Research: Palm Oil Plantations Threaten Indigenous Waterways

Research: Palm Oil Plantations Threaten Indigenous Waterways | A study by the University of Massachusetts Amherst reveals that the expansion of oil palm plantations in West Papua’s Kais River watershed has significantly degraded water quality, increasing sedimentation and nutrient pollution. This environmental harm disproportionately affects downstream Indigenous communities reliant on these waters, highlighting the urgent need for sustainable land management practices and the protection of Indigenous rights.

🌴 #News: #Research reveals #palmoil plantations in #WestPapua are degrading water quality, harming #Indigenous communities relying on the waters. Researchers call for urgent #landrights #humanrights protections #BoycottPalmOil 🌴🪔🔥⛔️ https://wp.me/pcFhgU-9Om @palmoildetect

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University of Massachusetts Amherst. (2024, May 2). Oil palm plantations are driving massive downstream impact to watershed. ScienceDaily. Retrieved January 16, 2025, from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/05/240502153115.htm

The global demand for palm oil, prevalent in products from instant noodles to cosmetics, is driving extensive tropical deforestation. Beyond biodiversity loss, new research from the University of Massachusetts Amherst uncovers significant disturbances to watersheds caused by oil palm plantations, particularly affecting Indigenous populations.

Focusing on the Kais River watershed in West Papua—a region covering over 1,000 square miles where approximately 25% has been converted into oil palm plantations—the study highlights the environmental repercussions of such land-use changes. This area is also home to various Indigenous Papuan groups who depend on the watershed for their daily water needs.

Lead author Briantama Asmara, during his graduate studies at UMass Amherst, and senior author Professor Timothy Randhir employed an enhanced Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT+) to simulate the watershed’s hydrological responses under different land-use scenarios. They analyzed historical data (2010-2015), current conditions with extensive oil palm plantations (2015-2021), and projected future scenarios up to 2034, considering ongoing plantation expansion and climate change.

Findings indicate that the shift from tropical rainforest to oil palm plantations has led to increased precipitation, runoff, and soil moisture. Notably, water quality has deteriorated, with sedimentation rising by 16.9%, nitrogen levels by 78.1%, and phosphorus by 144%. Although future projections suggest a slight moderation in these effects, water quality is expected to remain significantly compromised compared to pre-plantation conditions.

Professor Randhir emphasizes the disproportionate impact on downstream Indigenous communities, stating, “They are bearing all the environmental and public health costs, while the international palm oil companies are reaping the rewards.” Asmara adds that the research aims to provide accessible data to those most affected, enabling informed decision-making.

The study advocates for regulatory measures, including limiting pesticide use during flood periods, continuous water quality monitoring, maintaining riparian buffers, and, critically, ensuring that downstream communities are informed and involved in land management decisions.

This research underscores the pressing need for sustainable land-use practices that protect both environmental integrity and Indigenous rights. As the demand for palm oil continues to rise, balancing economic interests with ecological and social responsibilities becomes increasingly vital.

For a detailed exploration of the study, read more.

University of Massachusetts Amherst. (2024, May 2). Oil palm plantations are driving massive downstream impact to watershed. ScienceDaily. Retrieved January 16, 2025, from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/05/240502153115.htm

ENDS

Read more about human rights abuses and child slavery in the palm oil industry

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2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.

Wildlife Artist Juanchi Pérez

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3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.

https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20

https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20

https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20

4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.

5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here

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#BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #childLabour #childSlavery #humanRights #HumanRights #indigenous #indigenousRights #landRights #landgrabbing #landrights #News #PalmOil #palmoil #Paraquat #pesticide #pollution #research #slavery #waterPollution #WestPapua

Ultra-processed Food: Bad For Our Bodies, Bad For The Environment

Although a lot of research has been published about the direct negative impact of these ultra-processed #foods on our #health, including obesity, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, little has been said about the impacts of #UPF on the environment. You can help rainforests and keep yourself healthy by limiting or stopping buying and consuming #meat, #dairy, #palmoil every time you shop. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife

Eating ultra-processed #UPF #food like #palmoil 🌴 is damaging not only to #rainforest #ecosystems and 1000’s of animals but also to people’s #health 🤮 its connected to #obesity. Choose healthy, be #vegan #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://wp.me/pcFhgU-8SW

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Written by Laila Benkrima, Agronomy Consultant, B.C. Centre for Agritech Innovation, Simon Fraser University This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Our grocery stores are increasingly filled with ultra-processed foods, which have little to no nutritional value and a huge environmental impact. (Nathalia Rosa)

Ultra-processed foods (UPF) have become increasingly popular and range from chips to microwave meals and even bread. Even just a casual glance at supermarket shelves reveals a plethora of UPF offerings in all their elaborate and enticing packaging.

Besides their affordability, UPF not only offer time-saving convenience but also momentary satisfaction drenched in saturated fat, sugar, salt and additives. After all, who can resist enjoying a tasty snack when indulging in a football game or an electrifying new TV series?

Although much is discussed about the direct negative impact of these products on our health, including obesity, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, little has been said about the impacts of UPF on the environment.

What are ultra-processed foods?

UPF can be defined as “formulations of ingredients, mostly of exclusive industrial use, that result from a series of industrial processes” and contain little or no whole foods.

They are made using industrial processing methods that may include moulding, chemical modification and hydrogenation (which can turn liquid unsaturated fat into a more solid form).

The consumption of ultra-processed foods is not new. In Europe, processed products on an industrial scale have been widely consumed since the late 18th and 19th centuries. A 2020 Canadian study shows that the percentage of total purchased calories attributed to UPF in Canada increased from 24 per cent in 1938 to 55 per cent in 2001 and, in 2013, Canadians purchased an astonishing average of 230 kg of UPF per person.

Even more alarmingly, 99 per cent of Canadian adults consume UPF at least once a week. In comparison, 57 per cent of people in the United Kingdom consume some kind of UPF on a weekly basis.

The consumption of UPF in Canada is largely associated with men, youth, those struggling with low income and those with obesity.

Unfortunately, UPF tend to be more affordable than fresh, whole foods. They have a longer shelf life, require no preparation and can be enticing due to high sugar content that trigger feel-good dopamine responses.

However, consuming UPF comes at a high cost not just to our health but to our environment as well.

Cutting costs, raising emissions

UPFs rely on energy-intensive manufacturing processes and long supply chains, leading to substantial greenhouse gas emissions.

The most substantial environmental impacts of UPF-rich diets predominantly stem from the post-farm stages, specifically the final product creation and packaging processes.

One specific additive that has the most environmental impact is palm oil. Palm oil is responsible for deforestation of some of the world’s most biodiverse forests. It is the world’s most consumed vegetable oil that can be found in half of our food.

Another villain is high-fructose corn syrup, which not only leaves a long carbon footprint but is also linked to obesity, high blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes.

The massive waste generated by over-packaged UPF is another factor to consider. Their plastic packaging doesn’t degrade in landfills or in nature, and has a dramatic impact on soil health and marine life.

One recent study published in Nature Sustainability demonstrates that UPF processing and packaging stages have the greatest environmental impacts of the whole system, and are a major source of environmental waste worldwide.

There are alternatives

There is no simple answer to the problem, but there are alternatives that can help reduce the pressure on the natural resources available on the planet. Embracing sustainable agricultural practices that prioritise regenerative farming, waste reduction and local sourcing of ingredients can effectively lower the carbon impact of UPF.

Small and medium-sized agri-food enterprises and small family farms often prioritise sustainable and locally-sourced ingredients, contributing to a more sustainable food system and enhancing biodiversity. Supporting local businesses not only encourages a healthier food ecosystem but also bolsters community resilience and regional economic development.

Indigenous communities as well possess a profound knowledge of sustainable agroforestry practices, and collaborating with these communities can provide essential teachings into more sustainable food production and responsible land and water management.
Indigenous farming knowledge is science, not superstition
The environmental impact of ultra-processed foods cannot be ignored any longer. As we become more and more conscious about what we buy and how it is produced, we hold the responsibility to advocate for change.

High rates of UPF consumption indicates an essential failure of our food system to provide universal access to affordable, wholesome food. Whether such a goal is even possible may be up for debate, but what cannot be denied is that our current industry-driven proliferation of UPF is inflicting harm on both our planet and our health.

Written by Laila Benkrima, Agronomy Consultant, B.C. Centre for Agritech Innovation, Simon Fraser University This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

ENDS

Read more about human health, veganism, nutrition and why you should #Boycottpalmoil, #Boycottmeat for your own and the planet’s health

Dying For Palm Oil: Palm Oil Workers Perishing For Hazardous Pesticides

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Take Action in Five Ways

1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.

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• Facebook
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• YouTube
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Enter your email address

Sign Up

Join 1,385 other subscribers

2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.

Wildlife Artist Juanchi Pérez

Read more

Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings

Read more

Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao

Read more

Health Physician Dr Evan Allen

Read more

The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert

Read more

How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy

Read more

3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.

https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20

https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20

https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20

4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.

5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here

Pledge your support

#BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottMeat #BoycottPalmOil #dairy #diabetes #diet #ecosystems #environment #food #foods #health #heartHealth #humanHealth #meat #nutrition #obesity #PalmOil #palmOilDeforestation #palmoil #plantBasedDiet #rainforest #rainforests #research #saturatedFats #UPF #vegan

Palm Oil Detectives

2025-05-09 12:40:45

Dying For Palm Oil: Palm Oil Workers Perishing For Hazardous Pesticides

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Investigation reveals that #palmoil plantation workers in #Colombia, #Ghana, and #Indonesia are routinely exposed to hazardous #agrochemicals and #pesticides, including EU-banned #paraquat. Lack of protective gear, inadequate health monitoring, and poor enforcement of safety regulations exacerbate the grave health risks for workers and environmental risks for water #pollution. The study calls for immediate action to protect workers’ health and rights. #BoycottPalmOil #HumanRights #BoycottPalmOil #Ecocide

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News: #Palmoil workers in #Colombia, #Ghana, and #Indonesia exposed to hazardous #pesticides, including EU-banned #paraquat. Lack of protective gear poor safety puts lives and #health at risk. #BoycottPalmOil #HumanRights #Boycottpalmoil @palmoildetect https://wp.me/pcFhgU-bHT

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Profundo. (2025, May 7). Research on spraying in the palm oil sector reveals many hazardous substances. FNV. Retrieved May 9, 2025, from https://www.fnv.nl/mondiaal-fnv/nieuws-mondiaal-fnv/nieuws-verhaal/research-on-spraying-in-the-palm-oil-sector-reveal

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Palm Oil Workers Face Hazardous Pesticide Exposure, New Report Reveals

A comprehensive study conducted by research agency Profundo, commissioned by the International Palm Oil Workers United (IPOWU) and funded by Mondiaal FNV, has uncovered alarming health risks faced by palm oil plantation workers in Colombia, Ghana, and Indonesia due to exposure to hazardous agrochemicals.

The investigation, involving 1,436 workers, identified the use of at least 56 different agricultural chemicals on plantations, including substances classified as “highly hazardous” by the World Health Organization. Notably, paraquat—a pesticide banned in the European Union since 2007—is still being exported from the EU to Indonesia, highlighting a concerning double standard in global chemical safety practices.

Key findings from the report include:

• Absence of comprehensive chemical safety policies, leading to inadequate health monitoring, safety training, and protective clothing for workers.
• None of the three countries studied have ratified key International Labour Organization conventions related to occupational health and safety.
• International palm oil buyers do not mandate specific occupational health and safety policies from their suppliers.
• Many workers are unaware of the dangers associated with pesticide exposure.
• Personal protective equipment (PPE) is often not replaced when damaged, and access to facilities for washing PPE is limited, increasing the risk of contamination.
• Workers with longer tenures reported more health issues, such as skin rashes, dizziness, and vomiting, indicating cumulative exposure effects.

The report underscores the urgent need for stronger enforcement of safety regulations, better training and equipment for workers, and greater accountability from international buyers to ensure the health and safety of those at the forefront of palm oil production.

The EU’s double standards by banning paraquat while exporting it to Indonesia

Quiroz is upset about the EU’s double standards: banning paraquat but still producing and exporting it to Indonesia. “That is unacceptable! That the EU protects its own citizens but not the rest of the world. The EU does not show much compassion for people in the supply chain. At the same time, we see that Colombia allows certain chemicals under specific and controlled conditions on palm oil and other commercial plantations, which eventually end up in the palm oil that we import. So that protection is not watertight at all.”

Risks of pesticide contamination are high for families and communities

“I did not expect that not all plantations have washing facilities for the workers’ protective clothing. So, they can’t wash their gear on-site, and they bring it home, exposing their families. There are even reports of people washing their protective clothing in nearby, flowing rivers, potentially contaminating the whole area. This happens on a small scale in Colombia and on a larger scale in Indonesia.” – lead researcher Diana Quiroz.

Profundo. (2025, May 7). Research on spraying in the palm oil sector reveals many hazardous substances. FNV. Retrieved May 9, 2025, from https://www.fnv.nl/mondiaal-fnv/nieuws-mondiaal-fnv/nieuws-verhaal/research-on-spraying-in-the-palm-oil-sector-reveal

ENDS

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Read more about animals at risk from air and water pollution and human rights problems associated with palm oil. When you shop #Boycottpalmoil

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Take Action in Five Ways

1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.

• Twitter
• Facebook
• Instagram
• WordPress
• YouTube
• Mail
• Mastodon

Enter your email address

Sign Up

Join 1,385 other subscribers

2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.

Wildlife Artist Juanchi Pérez

Read more

Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings

Read more

Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao

Read more

Health Physician Dr Evan Allen

Read more

The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert

Read more

How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy

Read more

3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.

https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20

https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20

https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20

4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.

5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here

Pledge your support

#agrochemicals #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #Colombia #ecocide #Ghana #health #humanHealth #HumanRights #Indonesia #News #PalmOil #palmOilDeforestation #palmoil #Paraquat #pesticides #pollution #ToxicTrade

Dying For Palm Oil: Palm Oil Workers Perishing For Hazardous Pesticides

Investigation reveals that #palmoil plantation workers in #Colombia, #Ghana, and #Indonesia are routinely exposed to hazardous #agrochemicals and #pesticides, including EU-banned #paraquat. Lack of…

^{Palm Oil Detectives}