Summarised presentation of deforestationBy: Ming Chun, Shang Wen, Chloe and Amanda

Palm oilBy: Amanda Auyong

What is palm oil? It is a red liquid at room temperature but lighter

coloured after boiling Comes from the African Oil Palm First commercially cultivated in

1911 on Sumatra islandPalm oil(Liquid)

Oil palm Solid Palm oil block

Uses Ingredient in food Cheap substitute for bread Make biodiesel Make bread, cereal, sweets and soaps Cooking oil Make chocolate

Fun Fact: In World War 2, Palm oil combined with Naphtha to produce Napalm!

Why do people want to buy palm oil? It is cheap Has a high stability when frying

Countries with large palm oil production Indonesia-More than 20.9 million tons Malaysia-17.7 million tons-Uses 4,500,000 hectares of land-Employ more than 570,000 people Nigeria-More than 2.5 million hectares of land used Columbia-Uses 1,000,000 hectares of land-35% made into biofuel

Why does palm oil cause all this?

Can only be cultivated in rainforests

Orangutans live there

Orangutans run away from the

fire

Orangutans fled from

their habitats

Eat farmers crops

Get shot down by

them

Current measuresBy: Ming Chun

1.Conservationists groupsHave them to promote conservationWhy not working??Factories:

Less land for

plantations

Less people

with jobsPopulation decrease!!

DOOM!

What is Indonesia?

2.Signing of regulation President of Indonesia Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

signed a regulation on an implementation of a national inventory of greenhouse gases. There was a program called "Moving Towards a Green Indonesia" which helped conservationists groups and also deal with deforestation. 

Why EPIC FAIL: Deforestation is not fully banned even though the carbon usage is thought to be able to decrease by 26%.

Fun fact: Duta Palma, one of the palm oil producing companies in Indonesia argued to BBC news arrogantly after BBC meant that Duta Palma done illegal logging.

The rebuttal of Duta Palma Duta Palma GroupWe are a group of palm oil plantation companies that has been established and operated since 1987 under Indonesian laws. We have at all times tried to obey/comply with all applicable laws and regulations.Duta Palma and its subsidiaries have already obtained all required authorisations for a plantation company.To date, we have not received any complaints or reminders from the authorities relating to the above authorisation, as we are to believe that we have complied with all such applicable regulations.

The rebuttal of Duta Palma (cont.) Illegal logging and High Conservation Value ForestAs a palm oil plantation company, may we confirm that we have never done such illegal logging as meant by BBC. If there is the activity of cutting trees, which have economic value, it can be confirmed that such was done by another party or even possibly by local people beyond our control. Duta Palma and its subsidiaries have never done an illegal act or business.For your information, previously the land was owned by several companies before we acquired it, the purpose of the land is as a plantation but they didn't do it properly. By the time we opened the oil palm plantation there was no forest any more, therefore, no more High Conservation Value Forest in that area.

The rebuttal of Duta Palma (cont.) Peat landWe realise that the structure and condition of land in Kalimantan, some of them are peat lands, but we would never opened palm oil plantation on peat land with 3 meters depth, since it is not feasible to be planted and economically damaging to us. The plantation land that we have opened is on the peat land with average only 0.5 - 1 meters depth. Retrieved from:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/panorama/hi/front_page/newsid_8555000/8555329.stm

3. Pressure from conservationist groups’ fans Supporters of Greenpeace pressured companies like

Nestle and Unilever to change their palm oil sourcing policies to stop deforestation as the forests are cleared mostly for palm oil. This helped as companies (which were providing palm oil to the buyers) used less land for palm oil plantations as they need less palm oil.

Why EPIC fail Still a lot of other companies using palm oil and thus

the problems are not solved. Fun fact (not really fun after all): Unilever is one of the

biggest buyers of palm oil from Indonesia but it buys only 3% of the palm oil bought all the companies!

Things to noteNestle (you should know) sells stuff like Milo, Kit Kat, Koko Krunch and the latest product is Nescafe Dolce Gusto (the coffee maker stuff) while Unilever (you should NOT know) sells a range of products like Dove, Sunsilk, Lipton, Lux, Vaseline, Ben and Jerry's, Clear, Cif, Comfort, Lifebuoy, Rexona and Domestos

Efforts to prevent deforestation (not in Indonesia) Brazil Creation of a federal force to fight environmental crime – for

which 3,000 new agents will be hired – and the training of 1,500 current staff in Brazil’s environmental agencies

Assembly of a committee composed of six ministers with portfolios affecting deforestation, such as rural credit and land property policy.

Inclusion of protected area costs in highway plans and budgets – a key measure as new and improved roads often cause greater deforestation

Why EPIC fail: This is not working as this is only among 10% of the Amazon forest in Brazil. There are still a lot of other areas that would be worse

Enforcement of laws 1. Anyone who causes a forest fire will be given a

sentence of at least 10 years. 2. If it is severe, the DEATH penalty will come.Question – Why is it not working?3. Nobody enforces the laws4. The enforcers when sent are easily bribedIt is like… the school sets a rule to not allow socks below ankle length. At first, everybody obeys. After a while, nobody comes to check and the students start wearing them.

StakeholdersBy: Ming Chun

Who they are and how they uses it Tribes-They use it for home and shelter Eco-tour Operators-they use the rainforest as a tool for

education and for them to show people the beauty of the rainforest

Factories- They use the rainforest as a source of income Animals-They use the rainforest as a home and for protection Scientists- They use the rainforest as a way of discovering

things (like new plants for medication) that can benefit others Government-They try to protect the rainforest and stop things

that help destroy it Conservationists-They use the rainforest as a tool for

education and they try to protect it Schools- They educate people just like eco-tour operators

Their job and what they doTribes- They help spread around the seeds of eaten fruit They eat the fruit then let the animals carry around

the seeds, planting more of that speciesEco-Tour Operators- They tell people how the rainforest is being

threatened and what they can do to help stop this They take tour groups around and show them the

rainforest and how wonderful it is so they can appreciate it

Their job and what they do (cont.)Factories- Cut down trees for plantationsAnimals- Spread around seeds and “plants” them Make trees and plants grow as well as fruits that

tribes in the rainforest can live offScientists- To go into the rainforests and try to find good uses for

new plant specimens They find new plant species then use them in

experiments to see if they can be used for medicine

STAKEHOLDERS – Their rights and responsibilitiesDone by Ming Chun

TRIBESResponsibilities

To help distribute plants and seeds so that species can keep growing

To only take what they need and nothing more

Rights To retain their homes To be able to find food easily To have water To feel protectedin their homes To have clothes

ANIMALSRights To feel protected To always have food To have shelterin their home To retain theirhomes

Responsibilities To keep spreading

around seeds for food purposes

To protect the forest from other threats

ECO-TOUR OPERATORSRights

Educate people Fine people if they

pollute(Example: Litter) the rainforest.

Show tourists the rainforest and let them appreciate it

Responsibilities Educate people Be role models by not

polluting the rainforest Respect laws that try

to protect the rainforest

WORLD GOVERNMENTSRights To be allowed to request countries to

reduce greenhouse gases To be allowed to try and pay countries to

protect their rainforests To put in the Kyoto (international

agreement against greenhouse emissions) into place

WORLD GOVERNMENTS cont.Responsibilities

To reduce greenhouse gases and the burning of fossil fuels in other countries

To protect the rainforests and what’s left of them

FACTORIESRights Make money Able to makeliving

Responsibilities Burn trees in

designated areas (not illegal places)

Burn trees sustainably

ScientistsRights

To be able to explore the rainforest (with conditions)

To be allowed to observe different species but make NO contact

To be granted permission to explore different parts of the rainforest in order to look for new plant species

Scientists Responsibilities

To not move/change around any areas of the rainforest e.g. plant fruit where animals are trying to sleep

Not to disturb the wildlife inside the rainforests

To respect how the rainforest and to not do anything to pollute it

ConservationistsRights To be able to at least try to protect the

rainforests To be able to protest against non-environmental

projects (things that hurt the environment and it’s rainforests) and not get in trouble for it

Responsibilities To be able to protect the rainforest and everything in it To not stand by and watch the environment along with

it’s rainforests be destroyed

SchoolRights and Responsibilities

Educate people Hold conference to stop deforestation

Effects if their rights are not fulfilled Tribes- The tribe will die out People will forget about themEco-tour operators- People will forget how they should treat/behave

in the rainforest People will forget how important rainforests areFactories- They can’t help/support themselves or their

families

Effects if their rights are not fulfilled (cont.) Animals-

Animals could become more aggressive because of the stress from everything happening around them

Scientists- Cures for diseases that could’ve been found would’ve

disappeared because scientists couldn’t explore and look for them

World governments- Rainforests will have even MORE threats working against

the existence of them!Conservationists- No one will be there to help the rainforests exist

What are the effects if their responsibilities are not fulfilled Tribes- The rainforest and the species within it will

diminish faster than before because seeds of plants aren’t being distributed

Eco-tour operators- Rainforests will be in even worse conditions Different species will perish fasterFactories- There would be unemployment

What are the effects if their responsibilities are not fulfilled (cont.)Animals- More animal species will die out More plant/fruit species will die outScientists-

Animals could start acting up because scientists have made with the animals and they’ve reacted badly

Cures that can solve current illness would be extinctWorld governments- Rainforests won’t be protected at ALL anymore!Conservationists- Rainforests simply WON’T exist anymoreSchools You might have to say bye to the rainforest (not literary)

Other country involvement and consequences on other countries By: Shang Wen

Chart

ConsequencesWHAT DOES HAZE LEAD TO?1st effect – Economic losses WHY? 1. Tourist income Some countries, especially Singapore, rely a lot on tourists to survive. With the haze, they will avoid coming, and thus we will lose a lot. 2. Trade income With the haze absorbing and scattering light, there were a lot of visual

problems. This heavily affected land, sea and air transport, causing late arrival of

goods, and thus cause heavy losses. For example, in the 1997 haze, both Singapore and Malaysia lost US$0.4b.

Consequences (cont.)2nd effect – More illnesses WHY?1. Lack of protective measures Many Asian countries did not have the financial means to supply protective measures like

respiratory masks. In turn, this caused more people to be ill.2. Poor environmentHaze causes asthma diseases and respiratory problems. In 2006, there was a 20% increase of patients in areas west of Singapore. Although the west of Singapore usually has the highest PSI levels, it is only by several points. NEA denied speculation that the construction sites in Tuas and Jurong contributed to the haze, although it is hard to tell. Crowded environment While some people opted to stay in their homes, others decided to spend time in shopping

malls. As there are more crowds in public areas, the chances of spreading and getting diseases are higher.

Increase of ozone With haze, the amount of air purifiers to purify the air in the house will soar. However, many

of these purifiers release ozone, which in turn causes people to suffer similar diseases as to the haze.

Consequences again3rd effect – Higher PSI levelsWHY?1. The number of pollutants in the air is increased with haze.

This will cause the PSI levels to rise. Take the 1997 haze in Singapore as an example. The PSI levels shot up to 226 at one stage, entering very the unhealthy stage. The immune system of people with heart or lung disease will be weakened, in addition to more widespread symptoms of transient irritation in the healthy population.

2. Usually, the time when most deforestation happens clashes with the Ghost Festival. Smoke is released as offerings and worsens the impact of the haze, thus increasing the PSI.

What are other countries doing? Singapore - Provided efficient satellite

equipment and good photos, to view where the hot spots were. They managed to detect 146 hot spots.

Malaysia - Provided fire-fighting equipment that Indonesia lacked funds to buy and able-bodied fire fighters to help put out the fire.

*Please note these were only solutions to stop the fires but not deforestation.

What are other countries doing? (cont.) Norway – Signed a letter of intent with Indonesia. In

exchange for up to US$1 billion, Indonesia would place a two-year moratorium on new logging concession. This is expected to put curbs on Indonesia's palm oil industry and delay plans for the creation of a huge agricultural estate in Papua province, where the Papua Forest is home to orang utans.

Also, to prevent illegal burning after this letter, Norway will set up a system in Indonesia to reduce corruption so that the deal can be enforced. With the money, Indonesia would have enough resources to combat deforestation. The money goes to making the farm land more productive and thus reduce the need for deforestation.

What are other countries doing? (cont.) Brunei – Import orang utans from the forests of

Indonesia to live in their safer forests Joint effort by Malaysia, Brunei, Borneo and Indonesia –

Create save the forest campaign to protect animals in the forests

America – Import orang utans from Indonesia to live in an artificial environment

Spent US$1.5m to save the orang utans Request other countries to stop importing wood from

Indonesia to stop the tree cutting Wrote off Brazil’s debt of $21 million in exchange for

forest protection

What are organisations doing? United Nations – Encourage rich countries to contribute

funds to help reduce deforestation (REDD Plus, aka Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation)

ASEAN – Set up the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution. The purpose is to address haze pollution, namely prevention, mitigation and monitoring.

Designated 27 national protected areas from selected countries as National Heritage Parks

Strongly urged Indonesia to ratify the Agreement Set up the ASEAN Haze Technical Task Force to combat

the fires

Rate of deforestation in Southeast Asia

As you can see, Malaysia and Indonesia’s rates are the highest.

Worrying reasons A study broke down changes in forest cover by

island. Borneo, which is shared by Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia, topped the list in terms of total area lost at 5 million hectares during the period, accounting for 12% of its 2000 cover.

The most worrying sign is, forests declined at a faster rate in Sumatra, which lost 23.7% of its forest cover or 3.5 million hectares. If other countries cannot defend themselves, I cannot see them helping Indonesia.

ConsequencesBy: Chloe

A brief summary

Extinction of species With deforestation, trees will be burned down.

Many animals will lose their homes and migrate to other unsuitable environment.

Some animals are unable to adapt, and they might die easily. Predators will of course, be introduced and the population will be unbalanced. Thus, some animals might die of quickly.

In addition, when the poor animals seek refuge from a farmer, they get killed or injured badly.

Greenhouse effects Enormous quantities of CO2 are

released from the burnt trees. While the input of CO2 to the atmosphere is increased, its output decreases.

Many scientists believe that deforestation has been contributing significant amounts of carbon dioxide to the global atmosphere and thereby to the greenhouse effect or global warming.

Natural disasters In forest fires, global warming is caused by the

CO2 released during forest fires. Global warming leads to dire consequences. Floods, droughts, earthquakes and acid rain.

Trees increase water infiltration. However, when the forests are burned, they are unable to transport water from heavy rain to streams. Thus, this leads to floods.

Droughts can also be caused during the dry season, because water supply to streams are not provided.

Acid rain WHY?Rain clouds get polluted by the haze released by deforestation. EFFECTSWhen acid rain comes into contact with anything, it practically destroys it. The Sphnix has already some parts destroyed by acid rain.

Soil Erosion Trees with the help of deep root systems are able

to draw water from sub-surface water table. Humidity prevents excessive water loss and rapid desiccation. Plants contribute organic matter which upon decomposition adds humus to the soil.

Deforestation leaves the ground surface bare. Further loss of nutrients might occur. Where remaining vegetation is burned to clear the land and agriculture attempted loss of nutrients is even more rapid. Already poor tropical soil is made poorer.

Soil Erosion (continued) The top soil which is thus lost is irreplaceable. Nature

takes about 1000 years to produce 2.5 cms of top soil. Massive soil erosion aggravates flood situation in two

ways. Firstly, the deposition of silt and sediments in river beds makes them shallow. Secondly, land devoid of forest cover loses its water holding capacity.

About 10 million hectares of forested land can hold enough water to fill completely a reservoir as large as that of Bhakhra-Nangal dam. In absence of plant cover this water flows down in rapid torrents.

Interlinking Chart

Orang Utans About 1000 orangutans have died during the dry

season earlier. Forest fires have produced thick smoke across Borneo. They have suffered from dehydration, respiratory problems, lack of food and even sustained injuries due to the forest fires. The fires have destroyed their habitats.

Orangutans flee the burning forest in search of food and safety, often to nearby palm oil plantations, where they are abused. Shouldn’t orangutans be saved? Why are they being abused? In my opinion, the world should do something to save these orangutans.

Punishment Currently 10 years of imprisonment They are discussing death penalty Since they are pinpoint the exact

person who actually set the fires, they are having great difficulty trying to catch them. THINK~~~

If you don’t enforce certain laws, nobody will care about those rules anymore.

Eg. The school forbids anyone to wear below ankle-length socks. If they don’t carry out frequent checks, everybody will think that they can get away with it. Thus, many people will still continue wearing

below ankle-length socks.

Solutions? Or maybe not… Wildlife Direct Petition to the Indonesian President to

halt the Tripa Swamps deforestation Send rescue teams to palm oil

plantations to save the orang utansIn some cases, forests are closed off, and they are considered

protected parts. However, some parts are not clearly marked… which just spells the word BAD.

In other cases, there is an international law giving orang utans endangered statuses.

THE END!Thank you for your kind attention