"... Yuyun Indradi, a campaigner at Greenpeace, says that it is common for large firms to expand by paying locals to set fires along the sides of their concessions. But palm oil's economic importance to Indonesia, a relatively poor country, guarantees its protection. Last year exports totalled $17.9 billion, second only to coal. Some 5m people live off the industry. ..."

http://www.economist.com/blogs/economist...mist-explains-3