Enhancing the ecological value of oil palm agriculture through set-asides

Jake E. Bicknell (), Jesse R. O’Hanley, Paul R. Armsworth, Eleanor M. Slade, Nicolas J. Deere, Simon L. Mitchell, David Hemprich-Bennett, Victoria Kemp, Stephen J. Rossiter, Owen T. Lewis, David A. Coomes, Agnes L. Agama, Glen Reynolds, Matthew J. Struebig and Zoe G. Davies
Additional contact information
Jake E. Bicknell: University of Kent
Jesse R. O’Hanley: University of Kent
Paul R. Armsworth: University of Tennessee
Eleanor M. Slade: Nanyang Technological University
Nicolas J. Deere: University of Kent
Simon L. Mitchell: University of Kent
David Hemprich-Bennett: University of Oxford
Victoria Kemp: Queen Mary University of London
Stephen J. Rossiter: Queen Mary University of London
Owen T. Lewis: University of Oxford
David A. Coomes: University of Cambridge
Agnes L. Agama: South East Asia Rainforest Research Partnership (SEARRP)
Glen Reynolds: South East Asia Rainforest Research Partnership (SEARRP)
Matthew J. Struebig: University of Kent
Zoe G. Davies: University of Kent

Nature Sustainability, 2023, vol. 6, issue 5, 513-525

Abstract: Abstract Agricultural expansion is the primary driver of ecological degradation across the tropics. Set-asides—uncultivated parts of agricultural landscapes, often on steep slopes and alongside rivers—may alleviate environmental impacts but can reduce the area cultivated. Here we model an approach to configuring set-asides aimed at optimizing ecological outcomes (biodiversity, above-ground carbon storage and nutrient cycling) without reducing net cultivation area. We compare set-asides in an oil palm landscape where all plantations adopt the same configuration (‘uniform’ approach) with a scenario where there can be variation in configuration among plantations (‘variable’ approach). We find that all set-aside configurations support substantial ecological values but that the best strategies involve set-asides, particularly alongside rivers, that are spatially targeted and variable among plantations. This ‘variable’ approach can increase ecological outcomes twofold over the ‘uniform’ approach without reducing net cultivation area. Our findings underscore the potential importance of well-planned set-asides for enhancing agricultural sustainability.

Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-022-01049-6 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natsus:v:6:y:2023:i:5:d:10.1038_s41893-022-01049-6

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.nature.com/natsustain/

DOI: 10.1038/s41893-022-01049-6

Access Statistics for this article

Nature Sustainability is currently edited by Monica Contestabile

More articles in Nature Sustainability from Nature
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().