12/08/05 WASHINGTON, Aug. 12 (U.S. Newswire) -- Plans to create theworld's largest palm oil plantation along Indonesia's mountainous borderwith Malaysia could have a devastating impact on the forests, wildlife andindigenous people of Borneo, warns World Wildlife Fund.

The proposed scheme, funded by China and supported by the Indonesiangovernment, is expected to cover an area of 4.4 million acres on theisland of Borneo. Most of this mountainous region, part of the "Heart ofBorneo," still holds huge tracts of forests supporting endangered specieslike orangutans and pygmy elephants, and 14 of the island's 20 majorrivers originate there. According to WWF, new species have been discoveredthere at a rate of three per month over the last decade, making the areaone of the richest on the globe for biodiversity.

Palm oil -- exported to countries like the United States for use ineverything from ice cream, cosmetics, chocolate and detergent -- is apopular commercial crop in Southeast Asia and significant tracts ofnatural forest have already been converted to palm tree plantations onBorneo. But according to experts, the area chosen for the massive treeplantation will not be a productive site.

"It doesn't make commercial or conservation sense to rip the forest out ofthe Heart of Borneo to plant a crop that cannot grow in mountainousconditions," said Dr. Mubariq Ahmad, chief executive director ofWWF-Indonesia. "Such a project could have long-lasting, damagingconsequences for the people who depend on the area and its massive waterresources, which feed the whole island."

Despite Indonesian government assurance that the project would not harmthe environment, WWF insists that development of such plantations shouldfollow sustainable and environmental principles that exclude thedestruction of forests of high social and biological importance. Accordingto WWF, there is enough degraded, non-forested land in the region toestablish oil palm plantations without destroying natural forest.

WWF is part of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil. The roundtable,together with other stakeholders like the Indonesian Palm Oil Commission,is working to develop palm oil plantations in a sustainable way.

"We only support the establishment of oil palm plantations that are basedon sustainable and environmental principles," said Dr Rosediana Suharto,executive chairman of Indonesian Palm Oil Commission. "Since IPOC's taskis to promote a positive image of the Indonesian palm oil industry, largescale deforestation is a very sensitive issue. Consumers do not want to beassociated with the destruction of rainforests."

"We urge the Indonesian government to work only with responsible palm oilinvestors who support sustainable palm oil," said Guillermo Castilleja,senior vice president for WWF-US. "Borneo needs sustainable development,not short-term projects that will accelerate the loss of the remainingnatural forests in Southeast Asia."

The global WWF network is working to assist Borneo's three nations(Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia) to conserve the Heart of Borneo -- atotal of 137,000 square miles of rainforest -- through a network ofprotected areas and sustainably managed forest and through internationalcooperation led by the island's governments.