Choose your foiled sweet wisely for if it contains palm oil it is partly responsible for the destruction of the orang-utan's habitat.
Orang-utans share an affinity with humans for fertile plains and valleys. Sadly, this is prime land for growing palm oil, the edible oil found in 50% of the products you see on supermarket shelves, from chocolate to soap. Forests must be destroyed to make way for palm oil plantations and 85% of global palm oil stems from the two regions orang-utans are found: Indonesia and Malaysia.
An area of forest equivalent to 300 soccer fields is cleared every single hour. The statistics are staggering, and an estimated 80% of orang-utan habitat has already been lost or altered.
The Orang-utan Project, based in Perth, has released a palm oil free Easter goodie guide that can be found on their website, www.orangutan.org.au. Of course, chocolate isn't the only culprit.
A contradiction is seen in so-called biofuel made from palm oil, which reduces crude oil content in petrol. While promoted as an eco-friendly option, it comes at the cost of deforestation and its attendant pollution. To add insult to injury, the palm plantations can only last 20 to 50 years before the soil is drained of its nutrients. It is estimated that six to 12 orang-utans are killed each day due to palm oil production. Something to keep in mind over Easter.
