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Indonesia Reopens Peatland Forests for Palm Oil |
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Written by Martin Kho
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Friday, 20 February 2009 11:09 |
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Page views: 476 |
Indonesia has lifted a moratorium which lasted for over a year on the use of peatland forests by palm oil producers, a senior official of Agricultural Ministry said on Wednesday. Environmental groups were enraged by the decision, saying that it will lead to global warming.
 The Indonesian government will now start issuing permits – which have been withheld since as far back as December 2007 – immediately in areas that meet certain criteria.
Indonesia is the third highest carbon dioxide emitter, next to China and the United States, mainly because the planting of palm for palm oil is done on carbon-rich peatland, resulting to the release of millions of tons of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere annually.
The Agricultural Ministry said that the decision to re-issue such permits was based on the desire to increase palm oil production. Palm oil is used for things such as cosmetics, or as cooking oil, and as a cleaner-burning biofuel. Presently, Indonesia is the world’s top producer of palm oil.
Greenpeace Southeast Asia forest campaigner, Bustar Maitar, expressed his disappointment regarding the issue saying, “We had hoped after a year, the freeze would be permanent.”
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