3.5 million ha of Indonesian and Malaysian forest converted for palm oil in 20 years
▻http://news.mongabay.com/2013/1112-palm-oil-data.html
Some 3.5 million hectares (8.7 million acres) of forest in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Papua New Guinea was converted for oil palm plantations between 1990 and 2010, finds a comprehensive set of assessments released by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO).
– 37 percent of all plantations established during the period came at the expense of forests [...]. The share of deforestation for oil palm plantations has actually risen in recent years, from 20 percent between 2001 and 2005 to 36 percent between 2006 and 2010 (it was 48 percent in the 1990s). The finding shouldn’t be too surprising given the rise in palm oil prices since the earlier period.
– Nonetheless forest hasn’t been the primary target for expansion: a larger area of oil palm plantations was established in place of agroforests and rubber plantations, especially in Sumatra (59 percent) and Peninsular Malaysia (44 percent).
– The studies found only a relatively small area of plantations - about 15 percent - were established on peatlands , but this conversion had a disproportionate impact on greenhouse gas emissions since drainage of peat soils releases large amounts of carbon into the atmosphere.
#déforestation #huile_de_palme #Indonésie #Malaisie #Papouasie_Nouvelle_Guinée
