Environmental & social impacts of palm oil production
Large areas of tropical forests and other ecosystems with high conservation values have been cleared to make room for vast monoculture oil palm plantations destroying
critical habitat for many endangered species, including rhinos, elephants and tigers.
The establishment of vast monoculture oil plam plantations has a number of environmental impacts.
The two most serious are:
- large-scale forest conversion
- loss of critical habitat for endangered species
- soil erosion
- air pollution
- soil & water pollution
- climate change
New plantations can also create social conflicts if the rights and livelihoods of local communities are ignored. Not only can this cause negative external impacts but it can also affect the companies involved, and hamper the ability of the companies to expand as planned.
The Government of Cameroon and Pamol Plantations, Plc.
Armed with the above mentioned adverse effects of Palm Plantation buseness, the Government has many veihlces to make sure the communities are well taken cared of and the environment is protected.
The new Extensions that Pamol is undertaking in Bakassi is a good example. A feasibility study was first done by the Ministry of Forestry and then a consultative group headed by the Senior Divisional
Officer and the General manager of Pamol, went to meet with the local community.
The local community made their demands - which included mostly the things which would improve their standard of living.
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Social Benefit.
Corporations like Pamol are the only way that the government of Camaroon has to impact the local and regional communities. Pamol Helps the local farmers with Technocal information, buys their fruits, collect their fruits, develope roads to their farms, give scholarships to the local children, build schools, build Hospitals and local clinics.
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