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The ongoing expansion of oil palm plantations in the humid tropics, especially in Southeast Asia, is generating considerable concern and debate. Amid industry and environmental campaigners’ opposing claims, it can be hard to percieve reality. Is oil palm a valuable route to sustainable development or is it a costly road to environmental ruin? Inevitably, any answer depends on many choices. But do decision makers have the information they require to avoid pitfalls and make good choices?
This report examines what we know and what we don’t know about oil palm developments. Our sources include academic publications and ‘grey’ literature, along with expert consultations. Some facts are indisputable: among these is the fact that oil palm is highly productive and commercially profitable at large scales, and that palm oil demand is rising. Oil palm’s considerable profitability offers wealth and development where wealth and development are needed – but also threatens traditional livelihoods. It offers a renewable source of fuel, but also threatens to increase global carbon emissions. How can local, regional and international benefits be increased while costs are minimised? At the end of this report we present a list of pressing questions requiring further investigation. Credible, unbiased research on these issues will move the discussion and practice forward.