Promoting landscape heterogeneity to improve the biodiversity benefits of certified palm oil production: evidence from Peninsular Malaysia
The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) is responsible for the certification of palm oil producers that comply with sustainability standards. However, it is not known whether RSPO-certified plantations are effective in maintaining biodiversity. Focusing on Peninsular Malaysia, we show that bot...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2015
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| Online Access: | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/46024/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/46024/1/Promoting%20landscape%20heterogeneity%20to%20improve%20the%20biodiversity%20benefits%20of%20certified%20palm%20oil%20production%20evidence%20from%20Peninsular%20Malaysia.pdf |
| _version_ | 1848850580582170624 |
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| author | Azhar, Badrul Saadun, Norzanalia Chong, Leong Puan Kamarudin, Norizah Aziz, Najjib Abu Bakar, Siti Nurhidayu Fischer, Joern |
| author_facet | Azhar, Badrul Saadun, Norzanalia Chong, Leong Puan Kamarudin, Norizah Aziz, Najjib Abu Bakar, Siti Nurhidayu Fischer, Joern |
| author_sort | Azhar, Badrul |
| building | UPM Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) is responsible for the certification of palm oil producers that comply with sustainability standards. However, it is not known whether RSPO-certified plantations are effective in maintaining biodiversity. Focusing on Peninsular Malaysia, we show that both RSPO-certified plantations and uncertified large-scale plantations are characterized by very low levels of landscape heterogeneity. By contrast, heterogeneity measures were many times higher in palm oil producing smallholdings, despite their lack of RSPO certification. The low heterogeneity of large-scale oil palm plantations, including those certified by the RSPO, is likely to severely limit their value for biodiversity conservation. Uncertified smallholdings, in contrast, are much more heterogeneous and therefore hold substantially greater promise for the integration of palm oil production and biodiversity conservation than large-scale plantations. With oil palm agriculture further expanding, certification schemes should mandate producers to improve biodiversity conservation through landscape management that promotes greater landscape heterogeneity. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-15T10:08:33Z |
| format | Article |
| id | upm-46024 |
| institution | Universiti Putra Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-15T10:08:33Z |
| publishDate | 2015 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | upm-460242022-03-30T04:34:12Z http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/46024/ Promoting landscape heterogeneity to improve the biodiversity benefits of certified palm oil production: evidence from Peninsular Malaysia Azhar, Badrul Saadun, Norzanalia Chong, Leong Puan Kamarudin, Norizah Aziz, Najjib Abu Bakar, Siti Nurhidayu Fischer, Joern The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) is responsible for the certification of palm oil producers that comply with sustainability standards. However, it is not known whether RSPO-certified plantations are effective in maintaining biodiversity. Focusing on Peninsular Malaysia, we show that both RSPO-certified plantations and uncertified large-scale plantations are characterized by very low levels of landscape heterogeneity. By contrast, heterogeneity measures were many times higher in palm oil producing smallholdings, despite their lack of RSPO certification. The low heterogeneity of large-scale oil palm plantations, including those certified by the RSPO, is likely to severely limit their value for biodiversity conservation. Uncertified smallholdings, in contrast, are much more heterogeneous and therefore hold substantially greater promise for the integration of palm oil production and biodiversity conservation than large-scale plantations. With oil palm agriculture further expanding, certification schemes should mandate producers to improve biodiversity conservation through landscape management that promotes greater landscape heterogeneity. Elsevier 2015 Article PeerReviewed text en http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/46024/1/Promoting%20landscape%20heterogeneity%20to%20improve%20the%20biodiversity%20benefits%20of%20certified%20palm%20oil%20production%20evidence%20from%20Peninsular%20Malaysia.pdf Azhar, Badrul and Saadun, Norzanalia and Chong, Leong Puan and Kamarudin, Norizah and Aziz, Najjib and Abu Bakar, Siti Nurhidayu and Fischer, Joern (2015) Promoting landscape heterogeneity to improve the biodiversity benefits of certified palm oil production: evidence from Peninsular Malaysia. Global Ecology and Conservation, 3. pp. 553-561. ISSN 2351-9894 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989415000232 10.1016/j.gecco.2015.02.009 |
| spellingShingle | Azhar, Badrul Saadun, Norzanalia Chong, Leong Puan Kamarudin, Norizah Aziz, Najjib Abu Bakar, Siti Nurhidayu Fischer, Joern Promoting landscape heterogeneity to improve the biodiversity benefits of certified palm oil production: evidence from Peninsular Malaysia |
| title | Promoting landscape heterogeneity to improve the biodiversity benefits of certified palm oil production: evidence from Peninsular Malaysia |
| title_full | Promoting landscape heterogeneity to improve the biodiversity benefits of certified palm oil production: evidence from Peninsular Malaysia |
| title_fullStr | Promoting landscape heterogeneity to improve the biodiversity benefits of certified palm oil production: evidence from Peninsular Malaysia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Promoting landscape heterogeneity to improve the biodiversity benefits of certified palm oil production: evidence from Peninsular Malaysia |
| title_short | Promoting landscape heterogeneity to improve the biodiversity benefits of certified palm oil production: evidence from Peninsular Malaysia |
| title_sort | promoting landscape heterogeneity to improve the biodiversity benefits of certified palm oil production: evidence from peninsular malaysia |
| url | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/46024/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/46024/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/46024/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/46024/1/Promoting%20landscape%20heterogeneity%20to%20improve%20the%20biodiversity%20benefits%20of%20certified%20palm%20oil%20production%20evidence%20from%20Peninsular%20Malaysia.pdf |