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Read other letters about this article
The response from BIOPACT arguing that Coconuts do not thrive in rainforest zones is simply wrong - as well as a bit naive, and note very well-thought out. (What exactly do they mean by thrive - and how well does a crop have to do in order for people to be willing to cut down forest and plant it? Sometimes the mere promise of substantial returns can lead people to cut down forest and try a new crop, particularly one as easy to care for as coconut.)
Furthermore, the statement that coconut plantations never stretch more than one mile inland is false. I have done anthropological work in Southeast Asia for the last dozen years and consistently work in areas where people plant coconuts more than one kilometer inland. I might be wrong on the exact Latin species that are being planted - which might have some relevance to their argument - but people are planting what they call coconuts - and which are then processed for coconut oil - more than one kilometer inland. I suggest the people at BIOPACT take a trip to Indonesia.
Another missed point by the people at BIOPACT is the notion that the people planting these crops are agronomists who are necessarily concerned with the productivity of their crops. If you look at Palm oil in Indonesia for example, oftentimes the plantations are slated for areas that are inappropriate for the palms to succeed for a variety of reasons - soil, land incline, etc. Regardless of these factors, plantations are planted because oftentimes planting the plantations is more about the money earned from clearing the forest rather than that earned from subsequent harvests. Thus they make a significant income from selling the wood cleared from the site, and then simply go home. Whether the area is appropriate for the crop or not is irrelevant.
While their goal is admirable, they should more research into the possible consequences of their plans.
