Deforestation – The Free

The Great Malaysian Timber and Palm Oil Swindle

An investigation by Malaysiakini, in collaboration with the Rainforest Investigations Network, has exposed the dire environmental and social impacts of one of Malaysia’s largest oil palm plantations in Pahang.

by PalmOilDetectives / Malaysiakini on 4th March 2025, via thefreeonline at https://wp.me/pIJl9-GbA

The joint investigation reveals alarming deforestation in Pahang, #Malaysia, caused by one of the country’s largest #palmoil plantations.

The plantation threatens endangered species like #tigers and pollutes local water supplies. It has been described as “the worst-managed oil palm plantation in Malaysia.”

Elephants Use ‘Names’ to Call One Another

Palm oil yields are low, while the #deforestation is chaotic, leaving the land barren and overrun with #elephants.

Land clearing by burning is prohibited in Indonesia and Malaysia. However, penalizing foreign companies for palm oil and timber deforestation has been hampered by cronyism and corruption.

The report highlights links between developers and political or royal ownership and rampant corruption and strongly pushes for more transparency, improved government oversight and regulatory enforcement. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife

Located near an environmentally protected area, the plantation’s operations have resulted in chaotic deforestation, disrupted water supplies, and threats to endangered wildlife, including tigers.

Developers often cite “wildlife conflict” to justify failures, shifting focus to logging valuable timber instead of sustainable plantation development.

Malaysiakini’s investigation also shed light on troubling links between plantation developers and political or royal interests, with 95% of the land developed by such entities.

In December, the investigative team revealed that prominent banks provided large loans to plantation developers despite repeated project failures, questioning the banks’ credibility and oversight practices.

The investigation calls on the Malaysian government to tighten plantation approval processes and enforce environmental protections to prevent further harm to biodiversity and local communities.

For detailed insights, read the full Malaysiakini report via GIJN.

Pressure against Amazon soy moratorium threatens progress against deforestation

The far right colonial landowners of Brazil retain immense power and force the State to approve Ecocide for Private Profit by all means necessary.

Dec 30, 2024 by Actualidad.R via thefreeonline at https://wp.me/pIJl9-Fkc Telegram https://t.me/thefreeonline

The pact reached in 2006 prohibits companies that sell soybeans from buying grains from deforested areas, which has helped slow agricultural expansion on forest lands.

Pressure on Amazon soy moratorium threatens progress against deforestation
Fires in the National Forest of Brasilia, Brazil. September 3, 2024.Eraldo Peres / AP

The historic soy moratorium, a voluntary agreement that since 2006 has been essential in Brazil to reduce deforestation in the Amazon, faces serious threats, as parliamentarians and agricultural producers seek to weaken or eliminate the restrictions imposed by the pact.

More than 60 organizations have published a manifiesto in defense of this moratorium, considered an example of how large-scale agricultural production can be combined with environmental responsibility.
Forest fires near Porto Velho, Brazil. August 23, 2019.Victor R. Caivano / AP

This pact prohibits soybean trading companies from purchasing grains that come from deforested areas, which has contributed to slowing agricultural expansion on forest lands.

Deforestation in Brazil: Soya farming

However, organizations such as Greenpeace Brazil, WWF-Brazil and the Socio-Environmental Institute (ISA) warn that the elimination of this agreement could trigger a significant increase in forest clearing.
Significant setbacks

According to the manifesto, if the pact is eliminated, this could bring with it significant setbacks in environmental protection policies, affecting both the Amazon and preservation initiatives throughout the country.

Among the risks mentioned, those associated with bills under discussion in the National Congress that seek to eliminate tax incentives for companies that implement environmental criteria, indirectly promoting deforestation, stand out.

Brazil’s Jair Bolsanaro calls new Amazon fires a “lie”

The document also describes attempts to end the moratorium as “irresponsible and ignorant”, especially in the context of the climate and biodiversity crises.

“There is strong pressure from the most conservative sectors of agribusiness to eliminate each and every restriction on predatory agriculture. The soy moratorium is the hot topic and the attack will not stop,” said Cristiane Mazzetti, coordinator of the Greenpeace Brazil Forests campaign.

Mazzetti urged participating companies not to give in to these pressures and not to spoil “the results of 18 years of the moratorium” that they helped to build.

“Zero deforestation is a growing market demand and the moratorium is a fundamental measure in this regard, which adds to the global effort to keep global warming at 1.5 ºC,” she added.

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PalmWatch: A Tool to Hold Palm Oil Greenwashers to Account! – Palm Oil Detectives

More than simply a tool, PalmWatch is a clarion call to consumers to look carefully at their purchases. And where possible, to boycott brands causing the ecological crisis of tropical deforestation.

from thefreeonline om 2nd Aug 2024 via PalmWatch: by Barbara Crane Navarro… (on Telegram: /t.me/thefreeonline)

PalmWatch: An Open-Source Tool That Empowers You To Hold Palm Oil Greenwashers To Account

A groundbreaking open-source tool by the University of Chicago called PalmWatch, shines a light on the darkest parts of the palm oil industry.

PalmWatch is a free web-based tool that reveals links between major multinational brands using supposedly “sustainable” palm oil, and palm oil supply chain.

This means that concerned consumers, animal rights advocates and human rights advocates can clearly see the toll of palm oil ecocide in their daily supermarket purchases.

Covering hundreds of thousands of kilometres, PalmWatch gives everyone open-source, free and unprecedented access to what “sustainable” palm oil really looks like..

Help animals and indigenous peoples and #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife every time you shop!

https://youtube.com/watch?v=ozKj16yU0zA%3Fversion%3D3%26rel%3D1%26showsearch%3D0%26showinfo%3D1%26iv_load_policy%3D1%26fs%3D1%26hl%3Den%26autohide%3D2%26wmode%3Dtransparent

Pioneering #opensource tool #PalmWatch reveals dark and #corrupt corners of the #palmoil industry. Including so-called “sustainable” palm oil used by global #supermarket brands.

Uncover the #greenwash and #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://wp.me/pcFhgU-7lp

Game-changing free tool #PalmWatch helps you track #palmoil #deforestation and #humanrights abuses by “sustainable” RSPO members: @Nestle @CP_news @MDLZ @Unilever @Kelloggs_US. Uncover their #ecocide and #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://wp.me/pcFhgU-7lp

Posted byPalm Oil Detectives

Look Up Brands on PalmWatch

The media release below is provided by the University of Chicago and had the original title ‘PalmWatch, a new tool created by DSI’s 11th Hour Project team, sheds light on palm oil production across the globe’, published February 22nd, 2024. Read the original.

Media release:

PalmWatch, a new tool jointly created by DSI and Inclusive Development International, tracks deforestation by palm oil mills and connects that information to the palm oil sourcing of supermarket giants.

Palm oil is a required ingredient for a plethora of household products, from food items like packaged pastries and chips to cosmetics and soaps or even biofuels. But most palm oil is produced on mono-crop plantations, grown on huge tracts of land that were once tropical rainforests and other biodiverse ecosystems.