consortium for Agrarian Reform (KPA), an Indonesian association fighting against land grabbing, are far from isolated. Between 2015 and 2022, at least 69 people died as a result of clashes and protests against land grabbing. The clashes and deaths, again according to KPA, can’t be separated from the decision to deploy police forces always and exclusively in a repressive function, in defence of plantations.‘I can’t understand what the government means when it says palm oil brings development and prosperity,’ says.Watt. He never asked his parents why they named him after the Scottish inventor, which is said to have started the industrial revolution. While he grasps the subtle irony, he’s proud of the name he bears.
‘For me, real prosperity was before. We were not dependent on anyone: we grew our own vegetables, rice. We went fishing and if we wanted meat, all we had to do was go hunting in the forest. Now all that is gone’.
This article was originally published as ‘Paraquat: banned in Europe, on sale in Indonesia in Geographical Magazine on the 28th of June 2024. Written by Daniela Sala, Adi Renaldi & Budi Baskoro. Photography by Daniela Sala. Republished with permission. Read original.
ENDS
Death by Pesticide on a Papuan Palm Oil Plantation
In the below 2021 report by respected non-profit Global Witness, there was a shocking revelation that a young child of a palm oil worker died as a result of consuming pesticide infused water on a “sustainable” palm oil plantation in Papua New Guinea. The firm sold to global giants like Nestle, Ferrero, Unilever, Mondelez and more, with products on the shelves and bought be consumers all over the world.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”
Read more about deforestation and ecocide in the palm oil industry
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An explosive report by the Environment Investigation Agency (EIA) details how Indonesia’s Fangiono family, through a wide corporate web, is linked to ongoing #deforestation, #corruption, and #indigenousrights abuses for #palmoil. Calls mount for…Load more posts
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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
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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.
twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status…
twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status…
twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1…
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 #corruption #deforestation #disease #ecocide #EU #health #humanRights #Indonesia #Indonesian #MusimMas #PalmOil #palmOilDeforestation #palmoil #Paraquat #Parkinsons #pesticide #pesticides #pollution #USA #waterPollution #womenSRights #workersRights #WorkersRights
Paraquat: Banned in EU, Destroying Lives of Palm Oil Workers in Indonesia
The dangerous #pesticide #Paraquat is banned in the EU and strictly limited in the USA, however it continues to destroy the lives of #palmoil workers in Indo...Palm Oil Detectives (YouTube)
Experts fear a #palmoil #biofuel boom may drive massive #deforestation in #Indonesia, threaten the world’s 3rd largest #rainforest and send irreplaceable #animals and plants to extinction #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife palmoildetectives.com/2024/09/…
How does Indonesia’s palm oil industry fuel the climate crisis?
Booming global demand for palm oil in biofuel is spurring deforestation in Indonesia. Indonesia accounts for more than half of the global palm oil supply, the world’s most widely used vegetable oil that is found in everything from food to cosmetics to fuel.But environmentalists fear surging demand for the product may drive mass deforestation in Indonesia, home to the world’s third-largest tropical rainforest, and exacerbate the global climate crisis.
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Experts fear a #palmoil #biofuel boom may drive massive #deforestation in #Indonesia, threaten the world’s 3rd largest #rainforest and send irreplaceable #animals and plants to extinction #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife @contextnewsroom @palmoildetect palmoildetectives.com/2024/09/…
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Share to TwitterNew report shows just how devastating ramping up #palmoil production in #Indonesia would be for global #climatechange 🔥🌱 #animal and #plant extinction and air #pollution. Take action when you shop and #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife palmoildetectives.com/2024/09/…
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Share to TwitterThis story was published by Thomson Reuters Foundation, on 20th of September, 2024. [strong]Reporting by Adi Renaldi and editing by Ayla Jean Yackley. Read original.[/strong]
What’s the context?
Palm oil production reached 50 million tonnes in 2023 from 45 million tonnes the year before, according to the Indonesian Palm Oil Association.As companies and small landholders replace natural habitats with palm oil plantations, activists and researchers are warning that large amounts of planet-heating carbon is being released into the atmosphere.
How do palm oil plantations contribute to deforestation?
Palm oil plantations covermore than 42.7 million acres of Indonesia, compared with 41.5 million acres in 2019, the government’s Geospatial Information Agency said this month.Indonesia lost 721,000 acres of primary, or old growth, forest in the last two decades – equivalent to 221 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, according to Global Forest Watch. Drivers of this deforestation include plantations and mining.
Sumatra and Borneo, home to the endangered orangutan and other endemic species, have lost 36% and 45% of their tropical forests, respectively, due to palm oil expansion, according to Nusantara Atlas, a non-profit that tracks deforestation.
How does Indonesia’s palm oil industry fuel the climate crisis?
The loss of carbon-storing forests is compounded by the conversion of peatland into plantations. Indonesia is home to more than a third of the world’s tropical peatlands, a type of wetland that is the world’s biggest land-based store of carbon.Palm oil planters believe the soil in these wetlands yields more crops and drain them through man-made canals so that planting can take place. A study by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources in 2021 showed draining peatlands across the world releases 1.9 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per year.
How does Indonesia’s palm oil industry fuel the climate crisis?
How does the biofuel business affect climate change?
Palm oil is a primary ingredient of biodiesel, a cleaner-burning, renewable fuel used in transportation. But a growing body of research shows that biofuels from vegetable oils like palm actually emit more carbon than fossil fuels, primarily due to changes in land use in order to grow the crops.Indonesia is currently among the largest biodiesel producers in the world, with total exports amounting to more than 193,000 kilolitres.
The government targets production of 13.4 million kilolitres in 2024, 2% more than last year, when it grew 11%, according to the energy ministry.
Indonesia requires fuel producers to make a blend of diesel fuel that contains 35% palm oil and wants that share to rise to 40% in 2025.
How does Indonesia’s palm oil industry fuel the climate crisis?
The government began to cultivate palm oil in the 1980s in the hopes of boosting the economy and providing jobs. It now accounts for3.5% of gross domestic product, government statistics showed.Researchers claim palm oil has not contributed to the welfare of people living near plantations. The rate of poverty remains high in the palm oil-rich regions of Sumatra and Borneo, where people face food insecurity after farms were cleared to make way for palm trees.
Can a moratorium on new plantations help stop deforestation?
While Indonesia’s deforestation rate fell between 2019 to 2022 due to stricter regulations, amoratorium on forest clearing and better mitigation of forest fires, the clearing of primaryforests for mining and plantations has risen slightly.The government issued a moratorium on new palm oil plantation in 2018 to slow deforestation. Despite the reprieve, about 119,400 hectares of forests were cleared between 2021 and 2022.
Between 2022 and 2023, some 52,000 hectares of forests were converted into plantations, Nusantara Atlas data showed.
Environmental groups have blamed a lack of reinforcement of the moratorium and called for replanting unproductive oil palm trees on existing plantations, instead of clearing forests.
This story was published by Thomson Reuters Foundation, on 20th of September, 2024. [strong]Reporting by Adi Renaldi and editing by Ayla Jean Yackley. Read original.[/strong]
ENDSRead more about deforestation and greenwashing in the palm oil industry
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An explosive report by the Environment Investigation Agency (EIA) details how Indonesia’s Fangiono family, through a wide corporate web, is linked to ongoing #deforestation, #corruption, and #indigenousrights abuses for #palmoil. Calls mount for…Load more posts
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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.
Enter your email addressSign Up
Join 3,174 other subscribers
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.
twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status…
twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status…
twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1…
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
#airPollution #animal #animals #biodiversity #biofuel #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #climateChange #climatechange #corruption #deforestation #environment #extinction #Indonesia #PalmOil #palmOilBiofuel #palmOilDeforestation #palmoil #plant #pollution #rainforest #SAF #SouthEastAsia
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Across Sumatra, satellite images and field surveys traced two decades of clearing from park edges toward its core, tied to expanding oil palm plantations.Raquel Brandao (Earth.com)
In the garden of the DTW Goa Gajah Temple in Bali, Indonesia.
Yes, it really is that beautiful and green; the photo has not been edited.
High in the canopies of #Indonesia’s remote northern islands of Salibabu, Nusa, Bukide, and Sangihe, the Talaud Bear #Cuscus Ailurops melanotis moves at a pace so slow they barely disturbs the leav…Palm Oil Detectives
IUCN Red List: Vulnerable
Extant (resident): Sulawesi, Indonesia
The Sulawesi Babirusa also known as the North Sulawesi Babirusa are wild pigs are found on Sulawesi Island along with nearby islands Lembeh, Buton, and Muna in #Indonesia.They have a mottled grey-and-brown skin that helps them blend into their forested habitat. One remarkable feature of babirusas is their large tusks. They have two pairs of elongated canine teeth that curve upward and backward towards their heads.
For males, their upper canines grow so long that they protrude through holes in the flesh on the top of their snouts. Sadly, these unique creatures are threatened by deforestation caused by the palm oil and timber industries along with hunting and mining. You can help by making conscious choices. Consider going vegan to support the movement against palm oil, and join the call to boycott palm oil and protect wildlife with the hashtags #Vegan, #Boycottpalmoil, and #Boycott4Wildlife. Together, we can make a difference for the Sulawesi Babirusa and their habitat.
Sulawesi Babirusa are wild #pigs 🐷🐖🩷 with big tusks in #Indonesia 🇮🇩 They are #vulnerable from #palmoil #deforestation and #hunting in Sulawesi. Fight for their survival, be #vegan 🥦🍅 and #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife 🌴🩸☠️🚫 @palmoildetect wp.me/pcFhgU-6sm
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Nurturing and sweet Sulawesi Babirusa are #hogs native to #Sulawesi #Indonesia. They face multiple threats including human persecution, #hunting and #palmoil #deforestation. Help them survive #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect wp.me/pcFhgU-6sm
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Female babirusas have shorter canines that do not protrude as much. The local name for this unique creature translates to “pig-deer,” highlighting the resemblance of the male’s tusks to the antlers of a deer.
Sulawesi Babirusas are sociable creatures, with females typically forming small family groups and males occasionally living in bachelor herds or having a solitary existence. Dominance hierarchies are established by both males and females within their respective groups.
Babirusas are diurnal wild pigs, being active during the day. They engage in foraging sessions during the mornings and late afternoons, while seeking rest during the scorching midday hours. It is common to find them congregating in large numbers around wallowing areas and salt licks. Communication among babirusas involves a diverse range of vocalisations, such as grunts, moans, screeches, growling, and teeth clattering.
These fascinating creatures can be found in a variety of habitats throughout the region in the island of Sulawesi and nearby islands like Lembeh, Buton, and Muna in Indonesia. They primarily dwell in the underbrush of tropical forests and canebrakes, but also frequent the shores of rivers and lakes. Sulawesi babirusas have adapted to thrive in diverse environments, making use of both land and water habitats. Witness their incredible versatility as they navigate and thrive in the different landscapes of Sulawesi and its neighboring islands.
Sulawesi babirusas are versatile eaters, enjoying a wide-ranging diet including leaves, roots, fallen fruits, nuts, mushrooms, and even invertebrates. Occasionally, they demonstrate their hunting skills by preying on small mammals and birds.
North Sulawesi babirusas have the ability to reproduce all year round. When it’s time to give birth, female hogs prepare soft nests on the ground using dry vegetation. The gestation period for these remarkable creatures typically lasts for approximately 155 to 166 days. When the time comes, females give birth to 1 or 2 well-developed piglets, who quickly gain independence as they can stand on their own shortly after birth. Around 10 days old, the piglets begin to consume solid food, gradually transitioning from their mother’s milk. The weaning process takes place between 5 and 12 months of age, marking an important milestone in their development.
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.
Leus, K., Macdonald, A., Burton, J. & Rejeki, I. 2016. Babyrousa celebensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T136446A44142964. dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.201…. Accessed on 02 June 2023.
North Sulawesi babirusa Wikipedia article – en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Su…
North Sulawesi babirusa on Animalia.bio – iucnredlist.org/species/136446…
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#animals #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #deforestation #ForgottenAnimals #hog #hogs #hunting #Indonesia #Mammal #mining #PalmOil #palmOilDeforestation #palmoil #pig #Pigs #poaching #Sulawesi #SulawesiBabirusaBabyrousaCelebensis #vegan #vulnerable #VulnerableSpecies #wildPig
The Sulawesi Babirusa also known as the North Sulawesi Babirusa are hog-like animals are found on Sulawesi Island along with nearby islands Lembeh, Buton, an...Palm Oil Detectives (YouTube)
How does Indonesia’s palm oil industry fuel the climate crisis?
Booming global demand for palm oil in biofuel is spurring deforestation in Indonesia. Indonesia accounts for more than half of the global palm oil supply, the world’s most widely used vegetable oil that is found in everything from food to cosmetics to fuel.But environmentalists fear surging demand for the product may drive mass deforestation in Indonesia, home to the world’s third-largest tropical rainforest, and exacerbate the global climate crisis.
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Experts fear a #palmoil #biofuel boom may drive massive #deforestation in #Indonesia, threaten the world’s 3rd largest #rainforest and send irreplaceable #animals and plants to extinction #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife @contextnewsroom @palmoildetect palmoildetectives.com/2024/09/…
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Share to TwitterNew report shows just how devastating ramping up #palmoil production in #Indonesia would be for global #climatechange 🔥🌱 #animal and #plant extinction and air #pollution. Take action when you shop and #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife palmoildetectives.com/2024/09/…
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Share to TwitterThis story was published by Thomson Reuters Foundation, on 20th of September, 2024. [strong]Reporting by Adi Renaldi and editing by Ayla Jean Yackley. Read original.[/strong]
What’s the context?
Palm oil production reached 50 million tonnes in 2023 from 45 million tonnes the year before, according to the Indonesian Palm Oil Association.As companies and small landholders replace natural habitats with palm oil plantations, activists and researchers are warning that large amounts of planet-heating carbon is being released into the atmosphere.
How do palm oil plantations contribute to deforestation?
Palm oil plantations covermore than 42.7 million acres of Indonesia, compared with 41.5 million acres in 2019, the government’s Geospatial Information Agency said this month.Indonesia lost 721,000 acres of primary, or old growth, forest in the last two decades – equivalent to 221 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, according to Global Forest Watch. Drivers of this deforestation include plantations and mining.
Sumatra and Borneo, home to the endangered orangutan and other endemic species, have lost 36% and 45% of their tropical forests, respectively, due to palm oil expansion, according to Nusantara Atlas, a non-profit that tracks deforestation.
How does Indonesia’s palm oil industry fuel the climate crisis?
The loss of carbon-storing forests is compounded by the conversion of peatland into plantations. Indonesia is home to more than a third of the world’s tropical peatlands, a type of wetland that is the world’s biggest land-based store of carbon.Palm oil planters believe the soil in these wetlands yields more crops and drain them through man-made canals so that planting can take place. A study by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources in 2021 showed draining peatlands across the world releases 1.9 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per year.
How does Indonesia’s palm oil industry fuel the climate crisis?
How does the biofuel business affect climate change?
Palm oil is a primary ingredient of biodiesel, a cleaner-burning, renewable fuel used in transportation. But a growing body of research shows that biofuels from vegetable oils like palm actually emit more carbon than fossil fuels, primarily due to changes in land use in order to grow the crops.Indonesia is currently among the largest biodiesel producers in the world, with total exports amounting to more than 193,000 kilolitres.
The government targets production of 13.4 million kilolitres in 2024, 2% more than last year, when it grew 11%, according to the energy ministry.
Indonesia requires fuel producers to make a blend of diesel fuel that contains 35% palm oil and wants that share to rise to 40% in 2025.
How does Indonesia’s palm oil industry fuel the climate crisis?
The government began to cultivate palm oil in the 1980s in the hopes of boosting the economy and providing jobs. It now accounts for3.5% of gross domestic product, government statistics showed.Researchers claim palm oil has not contributed to the welfare of people living near plantations. The rate of poverty remains high in the palm oil-rich regions of Sumatra and Borneo, where people face food insecurity after farms were cleared to make way for palm trees.
Can a moratorium on new plantations help stop deforestation?
While Indonesia’s deforestation rate fell between 2019 to 2022 due to stricter regulations, amoratorium on forest clearing and better mitigation of forest fires, the clearing of primaryforests for mining and plantations has risen slightly.The government issued a moratorium on new palm oil plantation in 2018 to slow deforestation. Despite the reprieve, about 119,400 hectares of forests were cleared between 2021 and 2022.
Between 2022 and 2023, some 52,000 hectares of forests were converted into plantations, Nusantara Atlas data showed.
Environmental groups have blamed a lack of reinforcement of the moratorium and called for replanting unproductive oil palm trees on existing plantations, instead of clearing forests.
This story was published by Thomson Reuters Foundation, on 20th of September, 2024. [strong]Reporting by Adi Renaldi and editing by Ayla Jean Yackley. Read original.[/strong]
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An explosive report by the Environment Investigation Agency (EIA) details how Indonesia’s Fangiono family, through a wide corporate web, is linked to ongoing #deforestation, #corruption, and #indigenousrights abuses for #palmoil. Calls mount for…Load more posts
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Wildlife Artist Juanchi Pérez
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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.
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#airPollution #animal #animals #biodiversity #biofuel #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #climateChange #climatechange #corruption #deforestation #environment #extinction #Indonesia #PalmOil #palmOilBiofuel #palmOilDeforestation #palmoil #plant #pollution #rainforest #SAF #SouthEastAsia
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Palm Oil Detectives, Auckland. Gefällt 2.735 Mal · 49 Personen sprechen darüber. A collective of like-minded artists, writers, photographers, musicians and wildlife conservationists who share and...www.facebook.com
IUCN Red List: Vulnerable
Extant (resident): Bangladesh; Bhutan; Brunei Darussalam; Cambodia; China; India; Indonesia (Sumatera); Laos; Malaysia; Myanmar; Nepal; Sri Lanka; Taiwan; Thailand; Vietnam.
The majestic Sambar deer, cloaked in hues ranging from light brown to dark gray, are distinguished by their rugged antlers and uniquely long tails. Adorned with a coat of coarse hair and marked by a distinctive, blood-red glandular spot on their throats, these deer embody the beauty of the wild. Their adaptability is evident in their alert behavior, silent movements, and the gradual development of their unique spots. Perfectly designed for grazing, these deer use their antlers and feet deftly in defense, relying on their acute senses of hearing and smell to evade predators. To protect these splendid deer and their habitats from the impacts of deforestation and agricultural expansion, especially for palm oil, join the movement: #BoycottPalmOil and #Boycott4Wildlife to aid in their survival.
Sambar deer are #vulnerable from habitat destruction for #timber and #palmoil and relentless hunting. Help them survive, be #vegan for them and #BoycottPalmOil and #Boycott4Wildlife to safeguard these magnificent beings. Learn more via @palmoildetect wp.me/pcFhgU-75t
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Save the magnificent Sambar #deer, threatened in multiple countries like #India #Malaysia #Indonesia by #palmoil #deforestation and hunting. Fight for them by being #vegan and use your wallet as a weapon #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect wp.me/pcFhgU-75t
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The enigmatic Sambar deer captivates with their varied coat, ranging from light brown to almost black, highlighted by a grayish or yellowish tinge and complemented by paler underparts.
Males boast robust, three-tined antlers, advertising their strength and virility to their female counterparts. Their long tails, a blend of black and white, along with their striking dark brown legs and long, brownish-gray ears, add to their distinct appearance.
Both adult males and some females sport an unusual, hairless, blood-red spot on their throats, a mysterious glandular feature.
These crepuscular beings prefer the solitude of night or twilight and remain largely alone or with small, close-knit herds. Males, particularly nomadic and territorial during breeding seasons, engage in unique behaviors like wallowing in urine-soaked soil and marking trees with their antlers. Females show maternal fierceness and will bravely defend their young, fearlessly confronting predators, especially in shallow waters, forming protective formations, and emitting a resonant ‘pooking’ sound as a warning.
In some cases Sambar deer come together to form large temporary groups, especially in India’s dry deciduous and semi-arid forests. These groupings, sometimes reaching up to 100 individuals near water bodies during peak summer, indicate a complex social structure influenced by environmental conditions.
Sambar deer are imperiled by rampant habitat destruction, primarily due to deforestation for timber and palm oil. They are further threatened by relentless hunting. To make a tangible difference in their survival, stand with us in this vital cause, be #vegan for them and #BoycottPalmOil and #Boycott4Wildlife to safeguard these magnificent beings.
Sambar deer are renowned for their remarkable adaptability to diverse forest types and environmental conditions, showcasing an impressive geographical range. They are found in various habitats within India, from thorn forests in Gujarat and Rajasthan to the lush evergreen forests of the Western Ghats and northeastern India, and even in the pine and oak forests at the Himalayan foothills. Their adaptability extends beyond India, inhabiting temperate and alpine-zone woodlands in Taiwan, thriving in a wide array of environmental conditions.
Sambar deer possess a broad diet, consuming a wide variety of plant species, which enables them to thrive in diverse habitats. Depending on the availability of forage, they alternate between grazing and browsing. Their diet varies across different altitudes and regions, reflecting the changes in local plant communities. This dietary flexibility allows them to inhabit regions with varying vegetation, from moist deciduous forests, where they are found in higher densities, to semi-arid forests.
Breeding by Sambar deer tends to be seasonal, with a peak in the rutting period observed in various regions. Males, especially during the rut, can travel significant distances, marking territories with scent glands. Fawns are typically born singly, with the birth season peaking in the warmer months. Predation, primarily by tigers, leopards, and dholes, significantly influences their populations, especially in well-protected forest reserves where they are a key prey species.
The Sambar deer has several distinct subspecies, each exhibiting unique characteristics and adaptations to their respective habitats.
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.
Timmins, R., Kawanishi, K., Giman, B, Lynam, A., Chan, B., Steinmetz, R., Sagar Baral, H. & Samba Kumar, N. 2015. Rusa unicolor (errata version published in 2015). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015: e.T41790A85628124. dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.201…. Accessed on 29 December 2023.
Sambar Deer on Wikipedia en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sambar…
Sambar on the Animalia.bio website en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sambar…
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.
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.
twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status…
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4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.
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#animals #Bangladesh #Bhutan #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #Cambodia #CentralAsia #China #deer #deforestation #ForgottenAnimals #hunting #India #Indonesia #Malaysia #Mammal #PalmOil #palmOilDeforestation #palmoil #poaching #SambarDeerRusaUnicolor #SouthEastAsia #Thailand #timber #ungulate #vegan #Vietnam #vulnerable #VulnerableSpecies
Discover the environmental and social issues caused by palm oil production. Learn about its impacts on wildlife, indigenous communities, and how to take action with Palm Oil DetectivesPalm Oil Detectives
Marsh Deer Blastocerus dichotomus
Marsh Deer Blastocerus dichotomus
IUCN Status: VulnerableLocations: Argentina; Bolivia, Plurinational States of; Brazil; Paraguay; Peru
Extinct: Uruguay
The Marsh deer are South America’s largest deer species, uniquely adapted to wetland life with their web-like hooves and preference for aquatic plants. They are prey animals for jaguars and pumas.Already extinct in Uruguay, these majestic creatures, once widespread, are now confined to isolated pockets of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Peru. Their main threat is habitat loss and fragmentation due to palm oil, soy and meat deforestation along with hydroelectric dams and gold mining.
Even as researchers strive to understand their complex and obscure social and mating behaviours, time is running out for these unique creatures. Use your wallet as a weapon and protect the Marsh deer, every time you shop #BoycottPalmOil #BoycottGold4Yanomami #Boycott4Wildlife.
Time is running out for the tall and handsome, Marsh #deer 🦌🤎 the biggest deer in #SouthAmerica. They are #vulnerable from #palmoil 🌴🥜🥩🔥 #soy #meat #deforestation and #hunting. Help them and #Boycottpalmoil 🌴🪔🧐⛔️#Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect palmoildetectives.com/2024/05/…
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Share to Twitter!Marsh Deer 🦌😻 live most of their lives in #wetlands of #Argentina 🇦🇷 #Peru 🇵🇪 #Bolivia 🇧🇴 #Brazil 🇧🇷eating plants. They are #vulnerable from #palmoil #agriculture and gold #mining. Fight for them and #Boycottpalmoil 🌴🚫#Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect palmoildetectives.com/2024/05/…
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Share to Twitter!Marsh Deer: Fast Facts
The Blastocerus dichotomus, more commonly known as the Marsh deer, is a fascinating species with several unique characteristics.
- Largest Deer in South America: The Marsh deer is the biggest deer species on the continent, measuring up to 2 meters in length and 1.2 meters at the shoulder height.
- Aquatic Adaptations: Unlike most other deer species, Marsh deer are well adapted to a life in wetlands and are good swimmers. Their hooves are even slightly webbed to help navigate through marshy areas.
- Seasonal Diet: Marsh deer is primarily a herbivore that feeds on aquatic plants. However, their diet can shift between the dry and wet seasons, adapting to the availability of food.
- Antler Shedding: Only male Marsh deer have antlers, and these are shed annually. These antlers can grow up to 60 cm in length and are branched, making them quite distinct.
- Restricted Habitats: While they were once widespread, they are now mostly found in isolated pockets along specific river basins and protected areas, signaling the effects of habitat loss and fragmentation.
- Color Changing Fawns: The young are born with a whitish coat that gradually changes to the adult coloration within their first year.
- Predators: Their natural predators include jaguars and pumas, but arguably, human activities pose a far greater threat to them through habitat destruction and hunting.
- Protected Areas: Some of the last strongholds for these deer are protected zones like Bahuaja-Sonene National Park in Peru and the Ibera Natural Reserve in Argentina.
- Social Structure: The social structure and mating systems of Marsh deer are not well understood, making them an intriguing subject for ongoing research.
- Threats: Apart from natural predators, they face significant threats from human activities such as agriculture, hydroelectric projects, and mining, putting them on the path toward endangerment if not adequately protected.
Appearance & Behaviour
Known scientifically as Blastocerus dichotomus, the Marsh deer holds the title for the largest deer species in South America. Adults can stretch up to 2 meters (around 6.6 feet) in length and stand as tall as 1.2 meters (nearly 4 feet) at the shoulder. Their appearance is striking, with large ears fringed in white, fur that ranges from red-gold to tawny brown, and notably long, dark legs. Males stand out even more with branching antlers that can extend up to 60 cm (or 23 inches).
Threats
The Marsh deer faces serious challenges to its survival, primarily from hunting and the destruction of its natural habitat. Here’s what’s contributing to the species’ decline:
- Palm Oil, Soy, and Meat Deforestation: These agricultural activities are prime culprits behind the loss of vital habitat.
- Hydroelectric Projects in Brazil and Argentina: Dams like those on the Tiete, Paraná, and Rio Grande rivers have significantly altered and reduced floodplain areas crucial to Marsh deer.
- Cattle Ranching: This has not only diminished available habitats but has also fragmented them. Plus, the Marsh deer now has to compete with domestic livestock for limited resources.
- Pollution from Gold Mining: In the Pantanal region, water pollution originating from gold mining activities poses a severe risk.
- Bovine Diseases: Past incidents in Bolivia have shown that the inadvertent spread of diseases from cattle can cause reproductive issues and significant population losses among the Marsh deer.
- Hunting and Competition with Livestock: Especially in areas like the Ibera Natural Reserve in Argentina, these factors can serve as additional stressors, potentially limiting the population growth of this already threatened species.
Habitat
Once rulers of wetlands across South America, Marsh deer are now reduced to mere pockets of their former range. Gone are the days when they graced the expansive landscapes of countries like Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, and Paraguay. Now, they’re cornered into specific areas near rivers like the Paraná, Paraguay, Araguaia, and Guapore, not to mention a smattering of spots in the southern Amazon. Their last sanctuaries? Protected areas like Bahuaja-Sonene National Park in Peru.Though they’ve adapted to marshes and lagoons, particularly in unique ecosystems like the Pantanal and Chaco, they’re limited to waters less than 70 cm (28 inches) deep. Even in these last refuges, they face relentless threats: from deforestation for palm oil, soy and meat agriculture, hunting and hydroelectric projects that alter their floodplain habitats.
Diet
Marsh deer are plant-eaters, focusing mainly on water-dwelling plants for nourishment. They also munch on aquatic flowers and shrubs that sprout in swampy terrains and on floating vegetation mats. Depending on whether it’s the dry or flood season, there is some variation in what they choose to eat.Mating and breeding
The reproductive behavior of Marsh deer isn’t fully understood. Mating generally takes place during the dry season, although this can vary among different deer. After a gestation period of approximately 271 days, a single fawn is usually born between October and November, though twins are not unheard of. These fawns start off with a whitish coat that darkens as they age, typically within the first year. Weaning occurs around the 5-month mark, but young deer often stay with their mothers for more than a year. They reach reproductive age between 1 and 2 years old.Support Marsh Deer by going vegan and boycotting palm oil in the supermarket and saying no to gold 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
Duarte, J.M.B, Varela, D., Piovezan, U., Beccaceci, M.D. & Garcia, J.E. 2016. Blastocerus dichotomus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T2828A22160916. dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.201…. Accessed on 03 June 2023.Marsh Deer on Wikipedia – en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marsh_de…
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.
Enter your email addressSign Up
Join 3,174 other subscribers
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.
twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status…
twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status…
twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1…
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
#Agriculture #argentina #BalabacMouseDeerTragulusNigricans #Bolivia #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottGold4Yanomami #BoycottPalmOil #Brazil #cattle #deer #deforestation #ForgottenAnimals #goldMining #hunting #hydroelectric #MarshDeerBlastocerusDichotomus #meat #meatAndSoyDeforestationInBrazil #mining #palmoil #Paraguay #Peru #SouthAmericaSpeciesEndangeredByPalmOilDeforestation #SouthAmerica #soy #soyDeforestation #ungulate #ungulates #vulnerable #VulnerableSpecies #Wetlands
Swamp-dwelling Marsh Deer Blastocerus dichotomus of South America are under siege
The Marsh deer are South America's largest deer species, uniquely adapted to wetland life with their web-like hooves and preference for aquatic plants. They ...Palm Oil Detectives (YouTube)
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 palmoildetectives.com/2024/03/…
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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 palmoildetectives.com/2024/03/…
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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 usedfire 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.
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.
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.
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
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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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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Mondelez destroys rainforests, sending animals extinct and release mega-tonnes of carbon into air for so-called “sustainable” palm oil. Boycott them!
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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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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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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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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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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:…
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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…
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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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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.
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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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
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 Fr…Palm Oil Detectives
Paraquat: Banned in EU, Destroying Lives of Palm Oil Workers in Indonesia
The dangerous pesticide Paraquat is banned in the EU and strictly limited in the USA, however it continues to destroy the lives of palm oil workers in Indonesia. Paraquat has severe human health impacts including respiratory problems, severe burns and skin and eye irritation. America’s Centre for Disease Control links it to Parkinson’s disease and other life-threatening illnesses. Read this story below originally published in Geographical Magazine about the lives of vulnerable palm oil workers in Indonesia. Afterwards you can learn how to take action to resist the human rights abuses and ecocide of dangerous pesticide use in palm oil agriculture. #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife#Paraquat is a dangerous #pesticide 🤢 banned in #EU ⛔️and limited in #USA yet used widely in #Indonesia by #palmoil workers with grave #health impacts on (mainly) women 👩👧 and children workers #Boycottpalmoil 🌴🚫Story via @geographicalmag @palmoildetect wp.me/pcFhgU-8Bt
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Share to Twitter#Paraquat #pesticide is deadly and causes respiratory illnesses, #Parkinsons #disease. It’s banned in the #EU yet used routinely in #Indonesian #palmoil. Palm oil workers are paying with their lives #Boycottpalmoil Story: @geographicalmag @palmoildetect wp.me/pcFhgU-8Bt
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Share to TwitterThis article was originally published as ‘Paraquat: banned in Europe, on sale in Indonesia in Geographical Magazine on the 28th of June 2024. Written by Daniela Sala, Adi Renaldi & Budi Baskoro. Photography by Daniela Sala. Republished with permission. Read original.
A local farmer sprays the herbicide Roundup among the oil palms in the small plot of land she and her family owns. She also routinely sprays Gramoxone, without protection
“I used to spray both the yellow and the green poison,” Herna says.
For nearly six years, from 2006 to 2011, Herna worked for the so-called ‘maintenance team’ on one of the oil palm plantations of Musim Mas, a Singapore-based multinational corporation, in Central Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of Borneo. The green poison she refers to is Gramoxone, the brand name for a highly toxic herbicide based on the organic compound paraquat. Sold by the Swiss, now Chinese-owned multinational Syngenta, paraquat has been banned in the European Union since 2007 due to concerns related to its effect on the health of workers and the environment.
‘I often had nausea, vomiting and dizziness after my work. I don’t know exactly why, but most of my colleagues experienced the same symptoms. I knew these were dangerous substances and I was always afraid to handle them,’ she says. Herna got an indication of how toxic paraquat is when one morning, while she was diluting it with water as instructed, a drop of the liquid splashed onto her hand, causing a burn that took weeks to heal.
Backpacks used for paraquat spraying
Sitting cross-legged on the floor of her home in Penyang, Herna looks tired. The humid heat gives no respite, the air is heavy and the fan Herna sits next to is of little use. It’s difficult to imagine how, in these conditions, Herna and her colleagues could work an entire eight-hour shift with a heavy container (weighing some 13 kilograms) on their backs, without ever removing their masks.Herna grew up in a small cluster of houses surrounded by rainforest. Her family relied on hunting and farming; they had a small area of land where they harvested rice and fruit. It was a simple, quiet life. In the late 1990s, however, their economic situation rapidly deteriorated with the arrival of oil palm plantations. They lost not only their land, but also access to the forest. Herna, in her early 20s, had no choice but to accept a job on one of the plantations that had so drastically altered the way of life in her village. For five years, from 7am to 3pm, she sprayed highly toxic herbicides, which prevented weeds and other plants from proliferating and allowed oil palms to grow faster and taller.
Herna endured continuous discomfort for years, sometimes so intense that she had to stay in bed for days. The plantation doctor, whom she sometimes asked for help, always told her not to worry too much, prescribing at most paracetamol or an anti-emetic.
A fisher arrives at Bikal market with his meagre catch after a night’s fishing
Eventually, Herna began to suffer a pain in the pit of her stomach, ‘like a stab wound’. The doctor speculated that it might be a symptom of a lung problem. The cause was never clarified because Herna couldn’t take further tests as they were too expensive. She decided, however, that she couldn’t take it anymore and quit her job.Paraquat’s known direct health effects include respiratory problems, severe burns and skin and eye irritation. In the USA, it has also been linked to Parkinson’s disease. In Indonesia, paraquat should only be used by properly trained workers with appropriate protections. However, a report by PANAP (Pesticide Action Network Asia Pacific) documented how these conditions are rarely met.
Herna, who is now 48 and has six children, did her best to find another job, ‘but since the plantations are here, there is no other job,’ she says.
As she goes silent, the background noise becomes more obvious: it’s the constant traffic along the Trans Kalimantan, the highway that cuts through southern Borneo, just a few dozen metres from Herna’s home. Trucks follow one another in a constant back-and-forth. In one direction, they transport oil palm fruits to the refineries. In the opposite direction, they transport the refined oil to ports for the export market.
Villagers in Tanjung Puting National Park only use river water to wash and rely on rainwater for cooking and drinking
Made in Europe
Indonesia is by far the world’s largest exporter of palm oil, accounting for nearly 50 per cent of global exports in 2022, closely followed by Malaysia, with 30 per cent. The industrial uses are countless, from food and cosmetics to the production of biofuels. About ten per cent of palm oil exports from Indonesia end up in Europe.The oil palm, a plant native to West Africa, was first introduced to Indonesia during Dutch colonialism. Over a few decades, the expansion of monocultures in the archipelago triggered the destruction of large portions of Borneo’s rainforest. Despite intense environmental campaigns in recent years, the rate of deforestation due to plantation expansion only slowed; it started to rise again in 2023.
In Indonesia, intensive palm oil production and the heavy use of paraquat and other herbicides are inextricably linked. In total, Indonesia imported pesticides worth about half a million US dollars in 2020, a market that has steadily grown over the past decade.
Old man’s hand and palm oil. Image: Daniela Sala
In 2019, Indonesia imported from the UK 2,300 tons of paraquat, largely manufactured by Syngenta’s Huddersfield plant. Since 2017, with ChemChina’s acquisition of Syngenta, production and exports from China have also increased, making the paraquat supply chain increasingly difficult to track.The countries that are responsible for most of the manufacturing and export (China, Switzerland and the UK) ban paraquat domestically, as has the EU. While the EU’s internal regulations are increasingly protective of the environment, it remains the largest pesticide exporter, with EU companies investing more and more in countries in the Global South.
Environmental Disaster
In Kalimantan, the effects of palm oil monocultures and the extensive use of pesticides are unspooling before the eyes of the local communities.A short drive from Herna’s house, just on the other side of the Trans Kalimantan highway in the village of Bangkal, most residents still have first-hand memories of life before the plantations. The village is located on the shore of the biggest lake in the region, Sembuluh Lake. Its 4,000 residents, mostly Dayaks, the indigenous peoples of Borneo, relied on farming and fishing, and they drank water from the lake. Now, they have lost their land and, in one of the wettest areas in the world, they struggle to access clean water.
It all started with huge concessions to palm oil companies. ‘It happened suddenly, without any consultation with the community,’ says Sangkai Rewa, secretary of Bangkal and leader of AMAN, the association that represents the indigenous people of Central Kalimantan. Sangkai has been connected to Bangkal for generations. His wooden house, on stilts, like all the houses in the surrounding area, sits on the edge of the village. The residents did everything they could to resist the arrival of the plantations. In the late 1990s, they managed to force the Indonesian company Agro Indomas to back down. But in 2005, their fight against another conglomerate, PT Hamparan Masawit Bangun Persada, failed, due in part to support for the company from the then local governor, Darwan Ali, as revealed by a Gecko Project investigation.
Worker carries palm oil fruits. Image: Daniela Sala
‘The people of Bangkal were forced to give up their land by threats and deception. Around us it was all forest. Look around: what is left today?’ says Sangkai. The establishment of Hamparan plantation paved the way for the arrival of more companies. Bangkal is now surrounded by a dozen plantations and refineries.‘We saw the colour of the water changing’, says Sangkai. ‘We can not even use the water for washing: it feels itchy and you get rashes. The water is polluted, and because of that, our entire ecosystem is under threat.’
At dawn every day, a few narrowboats approach the small wooden dock next to the daily market in Bangkal. Nouredin, a 60-year-old fisherman from a nearby village, is busy untangling a few dozen small fish from his net. He spent the whole night fishing, but the catch was meagre. ‘It did not used to be like that,’ he explains while unloading his catch. ‘Fish were bigger and easier to catch. There are species that are slowly disappearing.’
Fish have become scarcer, while the fast-growing weed water hyacinth is invading the shore of Sembuluh, forcing fishermen to travel much further. Residents say that the overgrowth must be associated with fertilisers and chemicals dumped from the plantations.
The village of Bangkal on the shores of the now heavily polluted Lake Sembuluh
In 2018, the Central Kalimantan Environment Agency had the water in the lake tested. Nothing is wrong, they stated, dismissing the residents’ protests.But not everybody agrees. ‘We openly challenged the agency’s findings,’ says Muhammad Habibi, director of the NGO Save Our Borneo. ‘We asked the agency to disclose the actual results, and to share all the relevant details: where the samples had been taken, how they had been treated, what residues they had been analysed for. But the agency simply refused to comply.’
Save Our Borneo and Ecoton, another environmental NGO, conducted some water testing in Sambas, Western Borneo, in an area geographically very similar to Lake Sembuluh and similarly affected by palm oil monoculture. The results were worrying, with levels of chloride and phosphates in the region’s river far higher than accepted norms. Habibi fears for the fate of Lake Sembuluh. ‘Our suspicion is that the local authorities have no interest in going against the palm oil industry. What if it becomes known that the ongoing ecological disaster in Lake Sembuluh is caused by the companies?’
Farmer Turned Protester
‘Palm oil means Gramoxone, Gramoxone means palm oil’, says James Watt, a farmer in Bangkal. Watt is among the few residents who still have a small piece of land left: he used to grow rubber plants, fruit and vegetables. He started life as a traditional farmer and had no interest in palm oil cultivation. But as the vast plantations came to dominate the region, he was forced to switch. Around the same time, in 2015, he was introduced to paraquat, under the label Gramoxone. ‘I needed a stronger herbicide, and I went to the shop in Sampit, the nearest city. I asked the shopkeeper for advice, and he gave me this,’ Watt says, holding out the five-litre plastic package of the substance. Paraquat became a familiar household item and can be found in most farmers’ houses in Bangkal. ‘When I have to spray it, I smoke a cigarette first, so I make sure of the wind direction,’ Watt says.Watt has no love for palm oil. In addition to being a farmer, he’s an activist. At 54, he has spent nearly half his life fighting against the palm oil industry, trying to mediate between residents and companies, and paying the price himself.
In 2020, following a demonstration against the plantation, Watt was sentenced to ten months in prison on a charge of stealing oil palm fruit from the land that once belonged to Bangkal residents.
Bottles of paraquat and pesticide – Image: Daniela Sala
The last major protest against palm oil companies in Bangkla was in October 2023. Gijik, a 35-year-old man, was killed by a gunshot fired by police deployed to defend the plantation. Such cases, according to the Consortium for Agrarian Reform (KPA), an Indonesian association fighting against land grabbing, are far from isolated. Between 2015 and 2022, at least 69 people died as a result of clashes and protests against land grabbing. The clashes and deaths, again according to KPA, can’t be separated from the decision to deploy police forces always and exclusively in a repressive function, in defence of plantations.‘I can’t understand what the government means when it says palm oil brings development and prosperity,’ says.Watt. He never asked his parents why they named him after the Scottish inventor, which is said to have started the industrial revolution. While he grasps the subtle irony, he’s proud of the name he bears.
‘For me, real prosperity was before. We were not dependent on anyone: we grew our own vegetables, rice. We went fishing and if we wanted meat, all we had to do was go hunting in the forest. Now all that is gone’.
This article was originally published as ‘Paraquat: banned in Europe, on sale in Indonesia in Geographical Magazine on the 28th of June 2024. Written by Daniela Sala, Adi Renaldi & Budi Baskoro. Photography by Daniela Sala. Republished with permission. Read original.
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Death by Pesticide on a Papuan Palm Oil Plantation
In the below 2021 report by respected non-profit Global Witness, there was a shocking revelation that a young child of a palm oil worker died as a result of consuming pesticide infused water on a “sustainable” palm oil plantation in Papua New Guinea. The firm sold to global giants like Nestle, Ferrero, Unilever, Mondelez and more, with products on the shelves and bought be consumers all over the world.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”
Read more about deforestation and ecocide in the palm oil industry
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Finance giants fuel $8.9 trillion deforestation economy
Forest 500 report shows 150 of the world’s largest financial institutions invested nearly $9 trillion in deforestation-linked industries. Support EUDR!
SOCFIN’s African Empire of Colonial Oppression: Billionaires Profit from Palm Oil and Rubber Exploitation
Investigation by Bloomberg exposes that despite being RSPO members, #SOCFIN plantations in #WestAfrica are the epicentre of #humanrights abuses, sexual coercion, environmental destruction, and #landgrabbing. Operating in #Liberia, #Ghana, #Nigeria, and beyond, SOCFIN’s…
Palm Oil Threatens Ancient Noken Weaving in West Papua
Colonial palm oil and sugarcane causing the loss of West Papuans’ cultural identity. Land grabs force communities from forests, threatening Noken weaving
Family Ties Expose Deforestation and Rights Violations in Indonesian Palm Oil
An explosive report by the Environment Investigation Agency (EIA) details how Indonesia’s Fangiono family, through a wide corporate web, is linked to ongoing #deforestation, #corruption, and #indigenousrights abuses for #palmoil. Calls mount for…Load more posts
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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
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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.
twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status…
twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status…
twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1…
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 #corruption #deforestation #disease #ecocide #EU #health #humanRights #Indonesia #Indonesian #MusimMas #PalmOil #palmOilDeforestation #palmoil #Paraquat #Parkinsons #pesticide #pesticides #pollution #USA #waterPollution #womenSRights #workersRights #WorkersRights
Paraquat: Banned in EU, Destroying Lives of Palm Oil Workers in Indonesia
The dangerous #pesticide #Paraquat is banned in the EU and strictly limited in the USA, however it continues to destroy the lives of #palmoil workers in Indo...Palm Oil Detectives (YouTube)
¿Sabían que el Rawon, la sopa de carne negra originaria de Java Oriental, Indonesia, depende de un ingrediente que en su estado natural es mortal debido a su altísimo contenido de cianuro?
El color oscuro y el sabor terroso característico de este platillo provienen de la nuez Keluak (semilla del árbol Pangium edule). En su estado crudo, estas semillas contienen glucósidos cianogénicos en concentraciones letales. Para que el Keluak sea apto para el consumo humano, debe someterse a un proceso de desintoxicación tradicional que dura más de un mes: las semillas se hierven primero y luego se entierran en ceniza volcánica y tierra, envueltas en hojas de plátano, durante un periodo de 40 días. Este proceso de fermentación anaeróbica descompone los compuestos de cianuro, transformando la pulpa blanca y tóxica en una pasta negra, aceitosa y segura para la ingesta.
Si el proceso de preparación se omite o se realiza de forma deficiente, el consumo del Rawon puede provocar desde mareos y síntomas de embriaguez —condición conocida localmente como mabuk kepayang— hasta una intoxicación por cianuro fatal. Una vez procesada correctamente, la nuez no solo pierde su toxicidad, sino que adquiere un perfil de sabor complejo similar al cacao amargo o la trufa, convirtiéndose en el pilar gastronómico de uno de los platillos más emblemáticos de la cocina indonesia.
#Gastronomía #Indonesia #Rawon #Ciencia #Botánica #SeguridadAlimentaria
¿Sabían que Indonesia ostenta el título del archipiélago más grande del planeta, compuesto por un número que oscila entre las 17,508 y las 18,000 islas según diferentes registros cartográficos, de las cuales aproximadamente 6,000 están deshabitadas?
Ubicado en el Cinturón de Fuego del Pacífico, el país concentra la mayor cantidad de volcanes activos en el mundo, con una cifra cercana a los 130 sistemas volcánicos. Entre ellos destaca el Kawah Ijen, en Java Oriental, famoso por un fenómeno geológico único: sus "llamas azules". Este efecto no es lava de ese color, sino la combustión de gases sulfúricos a altísimas presiones y temperaturas (superiores a los 600 °C) que, al entrar en contacto con el aire, generan un resplandor azul eléctrico visible únicamente durante la noche.
Además de su complejidad geológica, Indonesia es el único lugar del mundo donde habita el Varanus komodoensis o dragón de Komodo en estado silvestre, específicamente en las islas de Komodo, Rinca, Flores y Gili Motang. Este reptil, que es el lagarto más grande de la Tierra alcanzando hasta los 3 metros de longitud, posee una estrategia de caza que combina una mordida con veneno anticoagulante y un sentido del olfato capaz de detectar carroza o presas a una distancia de hasta 9.5 kilómetros. Con una población de más de 280 millones de personas, es también el cuarto país más poblado del mundo y el que alberga la mayor población musulmana a nivel global.
#Indonesia #Geografía #Ciencia #Naturaleza #Curiosidades #SudesteAsiático
Your searches on Ecosia saved this forest in Indonesia 🌳🌳🌳
With our partner, Leuser Conservation Forum, we turned a former palm oil plantation back into a thriving, diverse forest.
5 years later, it’s unrecognisable. Wildlife and native trees have returned 🦧🌳💚
You can help too. Download Ecosia and share this with a few friends. Let’s bring more forests back. ecosia.org/
#reforestation #indonesia #rewilding #palmoil #deforestation #regreening #trees
Of all the #monkey species around the world, one stands out with its large, bizarre nose. In male proboscis monkeys, their bulbous noses will often hang past their mouths.But why did they evolve such a strange feature? Are they a visual sign of health and status to potential female mates, and to other males? Or did they evolve to help the monkeys make honks and other loud sounds? New groundbreaking #research has much to reveal about the mysterious large nose of the Proboscis Monkey!
Fascinating and oddly beautiful Proboscis #Monkeys of #Malaysia #Indonesia, have webbed feet and live in harems. Now #researchers discovered why they have such long noses! Help them survive when you #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect wp.me/pcFhgU-5G6
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Gentle Proboscis #Monkeys of #Borneo are famous for their long noses. Until recently the reasons why baffled scientists, not anymore! They’re threatened by #palmoil #deforestation. You can help when you Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect wp.me/pcFhgU-5G6
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Written by Katharine Balolia, Senior Lecturer in Biological Anthropology, Australian National University The author would like to acknowledge the paper’s co-author, former ANU Masters student Pippa Fitzgerald. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
In our new study, published in Scientific Reports, we have deepened our understanding of these enlarged nasal structures by investigating what lies beneath: the structures in the skull.
Our findings help to explain how these noses function as visual and acoustic signals of health and status. They also add to a growing body of evidence that shows researchers can use close examinations of skulls to glean information about primate social behaviour.
One of the largest monkey species in Asia, proboscis monkeys (Nasalis larvatus) are endemic to the island of Borneo. They live in coastal mangroves, peat swamps and riverine forests, and have an unusual diet made up mostly of leaves.
They can swim quite well and have webbed fingers and toes. They typically live in harem groups, made up of a single adult male (who tends to have a large, bulbous nose), some adult females and their offspring.
Males don’t often get the opportunity to attract a harem until they reach middle age. These older, dominant and large-nosed males don’t easily tolerate other large-nosed males, often trying to ward them off aggressively with deep honks and “nasal roars” – loud calls they make using their noses.
Young adult males with smaller noses often live in all-male bachelor groups, and don’t tend to fight aggressively with each other. When these bachelor males get older and become large (and large-nosed) enough to compete with males that are part of a breeding group, they are in a position to overthrow the tenured male. Females then often choose to form a harem group with this new, high-status male.
We investigated the size and shape of the proboscis monkey nasal cavity. That’s the bony chamber of the skull that sits behind the fleshy nose. Our goal was to find out if the size and shape of the nasal aperture – the front part of the cavity, where the fleshy nose tissue attaches – can tell us more about why these peculiar appendages evolved.
Previous research that looked at the bulbous nose in males suggests it evolved to advertise status. In our new research, we wanted to better understand how this could be the case, this time using data taken from the skull.
We used 3D surface models, downloaded from a public repository, to take size and shape measurements from 33 adult proboscis monkey skulls. We compared these with the adult skulls of king colobus monkeys, blue monkeys and crab-eating macaques, three old world monkey species.
We chose some measurements to quantify the nasal cavity, and others to quantify the nasal aperture in all the species. We also looked at tooth wear, since older adult monkeys have more worn teeth than younger adults. That would allow us to find out if older adult males had a larger nasal aperture than younger adult males.
If male proboscis monkeys have a different nasal cavity shape to females, and a unique shape compared to the other monkey species, it would support the idea these enhanced nasal structures – both the fleshy nose and the cavity behind it – evolved to allow for more effective honks and nasal roars.
That was indeed what we found. The shape of the male nasal cavity was low and long compared to females. This allows males to build up resonance (sound vibration) in their nasal cavities, allowing them to emit deeper and louder calls through their noses.
The nasal aperture shape was also different between the sexes. In males, it looks a bit like an eggplant, while in females it looks more like an upside-down pear. This unique opening shape in males allows for higher intensity sounds to be emitted through the nose.
The sex differences in cavity shape were also larger than what we found in other old world monkey species. This further supports the idea that the nasal cavity of male proboscis monkeys underwent an evolutionary change for the purpose of making certain sounds.
Lastly, the age. Older proboscis monkey males really do have larger nasal apertures than younger adult males, but the cavity itself didn’t increase with age. This supports the idea that the large noses act as a visual signal. It’s also consistent with the fleshy nose size increasing in middle-aged or older adult males, which we know from behavioural studies in the wild.
Our evidence from the skull allows us to better understand how nasal structures in male proboscis monkeys evolved for both acoustic and visual signalling.
The more we know about how regions of the skull function as social signals, the better chance we have of reconstructing extinct primate social behaviour using fossilised skull remains.
Written by Katharine Balolia, Senior Lecturer in Biological Anthropology, Australian National University The author would like to acknowledge the paper’s co-author, former ANU Masters student Pippa Fitzgerald. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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@skinnylatte Hello! I have a niche question my brother and I are trying to remember about. Given your food expertise I wondered if you'd know 😆We grew up in #Indonesia + have memories of a savory, hollow, animal shaped crackery #snack. I remember one had a giraffe on it, and the packet was maybe a cardboard box. I know that's not much to go on!
Any chance you or any other SE Asian food lovers stumbling on this happen to know what they were called?
Edit: found! ✨ See reply!
@skinnylatte Hello! I have a niche question my brother and I are trying to remember about. Given your food expertise I wondered if you'd know 😆
We grew up in #Indonesia + have memories of a savory, hollow, animal shaped crackery #snack. I remember one had a giraffe on it, and the packet was maybe a cardboard box. I know that's not much to go on!
Any chance you or any other SE Asian food lovers stumbling on this happen to know what they were called?
Edit: found! ✨ See reply!
Kereta Api Bias
Madiun - Solo
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A drone view shows a large expanding sinkhole in the farmland in Pondok Balik village, Central Aceh Regency, Aceh province, #Indonesia. REUTERS/Hidayatullah Tajuddin
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