scholarly journals Feeding extinction: navigating the metonyms and misanthropy of palm oil boycotts

2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah Fair
Keyword(s):  
Human Nature ◽  
Palm Oil ◽  
Oil Palm ◽  
Human Dimensions ◽  
Ecological Impacts ◽  
Oil Consumption ◽  
Ecological Consciousness ◽  
Global North

Among UK-based orangutan conservation supporters, palm oil consumption boycotts are widespread, due to the ecological impacts of oil palm cultivation on orangutan habitat. Yet these boycotts are largely at odds with the stances of orangutan charities. Drawing on interviews with orangutan supporters, this article explores why some Global North consumers are so consumed by palm oil. Palm oil is viewed by orangutan supporters as insidious, invasive and cheap, and forces a bodily complicity with orangutan suffering. It is mobilized as a metonym for human greed and capitalist destruction. This metonymic relationship mirrors broader Anthropocentric framings of human-nature relations, which emphasize humanity as a universal actor. Yet the practices of 'species guilt' associated with these framings largely mitigate against a decolonizing model of conservation, as they have the potential to deny agency to workers and villagers enmeshed within the oil palm economy. Despite these unpromising circumstances, this article explores the unintended value of palm oil boycotts in terms of agency and ecological consciousness and addresses the potential to align such boycotts with a decolonial analysis, through centering the human dimensions of orangutan conservation.

scholarly journals Contribution of illegal hunting, culling of pest species, road accidents and feral dogs to biodiversity loss in established oil-palm landscapes

2013 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Badrul Azhar ◽  
David Lindenmayer ◽  
Jeff Wood ◽  
Joern Fischer ◽  
Adrian Manning ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Palm Oil ◽  
Oil Palm ◽  
Ecological Impacts ◽  
Native Forest ◽  
Pest Species ◽  
Road Accidents ◽  
Illegal Hunting ◽  
Introduced Predators ◽  
Feral Dogs ◽  
Anthropogenic Threats

Context Understanding the ecological impacts of the palm-oil industry on native fauna requires information on anthropogenic threats that may cause species decline or local extinction. Aim The main aim of the study was to assess wildlife deaths caused by illegal hunting, road accidents and introduced predators in established oil-palm landscapes in Peninsular Malaysia. Methods Between April and October 2009, we interviewed 362 oil-palm workers at 36 sites, including large industrial estates and semi-traditional smallholdings. Key results Our results showed that (1) illegal hunting by oil-palm workers in different oil-palm management systems was not statistically significant (P = 0.097), (2) native fauna were more often destroyed as pests in smallholdings than in conventional and eco-friendly plantation estates (P = 0.005), (3) non-local poachers conducted illegal activity more often in smallholdings than in conventional and eco-friendly plantation estates (P = 0.011), (4) road accidents were reported to kill more native fauna in conventional plantation estates than in smallholdings and eco-friendly plantation estates (P < 0.001) and (5) feral dogs were reported as killing more native fauna in eco-friendly plantation estates than in conventional plantation estates and smallholdings (P = 0.034). Conclusion In addition to the conversion of native forest to oil-palm monocultures, various other anthropogenic threats can have a substantial effect on wildlife in oil-palm landscapes. Implications To improve the conservation value of oil-palm landscapes, we recommend that palm-oil stakeholders should implement anti-poaching patrols, organise conservation programs to educate workers, reduce vehicle speeds on roads within oil-palm landscapes, and control local populations of feral dogs.

scholarly journals Brief Review on the Controversies around Oil Palm (Elaeis Guineensis Jacq.) Production and Palm Oil Consumption

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Godswill Ntsomboh Ntsefong ◽  
Hermine Ngalle-Bille ◽  
Walter Ajambang ◽  
Benoit Constant Likeng-Li-Ngue ◽  
Tabi-Mbi Kingsley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Palm Oil ◽  
Oil Palm ◽  
Elaeis Guineensis ◽  
Saturated Fatty Acids ◽  
Oil Quality ◽  
Human Consumption ◽  
Oil Consumption ◽  
Oil Palm Industry ◽  
Environmentally Friendly Production

Palm oil from <em>Elaeis guineensis</em> Jacq. of the Arecaceae family is the main traditional cooking oil in most parts of tropical Africa. Oil palm cultivation requires large areas of land and the consumption of crude palm oil from it raises health concerns notably with regards to the incidence of cardiovascular disease and obesity. The industry has therefore been faced with two major controversies. Firstly, palm oil which contains about 50% saturated fatty acids is considered to be unhealthy for human consumption because its saturated fatty acids raise blood LDL cholesterol level and increase the risk of the above mentioned diseases. Secondly, due to its land intensive nature, the oil palm industry is linked to deforestation, climate change and socioeconomic instability. For these reasons, the oil palm industry has been at the forefront of environmental and reputational challenges. This paper briefly presents an overview of these controversies surrounding the oil palm industry, while highlighting the possible outlets for environmentally friendly production processes and improvement strategies for better oil quality.

scholarly journals CANDIDATE GENES IDENTIFICATION OF OIL PALM (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) INTEREST CHARACTERS USING PUBLISHED DATABASE

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-10
Author(s):  
Upit Sarimana ◽  
Dwi Putro Priadi ◽  
Mery Hasmeda ◽  
Pratiwi Erika ◽  
Javier Herrero ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Candidate Genes ◽  
Palm Oil ◽  
Oil Palm ◽  
In Silico ◽  
Elaeis Guineensis ◽  
Genomic Data ◽  
Fruit Weight ◽  
Oil Consumption ◽  
Oil Biosynthesis ◽  
Preliminary Study

Palm oil has supplied more than 30% of vegetable oil consumption worldwide. Rising demand has pushed oil palm plantations to increase the yield. It is well known that genetic has played a significant role in phenotypic performance. Moreover, in recent years, genomic data has emerged tremendously. Unfortunately on the gene related to oil palm yield. Therefore, a preliminary study to classify and select oil palm candidate genes associated with characteristic by scanning existing genes in oil palm or other in-silico species were conducted. Based on Blast2Go results, 22 genes related to oil biosynthesis, two specifically related to fruit number and fruit weight were analysed. Furthermore, 19 candidate genes were able to amplify.

Sistem Pakar Mendeteksi Penyakit Tanaman Kelapa Sawit Menggunakan Metode Forward Chaining

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 444
Author(s):  
Dimas Satria ◽  
Poningsih Poningsih ◽  
Widodo Saputra
Keyword(s):  
Expert System ◽  
Programming Languages ◽  
Palm Oil ◽  
Oil Palm ◽  
Oil Production ◽  
Plant Diseases ◽  
Accurate Information ◽  
Forward Chaining ◽  
Web Programming ◽  
Level Of Confidence

The purpose of this paper is to create an expert system to detect oil palm plant diseases in order to help farmers / companies in providing accurate information about the diseases of oil palm plants and how to overcome them and to help reduce the risk of decreasing palm oil production. This system is designed to mimic the expertise of an expert who is able to detect diseases that attack oil palm plants. The method used is forward chaining that is starting from a set of data and proving a fact by describing the level of confidence and uncertainty found in a hypothesis. The results of this study are to diagnose diseases of oil palm plants and their computerization using web programming languages.

scholarly journals Preparation of Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch Hydrolysate

Fermentation ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 81
Author(s):  
Hironaga Akita ◽  
Mohd Zulkhairi Mohd Yusoff ◽  
Shinji Fujimoto
Keyword(s):  
Hydrothermal Treatment ◽  
Palm Oil ◽  
Oil Palm ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Production Efficiency ◽  
Solid Phase ◽  
Waste Product ◽  
Treatment Temperature ◽  
Empty Fruit Bunch ◽  
Glucose Content

Malaysia is the second largest palm oil producer and exporter globally. When crude palm oil is produced in both plantations and oil processing mills, a large amount of oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) is simultaneously produced as a waste product. Here, we describe the preparation of hydrolysate from OPEFB. After OPEFB was hydrothermally treated at 180–200 °C, the resultant liquid phase was subjected to high-performance liquid chromatography analysis, while the solid phase was used for acidic and enzymatic hydrolysis. Hemicellulose yield from the acid-treated solid phase decreased from 153 mg/g-OPEFB to 27.5 mg/g-OPEFB by increasing the hydrothermal treatment temperature from 180 to 200 °C. Glucose yield from the enzyme-treated solid phase obtained after hydrothermal treatment at 200 °C was the highest (234 ± 1.90 mg/g-OPEFB, 61.7% production efficiency). In contrast, xylose, mannose, galactose, and arabinose yields in the hydrolysate prepared from the solid phase hydrothermally treated at 200 °C were the lowest. Thus, we concluded that the optimum temperature for hydrothermal pretreatment was 200 °C, which was caused by the low hemicellulose yield. Based on these results, we have established an effective method for preparing OPEFB hydrolysates with high glucose content.

scholarly journals Children’s Rights in the Indonesian Oil Palm Industry: Improving Company Respect for the Rights of the Child

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 500
Author(s):  
Stephany Iriana Pasaribu ◽  
Frank Vanclay
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Child Labor ◽  
Palm Oil ◽  
Oil Palm ◽  
Children's Rights ◽  
Business Case ◽  
Children’S Rights ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Rights Of The Child ◽  
Social License

Although companies have many direct and indirect impacts on the lives of children, discussion of the responsibility of business to respect the rights of children has primarily focused on child labor. Using UNICEF’s Children’s Rights and Business Principles as a framework for our analysis, we considered the activities of oil palm plantation companies operating in Indonesia. Our data come from key informant interviews and reflection on two programs established to promote respect for children’s rights in the Indonesian palm oil industry: one by Pusat Kajian Perlindungan Anak (PKPA) (Center for Child Study and Protection); and one by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) in conjunction with UNICEF. We considered: how plantation company activities impacted children’s lives; how companies demonstrated respect for children’s rights; and how observance of children’s rights can be improved. We discuss four problematic issues: getting company commitments to children’s rights into policy and practice; having a strong business case for respecting human rights and children’s rights; contradictory objectives within companies; and complexities around children in the workplace. We argue that a children’s rights based approach should be applied to the activities of all organizations. This children’s rights lens is needed to overcome the invisibility of children in society and industry, and to address the root causes of human rights harms. We note that respecting children’s rights will likely contribute to getting a social license to operate and grow.

scholarly journals Enhancement of Thermophilic Biogas Production from Palm Oil Mill Effluent by pH Adjustment and Effluent Recycling

Processes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 878
Author(s):  
Apinya Singkhala ◽  
Chonticha Mamimin ◽  
Alissara Reungsang ◽  
Sompong O-Thong
Keyword(s):  
Palm Oil ◽  
Oil Palm ◽  
Biogas Production ◽  
Optimal Dose ◽  
Methane Yield ◽  
Ph Adjustment ◽  
Oil Palm Ash ◽  
Palm Oil Mill ◽  
Archaea Community ◽  
Effluent Recycling

A sudden pH drops always inhibits the anaerobic digestion (AD) reactor for biogas production from palm oil mill effluent (POME). The pH adjustment of POME by oil palm ash addition and the biogas effluent recycling effect on the preventing of pH drop and change of the archaea community was investigated. The pH adjustment of POME to 7.5 increased the methane yield two times more than raw POME (pH 4.3). The optimal dose for pH adjustment by oil palm ash addition was 5% w/v with a methane yield of 440 mL-CH4/gVS. The optimal dose for pH adjustment by biogas effluent recycling was 20% v/v with a methane yield of 351 mL-CH4/gVS. Methane production from POME in a continuous reactor with pH adjustment by 5% w/v oil palm ash and 20% v/v biogas effluent recycling was 19.1 ± 0.25 and 13.8 ± 0.3 m3 CH4/m3-POME, respectively. The pH adjustment by oil palm ash enhanced methane production for the long-term operation with the stability of pH, alkalinity, and archaea community. Oil palm ash increased the number of Methanosarcina mazei and Methanothermobacter defluvii. Oil palm ash is a cost-effective alkali material as a source of buffer and trace metals for preventing the pH drop and the increased methanogen population in the AD process.

scholarly journals Preliminary Study of Oil Palm Decanter Cake Natural Polymer Composite (OPDC-NPC)

2014 ◽  
Vol 911 ◽  
pp. 40-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Aqif Adam ◽  
Alawi Sulaiman ◽  
Che Mohd Som Said ◽  
Ayub M. Som ◽  
Azhari Samsu Bahruddin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tensile Strength ◽  
Water Absorption ◽  
Polymer Composite ◽  
Palm Oil ◽  
Oil Palm ◽  
Absorption Rate ◽  
Natural Fiber ◽  
Natural Polymer ◽  
Water Absorption Rate ◽  
Decanter Cake

Palm oil industry produces huge amount of oil palm decanter cake (OPDC). Currently it is not yet commercialized however due to its characteristics, it can be used to produce oil palm decanter cake natural polymer composite (OPDC-NPC). NPC is a type of material made by combining natural fiber with polymer. Therefore the objective of this paper is to produce NPC from OPDC and then determine its mechanical and physical properties such as elasticity, stiffness, tensile strength and water absorption rate. The OPDC samples were collected from Felda Trolak Palm Oil Mill. Prior to NPC development, the oil was removed from OPDC using hexane soxhlet extraction method. OPDC-NPC was fabricated using molding method where the mixture of 95% polypropylene (PP) and 5% OPDC were mixed using twin-screw extruder. The results showed that OPDC-NPC has an elasticity of 2231 MPa, stiffness of 30 MPa, tensile strength of 32 MPa and water absorption rate of 0.16 % which was slightly better with the other types of fibers.

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