An order of palm oil for an orangutan. Malaysia caused an uproar last May by announcing that it wanted to offer these endangered great apes to countries that wanted to buy palm oil from it, notably the EU and India. On Monday, the mineral resources minister backed down.
Plots of forest “with high conservation value” will be preserved in oil palm plantations, Minister Johari Abdul Ghani announced, quoted by Malaysian media. “These areas allow orangutans to move freely, find food and breed without interference from humans or other activities,” he said.
Symbol of deforestation
At the same time, the minister announced that Malaysia was committed not to create new palm oil production plots within forest areas. The country wants to preserve its 54% forest in its territory to preserve its “biodiversity” and to “protect the orangutans”, explains Malaysian news agency Bernama. If a company produces palm oil in these protected areas, it is subject to sanctions. “Factories that accept this raw material will be banned from exporting or selling their products,” warned Johari Abdul Ghani.
He also encouraged palm oil producing companies to collaborate with NGOs. The goal: to contribute to the conservation of fauna and flora, but also to provide technical expertise in the field. Malaysia is thus abandoning its “orangutan diplomacy”, similar to that of China, which lends its pandas to foreign zoos as part of a strategy of international influence.
Well-oiled communication
According to the WWF, orangutans are critically endangered, primarily threatened by habitat loss “due to logging, agricultural expansion, particularly palm oil plantations, and infrastructure development”.
After the controversy, Johari Abdul Ghani takes care of his image. In a message posted Monday on his X account (formerly Twitter), he celebrated World Orangutan Day. He wrote that he pledged “to support all efforts to conserve orangutans and, together with Malaysian oil palm industry stakeholders, always focus on sustainability aspects.” »
