Abstract
Abstract. Indonesia and Malaysia have emerged as leading producers of palm oil in the past several decades, expanding production through the conversion of tropical forests to industrial plantations. Efforts to produce sustainable palm oil, including certification by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), include guidelines designed to reduce the environmental impact of palm oil production. Fire-driven deforestation is prohibited by law in both countries and a stipulation of RSPO certification, yet the degree of environmental compliance is unclear, especially during El Niño events when drought conditions increase fire risk. Here, we used time series of satellite data to estimate the spatial and temporal patterns of fire-driven deforestation on and around oil palm plantations. In Indonesia, fire-driven deforestation accounted for one-quarter of total forest losses on both certified and noncertified plantations. After the first plantations in Indonesia received RSPO certification in 2009, forest loss and fire-driven deforestation declined on certified plantations but did not stop altogether. Oil palm expansion in Malaysia rarely involved fire; only 5 % of forest loss on certified plantations had coincident active fire detections. Interannual variability in fire detections was strongly influenced by El Niño and the timing of certification. Fire activity during the 2002, 2004, and 2006 El Niño events was similar among oil palm plantations in Indonesia that would later become certified, noncertified plantations, and surrounding areas. However, total fire activity was 75 % and 66 % lower on certified plantations than noncertified plantations during the 2009 and 2015 El Niño events, respectively. The decline in fire activity on certified plantations, including during drought periods, highlights the potential for RSPO certification to safeguard carbon stocks in peatlands and remaining forests in accordance with legislation banning fires. However, aligning certification standards with satellite monitoring capabilities will be critical to realize sustainable palm oil production and meet industry commitments to zero deforestation.
Highlights
Global production of agricultural commodities such as palm oil has risen steadily in recent decades in response to market demand (USDA, 2009, 2010, 2016)
Our study addressed three primary questions regarding oil palm expansion (1) What fraction of forest and peat forest conversion for oil palm involves fire? (2) Does certification alter fire use for forest conversion or the frequency of management or accidental fires in plantation areas? (3) During El Niño years, do certified plantations have fewer satellite fire detections compared to noncertified plantations and surrounding lands? Characterizing fire-driven deforestation is critical to evaluating the influence of Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) certification on fire activity and to improving estimates of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from oil palm expansion
Between 2009 and 2012, the majority of forest loss occurred on plantations that had not yet received RSPO certification (Table B2), whereas plantations with certificates accounted for most forest losses identified in 2013–2014
Summary
Global production of agricultural commodities such as palm oil has risen steadily in recent decades in response to market demand (USDA, 2009, 2010, 2016). Indonesia had the highest rate of forest loss of any country in Southeast Asia (Hansen et al, 2013; Margono et al, 2014; Kim et al, 2015), spurred by rapid forest conversion for oil palm and other industrial plantations (Carlson et al, 2012; Gunarso et al, 2013; Abood et al, 2015). Between 1990–2010, more than one-third of new oil palm plantations replaced forested landscapes in Southeast Asia (Gunarso et al, 2013; Gaveau et al, 2016), with rates as high as 90 % in regional hotspots such as coastal West Kalimantan, Indonesia (Carlson et al, 2013). Environmental concerns with palm oil production extend beyond GHG emissions, as forest loss threatens biodiversity (Pimm et al, 2014; Vijay et al, 2016) and particulate emissions from fires are a major public health concern in Indonesia and downwind population centers such as Singapore (Murdiyarso et al, 2004; Gaveau et al, 2014; Kunii et al, 2002; Reddington et al, 2014; Marlier et al, 2015; Chisholm et al, 2016; Johnston et al, 2015)
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