Malaysia: Primates

(asked on 19th November 2018) - View Source

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment the Government has made of the effect of palm oil production on the orangutan population in Malaysia.


Answered by
 Portrait
Mark Field
This question was answered on 22nd November 2018

The UK supports sustainable trade of agricultural commodities associated with deforestation, including palm oil. We are a signatory to the Amsterdam Declaration in support of a fully sustainable palm oil supply chain and are a member of the Tropical Forest Alliance 2020 and have endorsed the New York Declaration on Forests.

In Malaysia the British High Commission is working with Malaysian government enforcement agencies and NGOs to tackle the illegal wildlife trade. During HRH the Prince of Wales' visit to Sarawak in November 2017 the state government reiterated its full commitment to protect the orangutan. Both Sabah and Sarawak states have invested in two rehabilitation centres for displaced orangutans. The UK is an active member of the Great Ape Survival Partnership (GRASP), a UN body dedicated to the conservation of great apes, including orangutans.

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