Is there such a thing as sustainable palm oil? Satellite images show protected rainforest on fire

OSINT Research, Maps and Data Visualization for an online and print article on the palm oil industry

Palm oil is considered one of the healthiest and most affordable vegetable oils. There's a catch, though: its production comes at the expense of valuable ecosystems. Eco-labels are supposed to help make palm oil more sustainable. But do they deliver what they promise? This visual investigation finds: only partially. Satellite images and data from Indonesia show that even on certified plantations, illegal clearing techniques and deforestation occur time and again.

The article presents the findings of the investigation using animated maps, graphics, and text. The story also appeared in print and on social media.

Context

Visual Journalist at Neue Zürcher Zeitung

Time Frame

February 2021 – May 2021

Publication Date

Tuesday, May 18, 2021

Collaborators

  • Barnaby Skinner – Text, Editing
  • Conradin Zellweger – Research, Text
  • Adina Renner – Research, Visual Storytelling

Responsibilities

Research (data, satellite imagery, documents, interviews), data wrangling, data visualization, maps, information graphics, visual storytelling concept