137
Section 10.4 compares the perceptions of different stakeholder groups involved in
the RSPO process on how the palm oil industry affects local ecosystem services
and human well-being (Sect. 10.4), while Sect. 10.5 outlines the main lessons
learnt during this stakeholder engagement process.
10.2 Impacts of Palm Oil Biofuels on Ecosystem Services
and Human Well-Being
10.2.1 Linking Biofuels and Ecosystem Services
The ecosystem services approach explicitly links ecosystem change to human wellbeing (MA 2005a, b). These are two key components of the biofuel debate that are
evoked by proponents and critics of biofuels alike (Gasparatos et al. 2011). Studies
have adapted the ecosystem services approach to synthesize knowledge about different biofuel value chains (e.g., Gasparatos et al. 2011) as well as assess specific
impacts (e.g., Gissi et al. 2016; Romeu-Dalmau et al. 2017; Meyer et al. 2015).
Sections 10.2.2 and 10.2.3 collect and discuss the key environmental and socioeconomic impacts associated with palm oil biodiesel production/use in Malaysia
and Indonesia employing the conceptual framework popularized by the Millennium
Ecosystem Assessment (MA 2005a, b) as it has been adapted for biofuels by
Gasparatos et al. (2011).
Recent studies have shown that biofuels can be major agents of ecosystem
change due to land use and cover change (LUCC), pollution, climate change, introduction of alien invasive species, and overexploitation (Gasparatos et al. 2017).
Following the MA vocabulary, we collectively refer to these factors as the direct
drivers of biofuel-induced ecosystem change. Consequently the drivers of biofuel
expansion itself (i.e., energy security, climate change mitigation, rural development) mentioned in Table 10.1 can be seen as the indirect drivers of biofuel-induced
ecosystem change (Fig. 10.2).
It should be noted that in the case of ecosystem services, the way the evidence is
reported in the academic literature coincides to an extent with the typology of ecosystem services used in the MA conceptual framework. However with the exception
of “health,” the human well-being impacts of biofuels are not reported following the
constituents of human well-being outlined in the MA framework (Gasparatos et al.
2011). Furthermore in the case of palm oil biodiesel, the constituents of human
well-being seem to be interlinked. In order to overcome these challenges, we identify the main impacts of biofuels on human well-being as reported in the academic
literature, i.e., rural development, energy security/access to energy, food security/
access to food, and health and land tenure. We then proceed in each of these sections
10 Stakeholders’ Perceptions of Ecosystem Services and Human Well-Being Impacts…
Section 10.4 compares the perceptions of different stakeholder groups involved in
the RSPO process on how the palm oil industry affects local ecosystem services
and human well-being (Sect. 10.4), while Sect. 10.5 outlines the main lessons
learnt during this stakeholder engagement process.
10.2 Impacts of Palm Oil Biofuels on Ecosystem Services
and Human Well-Being
10.2.1 Linking Biofuels and Ecosystem Services
The ecosystem services approach explicitly links ecosystem change to human wellbeing (MA 2005a, b). These are two key components of the biofuel debate that are
evoked by proponents and critics of biofuels alike (Gasparatos et al. 2011). Studies
have adapted the ecosystem services approach to synthesize knowledge about different biofuel value chains (e.g., Gasparatos et al. 2011) as well as assess specific
impacts (e.g., Gissi et al. 2016; Romeu-Dalmau et al. 2017; Meyer et al. 2015).
Sections 10.2.2 and 10.2.3 collect and discuss the key environmental and socioeconomic impacts associated with palm oil biodiesel production/use in Malaysia
and Indonesia employing the conceptual framework popularized by the Millennium
Ecosystem Assessment (MA 2005a, b) as it has been adapted for biofuels by
Gasparatos et al. (2011).
Recent studies have shown that biofuels can be major agents of ecosystem
change due to land use and cover change (LUCC), pollution, climate change, introduction of alien invasive species, and overexploitation (Gasparatos et al. 2017).
Following the MA vocabulary, we collectively refer to these factors as the direct
drivers of biofuel-induced ecosystem change. Consequently the drivers of biofuel
expansion itself (i.e., energy security, climate change mitigation, rural development) mentioned in Table 10.1 can be seen as the indirect drivers of biofuel-induced
ecosystem change (Fig. 10.2).
It should be noted that in the case of ecosystem services, the way the evidence is
reported in the academic literature coincides to an extent with the typology of ecosystem services used in the MA conceptual framework. However with the exception
of “health,” the human well-being impacts of biofuels are not reported following the
constituents of human well-being outlined in the MA framework (Gasparatos et al.
2011). Furthermore in the case of palm oil biodiesel, the constituents of human
well-being seem to be interlinked. In order to overcome these challenges, we identify the main impacts of biofuels on human well-being as reported in the academic
literature, i.e., rural development, energy security/access to energy, food security/
access to food, and health and land tenure. We then proceed in each of these sections
10 Stakeholders’ Perceptions of Ecosystem Services and Human Well-Being Impacts…