Can Indonesian palm oil be sustainable?

Daemeter Consulting: Daemeter announces publication of  a new document titled, “Oil Palm in Indonesia: Governance, Decision-making & Implications for Sustainable Development,” published by The Nature Conservancy and authored by Gary D. Paoli, Piers Gillespie, Philip L. Wells , Lex Hovani, Aisyah Sileuw, Neil Franklin, and James Schweithelm.

The purpose of the document is to describe Indonesian oil palm decision -making processes in terms that are understandable to a range of audiences, including government officials, the private sector, civil society, international consumers, and donors. This report aims to (a) provide a balanced perspective to help bridge between proponents and critics of oil palm, and (b) highlight opportunities to align decision-making more closely with Indonesia’s Green Growth objectives.

The document organizes a selection of key decisions made by different actors involved in palm oil development, explains how decisions affect development outcomes, and recommends ways to support ongoing improvements in performance. This information provides a basis for a more informed policy dialogue, drawing attention to concrete means for improving decisions, and giving actors a better sense of their role and how they might collaborate more effectively to achieve particular outcomes....

Deforestation and forest burning for oil palm plantation in the buffer zone of Bukit Tigapuluh National Park in Riau Province, Sumatra, Indonesia. Shot by Aidenvironment, Wikimedia Commons via Flickr, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license