Blogpost by Ntumwel Bonito Chia and Denis Kupsch - 3 October, 2014 at 15:37 4 comments. The home ranges of most African primate species are relatively well known, which made it possible for us to confidently use them in our large-scale analysis." Expansion of palm oil production across Africa presents critical risk to endangered primates. The rapid expansion of oil palm plantations in Borneo in response to international demand has accelerated habitat loss, leaving the orangutan vulnerable to poachers. Endangered species pay the price of palm oil's expansion Endangered species pay the price of palm oil's expansion . In the primate vulnerability scenario, the number of primate species significantly affected by oil palm expansion could be kept relatively low. "Primate diversity correlates with the diversity of other plant and animal groups, which implies that the potential impact of future oil palm expansion we modelled for primates could extend to biodiversity in general. ; Palm oil production increased 15-fold between 1980 and 2014 and will likely increase further. 1. Palm oil is used in food, cosmetics, cleaning products and biofuel, and only grows in the biodiversity-rich tropics.

ENDANGERED SPECIES PAY THE PRICE OF PALM OIL’S EXPANSION. New research warms that the large-scale expansion of commercial palm oil … Companies may play down the threat but this cannot be a coincidence. ; Palm oil is important for global food security and economic development. The 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species offered assessments of 634 primate taxa, of which 303 (47.8%) were listed as threatened (vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered). A recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences says that if Africa becomes a big player in the palm oil industry, endangered monkeys and apes will almost certainly face new risks.. There have been a number of reports in recent months shedding light on the serious threat industrial agribusiness plantations can pose to the habitat of large mammals. The … A total of 206 primate species were ranked as either critically endangered or endangered, 54 (26%) of which have been included at least once in The World's 25 Most Endangered Primates since 2000. There have been a number of reports in recent months shedding light on the serious threat industrial agribusiness plantations can pose to the habitat of large mammals. The establishment of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO)in 2004 set up voluntary guidelines for “greener” palm oil production and has tried to encourage palm oil expansion in a “sustainable” way that doesn’t ruin primary rain forests or violate the land rights of local people. This is because most areas suitable for growing palm oil are important habitats for primates.. Be this the gorilla, the chimpanzee, the forest elephant or numerous others. ; Oil palm expansion could affect 54% of threatened mammals and 64% of threatened birds globally. Forest fragmentation further reduces the size of orangutan populations and makes them more prone to genetic drift and inbreeding as well as to local catastrophes, such as floods and fires etc.