ORANG UTAN HABITAT IS STILL INTACT
Article from the Hindu Business Line
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A wire agency story "Borneo Orangutan under threat" (Business Line, September 26) quoting a study which concluded that palm oil plantations destroy orangutan habitats on Borneo island has upset the Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC), which asserts that the story is factually incorrect.

Quoting unidentified scientists and officials, the report had stated that chunks of forest have been carved away by private land ownership, mainly plantations, which could make the Kinabatangan orangutan extinct in less than 50 years. Setting the record straight, well-known scientist and CEO of MPOC, Dr Yusof Basiron, has told Business Line that far from creating any threat, Malaysian palm oil plantations actually ensure that the endangered species enjoyed full protection.

The country has launched a Palm Oil Wildlife Conservation Fund with an anticipated outlay of Ringgit Malaysia 20 million (about $5 million). In fact, palm oil plantations occupy only four million hectares of Malaysia's land area, while overall green cover including untouched forests and agriculture areas occupy 76 per cent of the country's landmass of 32 million hectares.

Asserting that this was far greater than the green cover many developed countries can boast of, Dr Basiron said his country was fully committed to conserving the habitat of the orangutan and other indigenous wildlife. The loudest noises are made by those from nations that have long devastated their own green cover and are actively contributing to global warming by emitting various pollutants from industries and wasteful lifestyles, he alleged.

With rising output and large exports at consumer-friendly prices, palm oil is seen as posing a serious competition to other vegetable oils, especially soyabean oil. Palm oil's share of the global vegetable oil market has been rising steadily over the years. Its success in the marketplace seems to have attracted the attention of environmentalists, some of whom have begun to raise conservation and wildlife related issues to pressure the Asian plantation industry. Whether the studies are scientifically conducted and their conclusions are logically arrived at is anybody's guess.

G. Chandra Shekhar