BRITISH FIRM ACCUSED OF BANKROLLING INDONESIAN RAINFOREST DESTRUCTION
23 June 2009
A coalition of environmental groups has accused a British company of funding the imminent destruction of a critical area of Indonesian rainforest. The groups claim that, if allowed to proceed, the process would destroy a fragile tsunami buffer zone (1) as well as accelerate global climate change.The Scottish firm Jardine Matheson Holdings is the majority shareholder of AAL, the palm oil company behind plans to decimate the untouched forests of Tripa in Aceh Province, northern Sumatra. Jardine's chairman, Sir Henry Keswick, was knighted this month in the Queen's birthday honours list.
The environmental coalition - including groups such as the Sumatran Orangutan Society, Wetlands International and Greenpeace - accused the firm of turning a blind eye to a massive rainforest crime and driving the destruction of an entire ecosystem.
The region, on the northwestern coast of Sumatra, is home to the highest concentration of Sumatran orangutans in the world. Less than twenty years ago the Tripa swamp forests harboured around 1,500 orangutans. Today there are just a handful left.
The dense peat swamp soils also house a huge store of buried carbon, which will be released into the atmosphere and contribute to climate change if the planned conversion of this area to palm oil plantations goes ahead. The 13,000 hectare plot also provides a critical forest barrier against natural disasters such as the 2004 tsunami, which killed more than 225,000 people.
The coalition includes Greenpeace, the Sumatran Orangutan society, Wetlands international, The Orangutan foundation and the Orangutan land trust.
For more information, photo and video please call Greenpeace on +44 207 865 8255
Quotes:
Reacting to the news, Greenpeace forest campaigner James Turner said:
"It's scandalous that a British company is bankrolling the
destruction of this vital part of Indonesian rainforest. If the executives at
Jardines don't stop this they will be rightly accused of speeding up
climate change, destroying a vital tsunami buffer zone and driving the Sumatran
orangutan to the brink of extinction."
Helen Buckland, UK Director, Sumatran Orangutan Society (SOS) said:
"It is frankly shocking that the Chairman of Jardine Matheson has been
knighted for services to British business interests overseas, while his company
is actively contributing to the demise of the critically endangered Sumatran
orangutan. British businesses must be held accountable for their part in the
destruction of this globally important area of forest. "
Alex Kaat from Wetlands International said:
"This case in unfortunately just one example. Throughout Indonesia and Malaysia, we see that the last
remaining peatswamp forests are cleared for palm oil production to meet the
growing demands for vegetable oils and biofuels."
Michelle Desiliets, Director of the Orang-Utan land trust said:
"The crisis facing Tripa
Swamp Forest
demonstrates just how ruthless this industry can be. A UK-based company,
chaired by an individual recently knighted for services to British business
interests overseas and charitable activities in the UK, provides the investment for
such destruction, and as such, surely cannot claim to have any interest in
Corporate Social Responsibility."
Denis Ruysschaert from PanEco (2) said:
"The latest Tripa monitoring flight, on 11 June 2009, showed a gloomy
picture of the on-going destruction, worse than expected".
For more information, photo and video please call Greenpeace on +44 207 865
8255
FOOTNOTES
(1) A 2005 post-tsunami master plan for the rehabilitation and reconstruction
for the region and people of the province
of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam and Nias Island,
agreed by the Indonesian people and authorities, emphasises the need for the
development of a coastal greenbelt buffer zone.
(2) PanEco Foundation is a scientific organisation that monitors the area for
more than 10 years to protect the Sumatran ourangutan population and to provide local
livelihood, has never seen such a dramatic scale of destruction. PanEco last
year released "Tripa value report". It explained that Tripa destruction
was putting local people at greater vulnerability to tsunami-like disasters,
was contributing to climate change and was driving a unique Sumatran
orangutan population to extinction. But, destruction is accelerating.