By On the island of Borneo, you’ll find a species of orangutan found nowhere else in the world. Unfortunately, you’ll also find rainforest destruction that threatens their future.
RAN and our partners — TuK Indonesia and WALHI — have been investigating a giant logging and palm oil company called Korindo, which has been cutting down rainforests in Indonesia. Korindo’s timber supply chain extends into some of the most biodiverse tropical ecosystems in the world, including the home of the critically endangered Bornean orangutan.
And you’ll never believe where we’ve found this rainforest timber: some of that wood is going to build the iconic sports venues for the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympic games in Japan!
That’s right, our investigations show that the 2020 Summer Olympic games have become a very real game of survival for wildlife in Indonesia.
Olympic Stadiums Likely Built on the Backs of Endangered Species
The Tokyo Olympic games are being billed as the “most sustainable Olympics yet.” But nothing could be further from the truth: over 130,000 massive sheets of rainforest plywood have been used to build the Olympic venues, and we’ve traced it back to some of the most fragile and rare ecosystems on the planet.
Athletes from around the world will gather together to compete on the world stage. But little will they know that the stage they’re competing on was likely built on the backs of endangered species. And when the last of the medals are handed out in 2020, and the Olympic stadiums are abandoned or demolished, the devastation to the rainforests of Indonesia will be everlasting.
Tell the Tokyo 2020 Olympic organizers and the International Olympic Committee that they must cut ties with rainforest destroyers and keep these amazing creatures from the brink of extinction. Don’t let the Olympic games turn into a real life game of survival for these species.
For the wildlife,
Hana Heineken
Responsible Finance Senior Campaigner
Rainforest Action Network
