Banning palm oil may cause deforestation and biodiversity losses
A report says palm oil production threatens more than 190 species, however, other oil crops — which require more land — could damage other ecosystems
Paris — A ban on palm oil due to fears it may cause deforestation, could displace rather than halt global biodiversity losses, as it would likely increase output of other oil crops to meet rising vegetable oil demand, an international survey showed on Tuesday. Palm oil has been at the heart of heated debate in recent years, notably in the EU where the parliament has suggested banning its use in transport fuels altogether, raising outcry in top world producers Indonesia and Malaysia. An EU deal was adopted earlier this month to phase out of its use by 2030. The report released by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) acknowledged palm oil was eating into tropical forests and stressed that, because palm trees were grown in the species-rich tropics, its production could have catastrophic effects on global biodiversity. The Switzerland-based IUCN, a group of governments, conservation organisations and scientists, said palm oil production was threatening more than 190...
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