Connected areas of high-quality forest running through oil palm plantations could help support increased levels of biodiversity, new research suggests.
Connected areas of high-quality forest running through oil palm plantations could help support increased levels of biodiversity, new research suggests.
There is growing pressure to reduce the consumption of palm oil due to concerns over deforestation. However, the research team, led by the University of York, says promoting more sustainable palm oil is a better alternative.
For palm oil to be certified as sustainable, the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) requires oil palm growers to identify and conserve areas within a plantation that support high conservation values.
If these patches contain high-quality forest, they may help protect species like orangutans, as well as various species of insects, birds and bats – many of which are threatened with extinction in areas of Indonesia and Malaysia, where 85% of the world’s palm oil is produced.
Read more at University of York
Image: Forested conservation set-aside within a Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) certified oil palm plantation in Borneo. (Credit: Robin Hayward)
