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mation can complement empirical evidence and can be used to inform the development of appropriate policy mechanisms that will target palm oil sustainability.
10.6 Conclusions
Our study has reviewed the evidence of how the production and use of palm oil
biofuels affects biodiversity and several provisioning (e.g., fuel, food, freshwater),
regulating (e.g., climate regulation, air quality regulation, erosion control), and cultural ecosystem services in Malaysia and Indonesia. It also discussed how this
change in ecosystem services provision can affect the human well-being of the local
communities.
The surge in biofuels in the late 2000s put some pressure on the palm oil industry
to improve the sustainability performance of its product. For example, the European
Union through its 2009/28/EC Directive has adopted legally binding provisions
about the acceptable limits of GHG emissions and deforestation for palm oil that is
used for energy purposes within Europe. Such provisions have largely catalyzed a
growing demand for the adoption of certification standards that was a promising
sign about the sector’s impact on ecosystem services.
On several occasions voluntary market-driven mechanisms such as the RSPO
certification scheme have successfully promoted good environmental and social
practices. The demand to conserve riparian forests, prohibit the cultivation of oil
palms on steep terrains, and phase out toxic agrochemicals are only some of the
good practices “required” by the RSPO standards. These practices can have a ripple
positive effect on ecosystem services and biodiversity conservation.
At the same time, certification schemes face great challenges. Using the RSPO
as an example, this chapter has highlighted that this scheme might not be sufficient
to tackle palm oil’s intertwined impacts on climate change, ecosystem services, and
biodiversity. There is the need to have a dynamic approach to certification schemes,
adjusting them to account for the aggregate stress of the growing oil palm sector. A
balance has to be struck between acceptable environmental targets and costeffectiveness in order to ensure the acceptability of certification standards by
producers.
However, far from being homogeneous, the perceptions about the sector’s
impacts on ecosystem services, biodiversity, and human well-being, (and the potential to mitigate them), were very divergent in the early 2010s among the different
actors that comprise this multi-stakeholder alliance. Furthermore, stakeholders’
perception regarding the industry’s impacts on climate and biodiversity was very
polarized. Reconciling these different perceptions should be a first step for coming
up with mutually acceptable standards. This would be a great bet for certification
schemes such as the RSPO in the future. This will most likely involve a closer cooperation between the different RSPO working groups and indeed between the diverse
stakeholders themselves. It will also demand a closer cooperation between the
RSPO and government institutions in Malaysia and Indonesia.
10 Stakeholders’ Perceptions of Ecosystem Services and Human Well-Being Impacts…
mation can complement empirical evidence and can be used to inform the development of appropriate policy mechanisms that will target palm oil sustainability.
10.6 Conclusions
Our study has reviewed the evidence of how the production and use of palm oil
biofuels affects biodiversity and several provisioning (e.g., fuel, food, freshwater),
regulating (e.g., climate regulation, air quality regulation, erosion control), and cultural ecosystem services in Malaysia and Indonesia. It also discussed how this
change in ecosystem services provision can affect the human well-being of the local
communities.
The surge in biofuels in the late 2000s put some pressure on the palm oil industry
to improve the sustainability performance of its product. For example, the European
Union through its 2009/28/EC Directive has adopted legally binding provisions
about the acceptable limits of GHG emissions and deforestation for palm oil that is
used for energy purposes within Europe. Such provisions have largely catalyzed a
growing demand for the adoption of certification standards that was a promising
sign about the sector’s impact on ecosystem services.
On several occasions voluntary market-driven mechanisms such as the RSPO
certification scheme have successfully promoted good environmental and social
practices. The demand to conserve riparian forests, prohibit the cultivation of oil
palms on steep terrains, and phase out toxic agrochemicals are only some of the
good practices “required” by the RSPO standards. These practices can have a ripple
positive effect on ecosystem services and biodiversity conservation.
At the same time, certification schemes face great challenges. Using the RSPO
as an example, this chapter has highlighted that this scheme might not be sufficient
to tackle palm oil’s intertwined impacts on climate change, ecosystem services, and
biodiversity. There is the need to have a dynamic approach to certification schemes,
adjusting them to account for the aggregate stress of the growing oil palm sector. A
balance has to be struck between acceptable environmental targets and costeffectiveness in order to ensure the acceptability of certification standards by
producers.
However, far from being homogeneous, the perceptions about the sector’s
impacts on ecosystem services, biodiversity, and human well-being, (and the potential to mitigate them), were very divergent in the early 2010s among the different
actors that comprise this multi-stakeholder alliance. Furthermore, stakeholders’
perception regarding the industry’s impacts on climate and biodiversity was very
polarized. Reconciling these different perceptions should be a first step for coming
up with mutually acceptable standards. This would be a great bet for certification
schemes such as the RSPO in the future. This will most likely involve a closer cooperation between the different RSPO working groups and indeed between the diverse
stakeholders themselves. It will also demand a closer cooperation between the
RSPO and government institutions in Malaysia and Indonesia.
10 Stakeholders’ Perceptions of Ecosystem Services and Human Well-Being Impacts…