Deadly Harvest: How Demand for Palm Oil Fuels Corruption in Honduras

Latin America is the fastest-growing producer of palm oil, but at what price for the environment and its defenders? Park rangers in Honduras tell harrowing tales of daily threats to their lives and real dangers they face in the long-term fight for protect Honduran rainforests, indigenous peoples and animals from annihilation #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife

🌿 #LatinAmerica’s #Honduras is rapidly increasing #palmoil production – at HUGE cost. Rangers face daily death threats 💀 while defending #rainforests 🌳 #indigenous peoples and #wildlife. 💔 Fight back! #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://wp.me/pcFhgU-8YV

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💀 Park rangers in #Honduras 🇭🇳 #SouthAmerica risk their lives every day to protect animals 🐒 #indigenous peoples and #rainforests from #palmoil plantations. Their fight is real. Resist when u shop! 💪 #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://wp.me/pcFhgU-8YV

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Words and photography by Fritz Pinnow in Tela, Honduras. Originally published in The Guardian, 27 November, 2023 and republished via the Guardian’s open license agreement, read original article.

Park ranger Adonias Cruz was out monitoring illegal oil palm crops in Blanca Jeannette Kawas national park, on the north coast of Honduras, on 10 September, when an unknown armed man came to his flat and rang the bell. When the stranger realised Cruz was out, he left him a death threat.
Oil palm fields growing at the edges of the national park in Honduras. Photography: Fritz Pinnow.

“I had already received death threats from people in the community for leading a team to eradicate a new oil palm plantation in the central zone of the park,” says Cruz. “It was frightening to know they were in my flat and that everything could have ended differently if I had been home that day.”

Cruz, 28, is one of four park rangers dedicated to protecting national parks and monitoring illegal oil palm crops in Honduras. It is a high-risk job: groups linked to the exploitation of palm oil in environmental reserves and drug trafficking have made it clear they are ready to kill if they think the agents interfere too much in their business.

“Most people see us as their enemy. We can have friendly conversations with everyone here, but you never know who will be behind the next assassination attempt,” says Cruz.
Park ranger Adonias Cruz and colleagues patrol a mangrove lagoon in Blanca Jeannette Kawas national park looking for signs of illegal oil palm. Photo: Fritz Pinnow.
Fellow park ranger Cesar Ortega, 22, adds that the team’s work is monitored by the criminals. “From when we leave the office, they know exactly where we are and where we are heading. They have people at every intersection calling in our position and asking if we are with soldiers,” he says.

Cruz and Ortega are two of the many rangers who have been threatened while fighting against the rapid spread of oil palm plantations. Palm oil, especially from the oil palm’s fruit, has become an essential export business in Honduras, used in the food industry, in beauty products and as a biofuel. Its low production costs make it a cheap substitute for most oils, such as sunflower and olive, significantly lowering manufacturing costs in global markets.

Palm oil accounts for about 40% of global demand for vegetable oil as food, animal feed and fuel – about 210m tonnes. Between 1995 and 2015, annual production quadrupled, from 15.2m tonnes to 62.6m tonnes, and it is expected to quadruple once more in 2050. Latin America, the fastest-growing producer, accounts for almost 7% of global palm oil production.
Park ranger Cesar Ortega points out newly planted oil palm: “When the oil palm is still so young, it is critical to remove it
In Honduras, oil palm gained traction as a crop in2014, when the former president Juan Orlando Hernández invested almost $72m (£57m) in loans and grants to incentivise its cultivation. “All one needed was the willingness to plant oil palm, and the rest was served on a plate,” says Pablo Flores Velásquez, professor of environmental investigations at the National Autonomous University of Honduras (UNAH).

For the traffickers, oil palm crops are a way of legitimising their presence in the territory and securing physical control over the land.

Frances Thomson, Latin America specialist

The problem is that the extensive cultivation of oil palm has not only proved to be lucrative, but also poses a risk to the environment. “The oil palm presents a serious threat to the biodiversity of the wetlands and the water quality communities depend on,” says Velásquez. “As a monoculture, the installation and establishment of the crop necessitates the complete eradication of the biodiverse area, paralysing the ecosystem completely and permanently.”

In Honduras, these crops – whose harmful effects on the soil can create “green deserts” – account for almost 4% of all exports, mostly going to the Netherlands, the US, Italy and Switzerland, with a value of $334m in 2021. Six large companies control the production, and two claim more than half of all exports.

Nevertheless, 60% of the production in Honduras is in the hands of smallholders, who sell to corporations for refinement and export. Palm oil is highly lucrative for the farmers and provides an income every 15 days. The regional price of palm oil fruit varies greatly, from about 2,400 lempiras (£77) a tonne during low season to double that in summer.
Cesar Ortega looks at an area deforested for oil palm plantations. “They have stopped because of flooding, but as soon as they can access this area again this will all become palma,” he says
Read the remaining article on The Guardian’s website.

Words and photography by Fritz Pinnow in Tela, Honduras. Originally published in The Guardian, 27 November, 2023 and republished under Guardian’s open license agreement, read original article.

ENDS

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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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Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings

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Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao

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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 #BoycottPalmOil #corruption #deforestation #Honduras #indigenous #LatinAmerica #PalmOil #palmOilBiofuel #palmOilDeforestation #palmoil #rainforests #SouthAmerica #vegan #wildlife

Research: AI Helps Unlock the Curious Secrets of Orangutan Chatter

A groundbreaking and exciting study has started to decode the complex communication of Bornean orangutans, revealing the intricacies of their vocalisations and offering new insights into their rich and mysterious world. All three species of orangutan are critically endangered, primarily due to palm oil deforestation. To help these remarkable great apes, you should always #Boycottpalmoil and #Boycott4Wildlife every time you shop. Don’t believe the industry sponsored lie of “sustainable” palm oil. Learn more about how you can take action.

Discover the fascinating world of #orangutan 🧡🦧vocalisations!! 🎶 and how #AI 🤖is helping to decode their secrets! Protect these incredible great #apes from #extinction. Every time you shop 🛍️ #Boycottpalmoil 🪔🚫#Boycott4Wildlife 🌿 @palmoildetect https://wp.me/pcFhgU-8wp

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#Research: #AI is being used to understand #orangutan 🦧🧡 #communication 🔊 All 3 species of the beloved orange #ape are critically #endangered by #palmoil #deforestation. Don’t believe the LIE of “sustainable” palm oil! #Boycottpalmoil @palmoildetect https://wp.me/pcFhgU-8wp

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https://youtu.be/VhubrcvLYN0

Erb, W. M., Utami-Atmoko, S. S., & Vogel, E. R. (2024). The complexities of Bornean orangutan vocalisations: A new understanding of their communication. PeerJ Life & Environment. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.17320

Orangutans, the intelligent philosophers of the jungle, have long intrigued scientists with their mysterious calls. Now, a new study in PeerJ Life & Environment is unveiling the secrets of their vocalisations. Dr Wendy Erb from the K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics at Cornell University led the research to explore the complexities of orangutan long calls, crucial for their communication in the dense rainforests of Indonesia.

https://youtu.be/5eOS9SnbiTE

Over three years, Dr Erb and her team gathered hundreds of long call recordings from 13 individual orangutans, revealing an astonishing array of vocal diversity. These long calls, which begin with soft, bubbly sounds that escalate into high-amplitude pulses, showcase a complex and variable vocal structure. The study combined traditional audio-visual analysis with machine learning techniques to identify distinct pulse types within these calls.

“Our research aimed to unravel the complexities of orangutan long calls, which play a crucial role in their communication across vast distances in the dense rainforests of Indonesia. Over the course of three years, we accumulated hundreds of long call recordings, revealing a fascinating array of vocal diversity.”

~ Dr Wendy Erb from the K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics at Cornell University in the US, as quoted in Cosmos magazine.

Despite previous efforts to catalogue orangutan calls, Dr Erb’s team faced challenges in categorising all the pulses they encountered. Their innovative approach identified three distinct pulse types, differentiated by both humans and machines. This research marks a significant advancement in understanding orangutan communication, though it also suggests there may be an even greater repertoire of vocalisations yet to be discovered.

“While our study represents a significant step forward in understanding orangutan communication, there is still much to uncover. Orangutans may possess a far greater repertoire of sound types than we have described, highlighting the complexity of their vocal system.”

~ Dr Wendy Erb from the K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics at Cornell University in the US, as quoted in Cosmos magazine.

This study not only enhances our understanding of orangutan communication but also highlights the intricate and diverse vocal systems present in the animal kingdom. As we continue to uncover the mysteries of these endangered great apes, it becomes increasingly clear how vital it is to protect their habitats and ensure their survival.

Erb, W. M., Utami-Atmoko, S. S., & Vogel, E. R. (2024). The complexities of Bornean orangutan vocalisations: A new understanding of their communication. PeerJ Life & Environment. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.17320

ENDS

Learn about other animals endangered by palm oil and other agriculture

Global
South America
S.E. Asia
India
Africa
West Papua & PNG

Nancy Ma’s Night Monkey Aotus nancymaae

Keep reading

Maned Wolf Chrysocyon brachyurus

Keep reading

Tufted Ground Squirrel Rheithrosciurus macrotis

Keep reading

Visayan Broadbill Sarcophanops samarensis

Keep reading

Sloth Bear Melursus ursinus

Keep reading

Nicobar Long-Tailed Macaque Macaca fascicularis umbrosa

Keep reading

Learn about “sustainable” palm oil greenwashing

Read more about RSPO greenwashing

Lying
Fake labels
Indigenous Land-grabbing
Human rights abuses
Deforestation
Human health hazards

A 2019 World Health Organisation (WHO) report into the palm oil industry and RSPO finds extensive greenwashing of palm oil deforestation and the murder of endangered animals (i.e. biodiversity loss)

Read more

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

Sign Up

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

#AI #animalCommunication #Ape #apes #BorneanOrangutanPongoPygmaeus #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #communication #deforestation #endangered #extinction #newTechnology #orangutan #palmoil #research #SumatranOrangutanPongoAbelii #TapanuliOrangutanPongoTapanuliensis

#Research: #AI is being used to understand #orangutan 🦧🧡 #communication 🔊 All 3 species of the beloved orange #ape are critically #endangered by #palmoil #deforestation. Don't believe the LIE of "sustainable" palm oil! #Boycottpalmoil

http://palmoildetectives.com/2025/02/08/research-ai-helps-unlock-the-curious-secrets-of-orangutan-chatter/

Palm Oil Detectives

2025-02-07 15:56:00

Research: AI Helps Unlock the Curious Secrets of Orangutan Chatter

---

A groundbreaking and exciting study has started to decode the complex communication of Bornean orangutans, revealing the intricacies of their vocalisations and offering new insights into their rich and mysterious world. All three species of orangutan are critically endangered, primarily due to palm oil deforestation. To help these remarkable great apes, you should always #Boycottpalmoil and #Boycott4Wildlife every time you shop. Don’t believe the industry sponsored lie of “sustainable” palm oil. Learn more about how you can take action.

---

Discover the fascinating world of #orangutan 🧡🦧vocalisations!! 🎶 and how #AI 🤖is helping to decode their secrets! Protect these incredible great #apes from #extinction. Every time you shop 🛍️ #Boycottpalmoil 🪔🚫#Boycott4Wildlife 🌿 @palmoildetect https://wp.me/pcFhgU-8wp

Share to BlueSky
Share to Twitter

#Research: #AI is being used to understand #orangutan 🦧🧡 #communication 🔊 All 3 species of the beloved orange #ape are critically #endangered by #palmoil #deforestation. Don’t believe the LIE of “sustainable” palm oil! #Boycottpalmoil @palmoildetect https://wp.me/pcFhgU-8wp

Share to BlueSky
Share to Twitter

https://youtu.be/VhubrcvLYN0

Erb, W. M., Utami-Atmoko, S. S., & Vogel, E. R. (2024). The complexities of Bornean orangutan vocalisations: A new understanding of their communication. PeerJ Life & Environment. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.17320

Orangutans, the intelligent philosophers of the jungle, have long intrigued scientists with their mysterious calls. Now, a new study in PeerJ Life & Environment is unveiling the secrets of their vocalisations. Dr Wendy Erb from the K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics at Cornell University led the research to explore the complexities of orangutan long calls, crucial for their communication in the dense rainforests of Indonesia.

https://youtu.be/5eOS9SnbiTE

Over three years, Dr Erb and her team gathered hundreds of long call recordings from 13 individual orangutans, revealing an astonishing array of vocal diversity. These long calls, which begin with soft, bubbly sounds that escalate into high-amplitude pulses, showcase a complex and variable vocal structure. The study combined traditional audio-visual analysis with machine learning techniques to identify distinct pulse types within these calls.

“Our research aimed to unravel the complexities of orangutan long calls, which play a crucial role in their communication across vast distances in the dense rainforests of Indonesia. Over the course of three years, we accumulated hundreds of long call recordings, revealing a fascinating array of vocal diversity.”

~ Dr Wendy Erb from the K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics at Cornell University in the US, as quoted in Cosmos magazine.

Despite previous efforts to catalogue orangutan calls, Dr Erb’s team faced challenges in categorising all the pulses they encountered. Their innovative approach identified three distinct pulse types, differentiated by both humans and machines. This research marks a significant advancement in understanding orangutan communication, though it also suggests there may be an even greater repertoire of vocalisations yet to be discovered.

“While our study represents a significant step forward in understanding orangutan communication, there is still much to uncover. Orangutans may possess a far greater repertoire of sound types than we have described, highlighting the complexity of their vocal system.”

~ Dr Wendy Erb from the K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics at Cornell University in the US, as quoted in Cosmos magazine.

This study not only enhances our understanding of orangutan communication but also highlights the intricate and diverse vocal systems present in the animal kingdom. As we continue to uncover the mysteries of these endangered great apes, it becomes increasingly clear how vital it is to protect their habitats and ensure their survival.

Erb, W. M., Utami-Atmoko, S. S., & Vogel, E. R. (2024). The complexities of Bornean orangutan vocalisations: A new understanding of their communication. PeerJ Life & Environment. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.17320

ENDS

---

Learn about other animals endangered by palm oil and other agriculture

Global
South America
S.E. Asia
India
Africa
West Papua & PNG

Nancy Ma’s Night Monkey Aotus nancymaae

Keep reading

Maned Wolf Chrysocyon brachyurus

Keep reading

Tufted Ground Squirrel Rheithrosciurus macrotis

Keep reading

Visayan Broadbill Sarcophanops samarensis

Keep reading

Sloth Bear Melursus ursinus

Keep reading

Nicobar Long-Tailed Macaque Macaca fascicularis umbrosa

Keep reading

---

Learn about “sustainable” palm oil greenwashing

Read more about RSPO greenwashing

Lying
Fake labels
Indigenous Land-grabbing
Human rights abuses
Deforestation
Human health hazards

A 2019 World Health Organisation (WHO) report into the palm oil industry and RSPO finds extensive greenwashing of palm oil deforestation and the murder of endangered animals (i.e. biodiversity loss)

Read more

---

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

Sign Up

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

#AI #animalCommunication #Ape #apes #BorneanOrangutanPongoPygmaeus #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #communication #deforestation #endangered #extinction #newTechnology #orangutan #palmoil #research #SumatranOrangutanPongoAbelii #TapanuliOrangutanPongoTapanuliensis

AI helps understand complex orangutan communication

It is well known that orangutans are incredibly intelligent. Now scientists are unlocking the mysteries of these remarkable great apes’ communication.

^{Evrim Yazgin (Cosmos)}