Destructive Legacy of Sumatra\'s Palm-Oil Plantations, Part 1: Saving Species
30/10/2010 (Eco Heart.com) - In response to rapid population growth in Asia and increasing demand in the Western world for trans-fat-free oils, the market for palm and palm kernel oil has exploded over the past thirty years. Palm-oil plantations grew from about 400 square miles in 1973 to almost 12,000 square miles by 2003. As a result, a virtual who's who of charismatic wild animals, including Sumatran tigers, orangutans and rhinos, and Asian elephants, are paying the price as their habitat is cleared to make way for palm-oil plantations.
