David Gaveau
In an unlikely alliance, DJs, scientists and more teamed up at the recent Wonderfruit festival in Thailand to make nature conservation more appealing to the younger generation. Source: Timberbiz
The Rainforest Pavilion, an immersive art installation hosted by musicians Alex Joy and Halim Ardie of the Joy Collective, invited scientists, activists, filmmakers, financiers, artists, wellness specialists and social entrepreneurs to explore the values of rainforests and what the average person can do to help conserve them.
Scientist David Gaveau from the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) showed the young audience how the global palm oil supply chain impacts the old-growth forests of Borneo.
Borneo feeds the world with palm oil, a multi-billion-dollar business encompassing cosmetics, processed food and biofuels to drive our cars.
Together with colleagues at CIFOR, Gaveau developed an interactive map that allows users to explore the impacts of plantation industries on the rainforests of Borneo.
The Atlas of Deforestation and Industrial Plantations in Borneo builds on more than four decades of satellite data combined with drone imagery.
As companies are now promising to deliver deforestation-free products, there is a need for consumers to become environmental watchdogs, Gaveau says, adding that the new atlas gives everyone the opportunity to review the evidence for themselves and think about the potential impacts of their consumption habits on the rainforests of Southeast Asia.
