How China can help rewrite the future of Indonesian palm oil

plantations in Tesso Nilo National Park and relocating families who have long lived within its shrinking forest boundaries. Palm oil is often treated as a commodity, yet it is also a mirror of civilisation. Each hectare of forest cleared for palm oil erases wildlife and ecosystem services, and destroys the memory written into the land. Despite this, economic tables reduce the story to export and growth figures. Numbers present development, but behind them lies an arrangement where prosperity is bought at the expense of destruction. Indonesia’s plantations cannot be understood in isolation from global demand. Each tree felled is linked to the appetite of markets abroad. China’s choice carries consequences both economic and civilisational. Responsible sourcing would pressure Indonesian producers to raise standards, while reliance on cheap, unregulated oil would entrench illegality. The scale of China’s demand effectively determines the future of Indonesia’s forests. Shared ...