The way palm oil plantations are managed in the Heart of Borneo can significantly affect the region's fragile ecosystem. Integrating some simple procedures in plantations management can reduce those risks.
Managing forest plantations in the Heart of Borneo
1. Address wildlife issues
There are 511 IUCN Red List vulnerable or threatened species in Borneo which are in danger of further decline without careful management.Toolkits and training for companies with important species in and around their palm oil plantations can help to reduce the impact of plantations on wildlife as well as avoiding wildlife conflict, which can be costly for plantation owners.
WWF-Indonesia has a collaboration programme to support good species management. This involves working in concessions to carry out HCVF assessments and develop species management plans. Contact us to find out more
2. Receive certification
Certification (e.g. Forest Stewardship Council) can be obtained for logging activities and plantations given certain pre-requisites are met.Environmental guidelines include requirements for logging concession management, such as through Reduced Impact Logging. For plantations, guidance is provided to help foresters on issues such as land and erosion management among others.
Both Indonesia and Malaysia have national certification schemes, the LEI and MTCC. These schemes are working closely with the FSC to strengthen their conditions and processes and gain greater international recognition, and thus greater price premiums.
WWF’s Global Forest & Trade Network (GFTN) member companies trade over USD 70 billion of forest products every year, 40% of which is FSC certified, an estimated USD 28 billion of FSC materials.
next steps
- Visit the WWF GFTN website to find out a stepwise plan to achieve certification
- Visit the Borneo Initiative website to find out about grants for companies willing to sign up to a time bound plan towards certification
- Visit the TFT website. TFT guides partners towards third party verification of legality and certification, and helps to bring responsible wood products to the market by linking responsible buyers, suppliers and producers.
3. Adopt Reduced Impact Logging (logging specific)
Poor forest management practices cause unnecessary damage to the surrounding forest and also reduce regeneration rates and thus future revenues.Reduced Impact Logging (RIL) is a collection of harvesting techniques that reduce the damage to the surrounding forest by as much as half and reduce carbon emissions, allowing periodic harvesting and sustained forestry revenues.
- WWF is working with the Indonesian government to call for longer concession licences to make investment in long term sustainable management more attractive
- RIL can be combined with certification programmes allowing companies to access markets offering a price premium for sustainable products (see Certification solution above)
4. Adopt best management practices for pulpwood and timber plantations
New Generation Plantations are forest plantations that maintain ecosystem integrity, protect high conservation value areas, are developed through effective stakeholder participation processes, and contribute to economic growth and employment.WWF is promoting best management practices for pulpwood and timber plantations through the New Generation Plantations Project (NGPP). The project brings together companies, governments and market stakeholders from around the world, including Sabahan company: SFI and the Sabah Forest Department.
The NGPP responds to a growing need for a better understanding of the role that plantations can play in forest landscapes, by collecting examples of well-managed and appropriately located plantations, as key features of healthy, diverse and multi-functional forest landscapes, compatible with biodiversity conservation and human needs.
