Wetlands International says Malaysia’s palm oil growth fueled by peat swamp forests conversion
In the Netherlands, Wetlands International has announced that two studies are showing that an increasing part of Malaysia’s palm oil is produced at the expense of huge areas of tropical peat swamp forests. Especially in the Malaysian state of Sarawak, expansion of oil palm plantations may lead to the complete loss of these vast, unique forests by the end of this decade. This is shown by new figures from Wetlands International and Sarvision.
Wetlands states that two thirds of Sarawak’s peat lands were until recently covered by thick rainforest, and that between 2005-2010 almost 353,000 hectare of the one million hectare peat swamp forests were opened up at high speed; largely for palm oil production. In just 5 years time, almost 10% of all Sarawak’s forests and 33% of the peat swamp forests have been cleared. Of this, 65% was for conversion to palm oil production.
Marcel Silvius, with Wetlands International states, “As the timber resource has been depleted the timber companies are now engaging in the oil palm business, completing the annihilation of Sarawak’s peat swamp forests.” Wetlands International and Wetlands International and Sarvision used satellite images combined with existing data and field surveys to produce their studies. Wetlands states that a major driver is European biodiesel demand. Wetlands is calling for an end to incentives for biofuels in the EU that result in direct and indirect land use change is they now state is happening in Malaysia.
Category: Policy
