Graph of the Day: Forest Cover and Palm oil Production in Indonesia, 1964-2008

Forest cover (green curve) versus palm oil production (white curve) in Indonesia. In 2007 Indonesia overtook Malaysia as the world’s largest producer of palm oil. Together the two countries account for more than 85 percent of global production. A study published in May showed that 55-59 percent of oil palm expansion in Malaysia and at least 56 percent of that in Indonesia between 1990 and 2005 occurred at the expense of forests.

Indonesia’s Riau bans destruction of rainforests and peatlands for palm oil