Ozi: Voice of the Forest is an animated film that follows the journey of an orphaned orangutan named Ozi. After being separated from her parents in a forest fire, Ozi is rescued and raised in a sanctuary. She learns sign language and becomes a social media influencer, using her voice to raise awareness about the plight of her rainforest home.
Although the film captures the beauty of these important ecosystems and stresses the urgency of protecting rainforests, we the undersigned are concerned about palm oil being characterised as the ‘villain’ in the story.
The vast majority of conservation organisations and experts do not agree with a blanket boycott of palm oil, and we are concerned that children and families watching this film will be left with the impression that this is the right action to take. We believe that one of the most effective ways to tackle forest loss and help orangutans like Ozi is to support sustainable palm oil, instead of boycotting it altogether.
Palm oil does not need to be produced at the expense of biodiverse forests or other vulnerable natural habitats – and the palm oil industry, especially in Indonesia and Malaysia, has taken great strides over the last 20 years to reduce its environmental footprint.
🌱 Sustainable palm oil production involves helping to halt deforestation, ensuring no harm to endangered species, and reduced carbon emissions.
🌱 Sustainable palm oil comes from producers and smallholder farmers who are committed to environmental and social responsibility; and are making genuine progress towards sustainability.
As scientific and conservation experts working in this field, we believe that orangutans will not be further protected by boycotting palm oil. In fact, it is well-known that avoiding palm oil may do more harm than good when it comes to reducing the forest footprint of our weekly shop. What is needed now is a positive and effective call to action which will genuinely have an impact on orangutan conservation.
Our call to the public is to use your voice to demand deforestation-free sustainable palm oil.
Orangutan Land Trust
SOS
Chester Zoo
Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE)
Borneo Futures
Hutan
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