Blog Posts: palm oil

Indonesia already has a robust sustainable development plan. By doubling down with a low-carbon stimulus, the country can create more jobs, generate more economic growth, and build back better from COVID-19.

As we approach the Year of the Rat and begin a new 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac, three profound challenges face the world: how to build a more stable and efficient trading system, tackle climate change and protect biodiversity. China has a pivotal role to play in all three.

Certified sustainable palm oil makes up only 20% of global trade value. How can producers and consumers work together to raise that number, and why is doing so important for Indonesia and the world?

Indonesia is one of the only countries actually reducing its deforestation rates. But with the annual fires season beginning and El Niño promising fire-prone conditions, the country’s forest protection policies will be put to the test.

More than 360 companies committed to eliminate deforestation from their supply chains by 2020. Most are not on track to meet this target, but Global Forest Watch Pro can help.

Charcoal production is destroying mountain gorillas' habitat in Virunga National Park. Pastureland is pushing into protected forests in Brazil. Satellites are watching these and other threatened forests.

Las comunidad de Santa Clara Uchunya lleva varias generaciones viviendo en una zona remota del Amazonas peruano. Al igual que muchos grupos indígenas, esta comunidad del pueblo Shipibo-Konibo ha gestionado y dependido tradicionalmente de sus bosques para la caza, la pesca y los recursos naturales.

Pero en 2014, alguien empezó a talar grandes extensiones de los bosques ancestrales de la comunidad.

Sin el conocimiento ni el consentimiento de la comunidad, el Gobierno regional había entregado 200 parcelas de tierra, que fueron compradas a continuación por la empresa de aceite...

The Santa Clara de Uchunya community has lived in a remote section of the Peruvian Amazon for generations, relying on the forest for hunting, fishing and natural resources. But in 2014, someone started cutting down large sections of their ancestral lands. They've been struggling for their land rights ever since.

Small farmers could be key actors in reforming Indonesia's palm oil industry, which has been linked to child and forced labor, deforestation and the demise of iconic species like orangutans. But they can't do it without support from government and corporations.

Frances Seymour talks about her contributions to setting up a $1 million prize to stir innovation in technology for locating peat, a project WRI Indonesia is overseeing. Indonesia's peatlands are one of the world's premier stocks of carbon, but mapping them remains a stubborn hurdle to their protection.