Estimates indicate “it would take between 75 and 93 years for the carbon emissions saved through use of biofuel to compensate for the carbon lost through forest conversion, depending on how the forest was cleared.”

“If the original habitat was peatland, carbon balance would take more than 600 years.”

“Conversely, planting oil palms on degraded grassland would lead to a net removal of carbon within 10 years.”

“Tropical forests also store around 46% of the world’s living terrestrial carbon, and 25% of total net global carbon emissions may stem from deforestation.”

“In 2006, 85% of the global palm-oil crop was produced in Indonesia (43%) and Malaysia (42%)”

“According to latest estimates, between the years 2000 and 2005, the net forest loss was 7.3 million hectares per year or 20,000 hectares per day.”

“Since l998, over 100 million hectares of primary forests have been converted into industrial tree plantations.”

“In l997 it was estimated that oil palm plantations occupy 6.5 million hectares and produced 17.5 million tonnes of palm oil and 2.1 million tonnes of palm kernel oil.”

“By 2005, palm oil production reached 30 million tonnes and the area covered had already comprised 12 million hectares.”

“Indonesia is experiencing the biggest rate of increase in terms of forests converted into oil palm plantations. In a period of 30 years (1967-1997) oil palm plantations have increased 20 times with 12 percent average annual increases in crude palm oil (CPO) production.”

“From 106,000 hectares in 1960 this has increased to 6 million hectares in Indonesia although there were around 18 million hectares of forests cleared purportedly for oil palm in 2006.”

“In 2002 palm oil produced more than US$2.1 billion in export revenue for Indonesia and $3.8 billion for Malaysia.”

References:
Conservation Biology, Biofuel Plantations on Forested Lands: Double Jeopardy for Biodiversity and Climate, 2009
United Nations: Oil Palm and Other Commercial Tree Plantations, Monocropping: Impacts on Indigenous peoples’ Land Tenure and Resource Management Systems and Livelihoods. 2007

60-70% of deforestation in the Amazon results from cattle ranches

Remaining 30-40% results from small-scale subsistence agriculture.

“Despite the widespread press attention, large-scale farming (i.e. soybeans) currently contributes relatively little to total deforestation in the Amazon. Most soybean cultivation takes place outside the rainforest in the neighboring cerrado grassland ecosystem and in areas that have already been cleared. Logging results in forest degradation but rarely direct deforestation. However, studies have showed a close correlation between logging and future clearing for settlement and farming.”

Data: Mongabay