If hunting and alien species were the principal drivers of extinction (and remain important reasons for species declines) the main causes of extinction today lie in the expansion of two crops, palm oil and soya. The amount of land covered by palm oil plantations is an area equivalent to the size of Brazil; this monoculture replaces pristine forests millions of years old, eradicating the homes of orang-utans and Sumatran elephants, among others.
Iceland have recently announced that all of its own brand products will cease containing palm in favour of other vegetable oils. The managing director, Richard Walker, made this decision having visited Borneo and witnessing ‘horizon to horizon monoculture.’ He deserves great credit for this, but it remains to be seen whether his leadership will be followed by other food retailers.