New Tool Shows Decline in Oil-Palm Related Deforestation in Borneo

by Monica Evans (Forests News) Open-access atlas a boon for monitoring and transparency -- In a welcome “good news” story for the world’s carbon stocks and biodiversity, the felling of old-growth forest for oil palm plantations on the island of Borneo has tracked a steady decline since its 2012 peak.

That is according to the revamped Borneo Atlas, a new tool which combines annual satellite data from the past 18 years with information on land ownership. It creates the clearest picture yet of the relationship between deforestation and the development of industrial oil palm and pulp-and-paper plantations on Borneo, which is shared between Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei.

The free web atlas developed by scientists at the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) could have significant implications for how companies and governments operate in and around the world’s remaining old-growth forests.

It is well-known that oil palm and pulpwood cultivation must be de-linked from deforestation in tropical forests where major palm oil producers operate in order to conserve their function as critical carbon sinks and biodiversity hotspots. But on the ground – especially in remote places – it can be challenging to ascertain where deforestation is occurring, as well as what and who is actually driving it.

Users can track the actions of particular companies over time, and check whether they are clearing new areas to establish plantations, or planting on land that has already been deforested for other reasons. That makes it a powerful tool for keeping an eye on company activities, and how they measure up to what they say in their reports.

The tool will also allow companies to meet growing demand in the no-deforestation market for recovery and restoration plans aimed at compensating for past deforestation, alongside moratoria on future land clearing.

A number of national agencies within the Indonesian government have registered their interest in the development of a similar product for the island of Sumatra, which produces the most palm oil in the country, as well as being a major hub for acacia pulpwood plantations.

Beyond that, scientists hope this high level of monitoring capacity and accountability will become the “new normal” for conservation and plantation development in years to come. READ MORE includes VIDEO