Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Malaysia’s ‘orangutan diplomacy’ plan slammed as ‘obscene’
Orangutans are great apes that live in parts of the rainforests of
Borneo and Sumatra. They are among the most intelligent primates and demonstrate
skills like treating wounds (Vol.4401-May 12) and using tools to break open
nuts. However, their populations have declined to a critically endangered level
due to poaching, habitat destruction, and deforestation. One of the main causes
of forest destruction is palm oil plantations. Palm oil, the most widely used
vegetable oil in the world, is vital for Malaysia’s economy. It is produced in plantations
that were once rainforests where Orangutans inhabited. Despite the fact that
palm oil production threatens the critically endangered species, the Malaysian government
announced a plan to gift orangutans to some of its important trading partners
of palm oil. It is cited as “Orangutan Diplomacy” like China’s “Panda Diplomacy”.
Environmentalists and conservationists criticized that while China's conservation
efforts for giant pandas are well organized and implemented, Malaysia’s orangutan
habitat is converted to palm oil plantations. Do the gentle great apes have to
play a diplomatic role at the cost of their habitat loss?
Read the article and learn about Malaysia’s orangutan diplomacy.
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