Agriculture

Instead of natural forest, oil palm plantations can be established on former pastures or degraded lands. These are the findings from analysis by WWF;

Sustainable Oil Palm Development on Degraded Land in Kalimantan, Indonesia

Palm oil comes from the fruit of the oil palm tree (Elaeis guineensis). It can be separated into a wide range of distinct oils with different properties, used for food products, detergents, cosmetics and – increasingly – biofuel.  

Originally a subsistence crop, the rising demand for vegetable oils since the 1970s has seen oil palm cultivation shift to a large-scale plantations. The global production of palm oil has doubled over the last decade. By 2000, palm oil was the most produced and traded vegetable oil, accounting for 40% of all vegetable oils traded internationally. By 2006, the percentage had risen to 65% (FAO). Given the current expansion of the oil palm, there is much debate on the sustainability of oil palm due to deforestation and habitat destruction that is occurring in Indonesia, raising serious concerns regarding the sustainability of this cultivation.

Palm oil comes from the fruit of the oil palm tree, producing more per hectare of land than any other oil-producing crop, and is used in about 50% of all packaged food products in grocery stores today
© Chris O’Leary/WWF US

Analysis by WWF of palm oil production in Kalimantan, Indonesia, found that by pursuing a strategy of yield intensification and planting on degraded lands, especially alang-alang grasslands, the palm oil industry would effectively be addressing many of the issues that it currently confronts, such as deforestation, carbon emissions due land use change, habitat destruction, human-wildlife conflict, just to name a few. Such a course of action will enable the industry to tackle financial hurdles, minimize impact on biodiversity, and meet climate change criteria in terms of carbon payback without further deforestation

In addition, the yield intensification strategy is a low cost strategy that provides enormous financial return, with little investment. This will enable more investment in training facilities in Indonesia to prepare the next generation of planters with the necessary skills in people, land and sustainable crop management.

By applying stringent production criteria to all stages of palm oil manufacture, oil palm plantations need not flourish at the expense of rainforests.  WWF is working on a number of fronts to achieve this:

• Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) – we are part of a large, international group of palm oil producers, palm oil buyers, and environmental and social groups working to define, implement and promote better practices for sustainable palm oil production
• Encouraging companies to use certified sustainable palm oil in the products they make and sell
• Eliminating incentives for palm oil production that lead to the conversion of natural habitats

Learn more

• Palm Oil – Key facts and figures
• WWF Position Paper on Palm Oil (April 2008) (44 KB pdf)
• Realising Sustainable Oil Palm Development in Indonesia - Challenges and Opportunities (224 KB pdf)
• WWF Forest Conversion Programme Brochure: Oil palm, soy and tropical forests: a strategy for life (964 KB pdf)
• Responsible purchasing of palm oil: a step-wise approach (147 KB pdf)
• The Palm Oil Financing Handbook (2.17 MB pdf)