Cargill and Sustainable Palm Oil
FFI is working in partnership with Cargill to protect high value conservation forest, including areas of peat land, on Indonesian Borneo, in the province of West Kalimantan, which are currently under threat from the rapid expansion of the palm oil industry. These high conservation value forest areas are home to endangered species such as the orangutan and have wider significance in maintaining fragile ecosystems to support life. The work is also highly significant in efforts to combat climate change since the forest, and peat lands in particular, act as an important store for carbon and their destruction would also release large amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
The initial phase of the project is undertaking surveys to identify areas of high conservation-value forest critical for the conservation of orangutans in Ketapang and Kayong Utara Districts, West Kalimantan. The project will then facilitate collaboration between the Indonesian Government, in particular the District and Provincial Government, the palm oil industry, local communities and other key stakeholders to manage, protect and monitor areas of forest that are important natural habitat for orangutans and other unique species.
The partnership aims to support the work of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) in Indonesia. The RSPO is an international, multi-stakeholder forum of environmental and social non-governmental organizations, businesses and civil society, working to promote the growth and use of sustainable palm oil. Through the RSPO Principles and Criteria for sustainable palm oil, member companies commit to sourcing palm oil from areas that have not been converted from high conservation-value forest, as well as a wide range of other important social and environmental criteria.
The partnership between FFI and Cargill, aims to develop practical, achievable and sustainable solutions for producing sustainable palm oil, in support of the Roundtable, and best practices that can be shared for the benefit of other stakeholders.
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