Forests are valuable for many reasons; regulating water flow, preventing floods and landslides, storing carbon and providing habitat for endangered species. If valuable areas are not identified and managed the economic and environmental damage caused by their conversion for oil palm might outweigh the benefits.
Locating palm oil plantations
1. Identify and manage High Conservation Value Forest
The distribution of high conservation value forests (HCVF) need to be considered prior to allocation of concessions and long before clearance and planting.
In situations where habitat is fragmented, wildlife corridors connecting fragmented forests should be set up and maintained to allow migration and ensure population viability.
WWF and the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) recommend that new plantings do not replace primary forest or any area required to maintain or enhance high conservation value forest.
In situations where habitat is fragmented, wildlife corridors connecting fragmented forests should be set up and maintained to allow migration and ensure population viability.
WWF and the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) recommend that new plantings do not replace primary forest or any area required to maintain or enhance high conservation value forest.
2. Prioritize degraded lands
Areas with low conservation value, often called ‘degraded lands’, can provide ideal sites for new plantations.
As part of WWF’s efforts to support the sustainable growth of the palm oil industry we have developed a tool with EcoFys to help identify areas which may be suitable for responsible cultivation, including those which have:
As part of WWF’s efforts to support the sustainable growth of the palm oil industry we have developed a tool with EcoFys to help identify areas which may be suitable for responsible cultivation, including those which have:
- low conservation values
- low carbon storage
- resolved any land tenure issues
- appropriate land use designations in the national and local spatial plans
3. Consider land swaps
WWF is conducting research to explore whether concessions can be swapped from high value forest land to low value degraded lands.
This has the potential to secure hundreds of thousands of hectares of currently allocated forest lands, whilst maintaining the economic growth and opportunity associated with the palm oil industry.
The significant carbon savings associated with these swaps could be converted into carbon credits and used to compensate communities and businesses for any costs associated with the swap.
This has the potential to secure hundreds of thousands of hectares of currently allocated forest lands, whilst maintaining the economic growth and opportunity associated with the palm oil industry.
The significant carbon savings associated with these swaps could be converted into carbon credits and used to compensate communities and businesses for any costs associated with the swap.
