Fate of the Orangutans in the hands of Global Markets
Orangutan baby in Sarawak.
Photo credit: Sarawak Forestry Corporation
- ICYMI, this is Orangutan Caring Week. Promoted by various orangutan rescue groups, this is supposed to be a week of information to persuade more Western consumers to boycott palm oil and donate to the groups.
- Running with the popular social media theme that the fate of the orangutans is “In Your Hands” it is becoming apparent that the fate of the orangutans is being removed from the hands of Western consumers.
- Consumers in India, China and Africa could hold the fate of orangutans as trade restrictions in the European Union’s Deforestation Regulations (EUDR) kicks in.
Decades of conservation efforts to save the orangutans could be wiped out in 2024. The greatest threat to their survival being the controversial EUDR, which was created by the current crop of politicians in the European Union.
Indonesia, where most of the world’s orangutans are found, had put in place, numerous measures to protect them. At World Orangutan Day, Indonesian Environment and Forestry Minister Professor Siti Nurbaya used the occasion of World Orangutan Day (Aug 19) to reiterate that ground-based evidence confirms that Sumatran, Tapanuli and Bornean orangutans are far from extinction and instead will continue to have growing populations.
She also appealed not to lose sight of this ground-based evidence when it comes to responding to negative campaigns about the fate of orangutans in Indonesia. The motivation of the parties behind such campaigns, according to the Minister, is not to collaborate but rather to generate benefits for themselves.
The organizers of Orangutan Caring Week, seem to fit Minister Nurbaya’s description as they claim that:
Now, more than ever, orangutans need our help and Orangutan Caring Week is a perfect opportunity to spread awareness about the plight of orangutans and the urgent dangers facing their rainforest homes with the goal of motivating people to care.
Making money off the back of orangutans is not a new tactic for orangutan rescue groups that make their profits outside of Southeast Asia. Read how some groups cannot handle the Wall Street Journal’s description of palm oil, as a model crop.
Erik Meijaard, a popular expert on orangutans, was more apolitical when he appealed for agreement on data and trends on orangutan conservation. His appeal for reason to consumers who would boycott palm oil to save biodiversity, has fallen on deaf ears.
The Customer is Always Right as Long as they remain customers
Regardless of Meijaard’s diplomatic approach to orangutan conservation and Indonesia’s efforts, the damage has been done as Western countries including the US and the European Union, seize upon criticisms of palm oil to create bans on palm oil.
The efforts of palm oil producing countries to certify sustainability under national and non-profit schemes, appear to have also fallen on deaf ears at the EU Commission which stands today, as the biggest threat to the survival of orangutans.
The problem for the orangutans now, is a problem which orangutan experts like Meijaard, may not of thought of. Sure, a boycott of palm oil may lead to biodiversity extinction caused by other vegetable oil crops but no one thought the day would come when demand for palm oil would remain strong, without the European Union.
As the EUDR approaches its implementation date, the global palm oil industry appears to have run out of patience with the European market.
The simple fact of the matter, is that, a customer is always right, but that relies on the complainant being a customer. In the case of the European Union and palm oil, the EU is fast becoming a customer with no say in how palm oil producing countries look after THEIR orangutans.
The bad news for European companies is that they risk losing competitiveness.
As ESG regulations tighten, European companies find themselves at the nexus of financial success and ethical responsibility. While these regulations are a manifestation of good intentions, the potential misalignment between investment goals and ESG objectives poses challenges. European companies operating in industries facing a stringent ESG noose may find it challenging to compete with counterparts in less regulated environments, such as China and the United States.
Fate of Great Apes is in Their Hands
Despite what the anti-palm oil groups may sell, the fate of orangutans and great apes in Africa including gorillas, is not in the hands of consumers in the West. These are cheap words uttered for fundraising purposes.
In Africa for example, palm oil companies like Plantations et Huileries du Congo (PHC), rank high in internet searches as bad for nature. According to the Dian Fossey Gorrilla Fund, The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) has some of the most diverse wildlife in the world and is the only place where critically endangered Grauer’s gorillas are found.
Yet the survival of Grauer’s gorillas, may be in the hands of PHC.
- According to UNICEF, The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is one of the largest populations in Africa (estimates range from 98.3 million according to the DRC Bureau of Statistics and over 100 million according to other estimates) and poorest (73 % live in extreme poverty) and has been in a state of conflict and vulnerability for almost forty years.
Putting the welfare of gorillas ahead of Africans is a mistake that conservation groups refuse to acknowledge. Any efforts towards developing the DRC is met with a storm of Western views online, that totally ignore the human factor.
“What coltan mining in the DRC costs people and the environment” “Mining for conflict minerals is driving gorillas to extinction” and “DRC to auction oil and gas permits in endangered gorilla habitat.”
In light of all the online content, the DRC has much to gain from its alliance with Brazil and Indonesia. Indonesia’s fight to develop downstream industries from its mineral resources should be of particular interest to the DRC. The gorillas can survive extinction but it will require skilful management of natural resources and finding the right customer.
As an example, Indonesia is hoping talks with the US on critical minerals may lead to US subsidies for renewable energy. Meanwhile, Presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto has declared that Indonesia no longer needs the EU.
News out of Malaysia shows warming relationships with China as DPM Fadillah awarded the MSPO certificate to Chinese company Grand Oils and Fats (Dongguan) Co Ltd.
The survival of orangutans in Southeast Asia and great apes in Africa, will greatly depend on what follows these political discussions. The winding down of Chain Reaction Research, a critic of the palm oil industry once feared by palm oil producers, is a clear indicator that the fate of the orangutans, is not in the hands of the EU or orangutan rescue groups.
“The deforestation that is occurring is now typically not linked to NDPE supply chains. It’s usually domestic or linked to China and South Korea.”
Published November, 2023. CSPO Watch
Indonesia, where most of the world’s orangutans are found, had put in place, numerous measures to protect them. At World Orangutan Day, Indonesian Environment and Forestry Minister Professor Siti Nurbaya used the occasion of World Orangutan Day (Aug 19) to reiterate that ground-based evidence confirms that Sumatran, Tapanuli and Bornean orangutans are far from extinction and instead will continue to have growing populations.
She also appealed not to lose sight of this ground-based evidence when it comes to responding to negative campaigns about the fate of orangutans in Indonesia. The motivation of the parties behind such campaigns, according to the Minister, is not to collaborate but rather to generate benefits for themselves.
The organizers of Orangutan Caring Week, seem to fit Minister Nurbaya’s description as they claim that:
Now, more than ever, orangutans need our help and Orangutan Caring Week is a perfect opportunity to spread awareness about the plight of orangutans and the urgent dangers facing their rainforest homes with the goal of motivating people to care.
Making money off the back of orangutans is not a new tactic for orangutan rescue groups that make their profits outside of Southeast Asia. Read how some groups cannot handle the Wall Street Journal’s description of palm oil, as a model crop.
Erik Meijaard, a popular expert on orangutans, was more apolitical when he appealed for agreement on data and trends on orangutan conservation. His appeal for reason to consumers who would boycott palm oil to save biodiversity, has fallen on deaf ears.
The Customer is Always Right as Long as they remain customers
Regardless of Meijaard’s diplomatic approach to orangutan conservation and Indonesia’s efforts, the damage has been done as Western countries including the US and the European Union, seize upon criticisms of palm oil to create bans on palm oil.
The efforts of palm oil producing countries to certify sustainability under national and non-profit schemes, appear to have also fallen on deaf ears at the EU Commission which stands today, as the biggest threat to the survival of orangutans.
The problem for the orangutans now, is a problem which orangutan experts like Meijaard, may not of thought of. Sure, a boycott of palm oil may lead to biodiversity extinction caused by other vegetable oil crops but no one thought the day would come when demand for palm oil would remain strong, without the European Union.
As the EUDR approaches its implementation date, the global palm oil industry appears to have run out of patience with the European market.
- Indonesia, which has accused the EU of using the Deforestation Regulations to remove palm oil from the European market, is confident that other markets will take up any reduced demands for palm oil from the EU.
- The Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC) has likewise, urged palm oil industry players to strategically shift towards exploring other high-potential markets for palm oil exports.
- The most telling of the EU’s drop in influence, is Malaysia’s five star producer, Sime Darby’s shift away from the European Union market, to China and India.
The simple fact of the matter, is that, a customer is always right, but that relies on the complainant being a customer. In the case of the European Union and palm oil, the EU is fast becoming a customer with no say in how palm oil producing countries look after THEIR orangutans.
The bad news for European companies is that they risk losing competitiveness.
As ESG regulations tighten, European companies find themselves at the nexus of financial success and ethical responsibility. While these regulations are a manifestation of good intentions, the potential misalignment between investment goals and ESG objectives poses challenges. European companies operating in industries facing a stringent ESG noose may find it challenging to compete with counterparts in less regulated environments, such as China and the United States.
Fate of Great Apes is in Their Hands
Despite what the anti-palm oil groups may sell, the fate of orangutans and great apes in Africa including gorillas, is not in the hands of consumers in the West. These are cheap words uttered for fundraising purposes.
In Africa for example, palm oil companies like Plantations et Huileries du Congo (PHC), rank high in internet searches as bad for nature. According to the Dian Fossey Gorrilla Fund, The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) has some of the most diverse wildlife in the world and is the only place where critically endangered Grauer’s gorillas are found.
Yet the survival of Grauer’s gorillas, may be in the hands of PHC.
- According to UNICEF, The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is one of the largest populations in Africa (estimates range from 98.3 million according to the DRC Bureau of Statistics and over 100 million according to other estimates) and poorest (73 % live in extreme poverty) and has been in a state of conflict and vulnerability for almost forty years.
Putting the welfare of gorillas ahead of Africans is a mistake that conservation groups refuse to acknowledge. Any efforts towards developing the DRC is met with a storm of Western views online, that totally ignore the human factor.
“What coltan mining in the DRC costs people and the environment” “Mining for conflict minerals is driving gorillas to extinction” and “DRC to auction oil and gas permits in endangered gorilla habitat.”
In light of all the online content, the DRC has much to gain from its alliance with Brazil and Indonesia. Indonesia’s fight to develop downstream industries from its mineral resources should be of particular interest to the DRC. The gorillas can survive extinction but it will require skilful management of natural resources and finding the right customer.
As an example, Indonesia is hoping talks with the US on critical minerals may lead to US subsidies for renewable energy. Meanwhile, Presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto has declared that Indonesia no longer needs the EU.
News out of Malaysia shows warming relationships with China as DPM Fadillah awarded the MSPO certificate to Chinese company Grand Oils and Fats (Dongguan) Co Ltd.
The survival of orangutans in Southeast Asia and great apes in Africa, will greatly depend on what follows these political discussions. The winding down of Chain Reaction Research, a critic of the palm oil industry once feared by palm oil producers, is a clear indicator that the fate of the orangutans, is not in the hands of the EU or orangutan rescue groups.
“The deforestation that is occurring is now typically not linked to NDPE supply chains. It’s usually domestic or linked to China and South Korea.”
Published November, 2023. CSPO Watch
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