New York-based agri-corporation Herakles Farms Palm Oil Plantations vs Cameroon Rain Forest

Action Alert: 

Stop Palm Oil Plantations from Destroying Africa’s Ancient Rain forests and Local Livelihoods in Cameroon

In the southwest region of Cameroon, a New York-based agri-corporation, Herakles Farms, its local subsidiary SG Sustainable Oils Cameroon (SGSOC), and a US non-profit organization All for Africa are involved in a land deal that is about to destroy over 70,000 hectares (300 square miles) of rainforest and the livelihoods of thousands of rural Cameroonians. If the project goes forward, farmland and forest will be replaced by a giant palm oil plantation.

There are known and affordable alternatives to this industrial project if one wants to really promote sustainable agriculture and human development in the area. In the three Herakles Farms’ nurseries, thousands of seedlings are ready to be planted. If the company truly wants to promote sustainable agriculture, it must hand over these seedlings to the local farmers and allow them to grow palm in a sustainable way, which should rely on diversified and environment friendly agricultural production.

Read MORE ABOUT THIS HERE

Please join us in sending a powerful message to Herakles Farms and All for Africa demanding they stop destroying tropical rain forest and local livelihoods. Ask the Government of Cameroon to listen to the voices of the Cameroonian people and immediately stop Herakles Farms’ plans for this palm oil plantation.

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So basically its a form you fill out with the most basic of information and sign it....

You can find the form HERE

And it looks exactly like what you see below but you cant fill it here on my page, you have to go to the links I have provided

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To:

• President Paul Biya of Cameroon
• Bruce Wrobel CEO of Herakles Farms and Chairman of All for Africa

cc

• NY Senators Kirsten E. Gillibrand and Charles E. Schumer
• US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
• Former US President William J. Clinton
• US Ambassador to Cameroon Robert P Jackson

Subject: Stop the the SGSOC / Herakles Farms / All for Africa Project in Cameroon

Dear SIRs

I am writing to express my deep concern in regards to the SGSOC / Herakles Farms / All for Africa project involving a 70,000 ha palm oil plantation in the South West region of Cameroon.

If it moves forward, this project will have a massive detrimental impact on the environment and on the livelihoods of thousands of Cameroonians. 

Herakles Farms claims that the “vast majority of the concession is secondary and degraded forest” but, in fact, most of the proposed plantation area is dense, high canopy tropical rainforest that has never been logged. The area is of exceptional ecological richness and diversity, and also serves as an essential source of livelihoods for thousands of rural people. Many have developed sustainable farming practices, which are respectful of the environment and natural resources. If the company truly wants to promote sustainable agriculture, it must hand over its seedlings to the local farmers and allow them to grow palm in a sustainable way, which should rely on diversified and environment friendly agricultural production.

Additionally, the community consultations conducted by the company have been largely inadequate. Thousands of locals have expressed their opposition to the project in protests and through dozens of letters from villagers and local officials. As a signatory to the UN Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the state of Cameroon should ensure that the principle of free, prior, and informed consent of local populations is respected, which is obviously not the case with this project.   

Claiming that it wants to “address a dire humanitarian need,” Herakles Farms has recently pulled out of the Round Table for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), a certification scheme designed to promote global social and environmental standards for palm oil production. Without such international oversight of the social and environmental impacts of the plantation, the company can now accelerate the clearing of forest and planting of oil palms.

I am therefore asking you to take all necessary measures to immediately stop this project and close down the three nurseries that have already been established by the company. Local Cameroonians deserve real investment which will result in sustainable development instead of the bleak future planned for them as low-paid plantation workers in a devastated environment. 

Sincerely, _______________

Coalition Partners

• Cultural Survival, USA
• Korup Rainforest Conservation Society (KRCS), Cameroon
• Nature Cameroon, South West Cameroon  
• Ndian Youths Economic and Cultural Organisation (NYECO), Cameroon
• The Oakland Institute, USA
• Oroko Cultural Association, USA
• Presbyterian Hunger Program (PHP), USA
• Pro Wildlife, Germany
• RELUFA--Réseau de Lutte contre la Faim, Cameroon 
• SAVE Wildlife Conservation Fund Stiftung, Germany
• Struggle to Economize Future Environment (SEFE), Cameroon