Palm oil is a widely used vegetable oil that is driving deforestation and endangering orangutans. It comes from palm fruit grown in large plantations that have expanded by clearing rainforests in Indonesia and Malaysia. This destruction of habitat threatens endangered species like the orangutan, of which only a few thousand remain. Palm oil is found in many food and non-food products, so consumers can help by checking labels and avoiding products containing palm oil to reduce demand and protect biodiversity in Southeast Asian rainforests.

1. Palm Oil
• The Underlying Problems
• How we can Save Orangutans Now!

2. What is Palm Oil?

3. • Palm oil and palm is an important vegetable
oil which is used in plenty of foods and other
products in the market.

4. Where does it come from?
Palm Oil PlantaCon/Orchard

5. • The main producers of palm oil are Indonesia
and Malaysia.
• Indonesia is the third largest producer of
green house gases (behind the US and China).

6. Fruit Bundles
The liquid from these thousands of fruits make the precious oil

7. The Trees
• Oil palms can grow up to 65 feet tall and their
broad leaves can stretch up to 17 feet long.
• They bear clusters of fruit all year long, with
each fruit bundle at its peak weighing around
110 pounds each.

8. Palm Oil Tree
Palm Tree

9. ExtracCon
• HarvesCng: The fresh fruit bunches (FFB) of right maturity are harvested
and transported.
• SterilizaCon: The FFB are sterilized by the use of steam pressure
• Stripping: The fruit is separated individually
• DigesCon: The fruits are compressed into a thick pulp.
• Pressing: The mixture is pressed under heavy machinery to squeeze out
the juices/oil
• ClarificaCon: The water mixture grouped into two parts; oil and water.
• PurificaCon: High speed centrifuge is used to remove the final solid
impuriCes from the oil.
• Vacuum Drying: Moisture content of the oil finally removed by vacuum
drying. Thus a high quality palm oil is produced.
• Nut Recovery: Palm seeds are separated from the press cake in a seed
recovery unit.

10. Why is it used?

11. Palm oil is one of the cheapest vegetable oils
to produce because of the very high raCo of
land to oil.

12. Palm vs. Other Vegetable Oils
• Vegetable oil producCon around the world
totals over 159 million tons per year, of which
over 52 million tons is palm oil. Along with soy
oil, palm oil makes up 60% of world
producCon.
• Oil palms are highly efficient oil producers,
with each fruit containing about 50% oil. As a
result they require ten Cmes less land than
other oil‐producing crops.

13. Other Advantages
• Natural vitamin E deposits (prevent Low‐density
lipoprotein, which can cause cardiovascular
diseases).
• There is lidle polyunsaturated fat, a cause of
heart disease.
• Over ten types of beta carotenes (more then
carrots or tomatoes), which consist of
carotenoids that make the orange pigmentaCon
and serve as anCoxidants.
• There is also vitamin A which helps promote good
vision.

14. Uniqueness to food
• Used as a preservaCve
• Sweetener
• High concentrated of saturated fat so it does
not need to be hydrogenated (unsaturated to
saturated). This causes trans fat to be
produced in the process.

15. Requirements
• Growing these plantaCons requires a lot of
water, ferClizer and pesCcides.
• However the most important part about
growing palm oil trees is a tropical climate.
• Most especially, there must be space to plant.
This causes a huge problem……….

16. DeforestaCon

17. Effects
• Trees are cut down in order to have the right
tropical condiCons for raising palm oil trees
• Destroy carbon sinks, less photosynthesis
• Less precipitaCon
• A new terrain is created

18. Habitat DestrucCon
Slash and Burn

19. • Because the demand for palm oil is so great
residents of Indonesia are clear cuhng vast
areas of rain forest to plant the palm crops so
that they can obtain a huge profit. The
problem is that palm crops are far less
efficient at reducing CO2 levels in the
atmosphere than the endemic species.

20. Struggling to Survive
• Not enough space

21. Tropical Rainforest
• Near the equator
• Humid climate with 100 inches of rain per year
• Strong sunlight year round
• 10 species of trees in one hectare (2.47 acres)
• Trees grow above 100 feet tall
• Huge amount of diversity, the most out of any
other ecosystem

22. • AdaptaCons – most species are specialists and
have established their own niche
• Animals depend on plants and vice versa
• Resource parCConing
• From the ground to the canopy, Birds of
Paradise divide territory by height

23. Biodiversity loss
Lidle interference with the complex
Structure of the rainforest can cause
Massive loss that may be very difficult
To near impossible to regain.
The divide between ecosystems

24. Processes Taken to Re‐establish
Rainforest
• Dr. Willie Smits has created a innovaCve
system to bring back deforested land
• Speeding up secondary succession
• Gehng the civilians to parCcipate and have
well paid jobs

25. Endangered Species
Sumatran Tiger
Komodo
Island
Monitor
Agile Gibbon

26. Orangutans
• “Old man of the forest” in Indonesian
There are only two species len. The Sumatran
Orangutan and the Bornean Orangutan.

27. The Mammal’s History
• Orangutans need plenty of space
• Their main food source is
• Only a few thousand len
• Largest arboreal animal
• Very intelligent = use of tools

28. Diet
• Fruit accounts for around 80% percent of their
diet
• Scavengers
• They can last a long Cme without food
Ficus Fruit
Orangutan favorite

29. What foods have Palm Oil
1 in 10 foods have palm oil

30. Non‐edible products
• Palm oil is used in most cosmeCcs as a binding
agent. And in other bathroom products like
soaps and shampoo's.
• Beauty products such as lipsCck also use palm
oil

31. AlternaCves
• Soy oil
• Codonseed oil
• Peanut oil
• Rapeseed oil
• Sunflower seed oil
• For cooking use olive oil and canola oil

32. How You can help
• Read all labels, to see the
ingredients (not all products have
it listed, so do some research
before purchasing).
• Do not buy any of these products
• Tell your friends and family about
this drastic problem