Malaysia to give orangutans to countries that buy its palm oil
Malaysia plans to give orangutans as gifts to countries that buy its palm oil as part of an “orangutan diplomacy” strategy in an attempt to ease concerns over the environmental impact of the commodity.
The south-east Asian country is the world’s second biggest producer of palm oil, which is found in more than half of supermarket packaged goods. Global demand has been blamed for driving deforestation in Malaysia and neighbouring Indonesia.
Malaysia’s plantations and commodities minister, Johari Abdul Ghani, said on social media the country could not “take a defensive approach to the issue of palm oil”.
He said: “Instead we need to show the countries of the world that Malaysia is a sustainable oil palm producer and is committed to protecting forests and environmental sustainability.”
Giving orangutans to trading partners such as the EU, China and India would “prove … that Malaysia is committed to biodiversity conservation”, the minister said, likening the strategy to China’s “panda diplomacy”.
He also urged palm oil companies to collaborate with NGOs to help preserve and provide technical expertise on wildlife in Malaysia.
Malaysia is facing pressure from the EU, which last year approved an import ban on commodities linked to deforestation. Malaysia criticised the law as discriminatory.
The Bornean orangutan, which is endemic to the island of Borneo, is listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.