TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto proposed expanding oil palm plantations to increase palm oil exports. However, this idea has drawn criticism because it is considered to trigger deforestation.
The President’s statement that equates oil palm with natural forest plants is also considered misguided. Dean of the Faculty of Biology, Gadjah Mada University and Chair of the Indonesian Biology Consortium (KOBI), Prof. Budi Setiadi Daryono rejected this proposal.
He emphasized that the addition of oil palm plantations risks destroying forests or deforestation and biodiversity. Budi said that research shows that oil palm plantations cannot be a habitat for…