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Oil palm and deforestation

Nelson, Paul N; Gabriel, Jennifer; Filer, Colin; Banabas, Murom; Sayer, Jeffrey A; Curry, George; Koczberski, G; Venter, Oscar

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An unprecedented increase in oil palm developments may be underway in Papua New Guinea (PNG) through controversial "special agricultural and business leases" (SABLs) covering over two million hectares. Oil palm development can create societal benefits, but doubt has been raised about whether the SABL developers intend establishing plantations. Here, we examine the development objectives of these proposals through an assessment of their land suitability, developer experience and capacity, and...[Show more]

dc.contributor.authorNelson, Paul N
dc.contributor.authorGabriel, Jennifer
dc.contributor.authorFiler, Colin
dc.contributor.authorBanabas, Murom
dc.contributor.authorSayer, Jeffrey A
dc.contributor.authorCurry, George
dc.contributor.authorKoczberski, G
dc.contributor.authorVenter, Oscar
dc.date.accessioned2015-12-08T22:27:06Z
dc.date.available2015-12-08T22:27:06Z
dc.identifier.issn1755-263X
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1885/33928
dc.description.abstractAn unprecedented increase in oil palm developments may be underway in Papua New Guinea (PNG) through controversial "special agricultural and business leases" (SABLs) covering over two million hectares. Oil palm development can create societal benefits, but doubt has been raised about whether the SABL developers intend establishing plantations. Here, we examine the development objectives of these proposals through an assessment of their land suitability, developer experience and capacity, and sociolegal constraints. Our review reveals 36 oil palm proposals with plantings planned for 948,000 ha, a sevenfold increase over the existing planted area in PNG. Based on our criteria, however, we estimate that only five plantations covering 181,700 ha might eventuate within the foreseeable future. We conclude that most of the developers are clearing forest with no intention of cultivating oil palm, and that a large-scale land grab is therefore occurring in PNG under the guise of oil palm development.
dc.publisherWiley Interscience
dc.sourceConservation Letters
dc.subjectKeywords: Forest clearing; Logging; Oil palm; Palm oil; Papua New Guinea; Rural development; Special agricultural and business lease
dc.titleOil palm and deforestation
dc.typeJournal article
local.description.notesImported from ARIES
local.identifier.citationvolume7
dc.date.issued2013
local.identifier.absfor070504 - Forestry Management and Environment
local.identifier.ariespublicationu4657781xPUB107
local.type.statusPublished Version
local.contributor.affiliationNelson, Paul N, Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science
local.contributor.affiliationGabriel, Jennifer, Cairns Institute
local.contributor.affiliationFiler, Colin, College of Asia and the Pacific, ANU
local.contributor.affiliationBanabas, Murom, PNG Oil Palm Research Association
local.contributor.affiliationSayer, Jeffrey A, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences
local.contributor.affiliationCurry, George, Curtin University of Technology
local.contributor.affiliationKoczberski, G, Curtin University of Technology
local.contributor.affiliationVenter, Oscar, School of Marine and Tropical Biology
local.bibliographicCitation.issue3
local.bibliographicCitation.startpage1
local.bibliographicCitation.lastpage8
local.identifier.doi10.1111/conl.12058
local.identifier.absseo960906 - Forest and Woodlands Land Management
dc.date.updated2020-12-13T07:28:19Z
local.identifier.scopusID2-s2.0-84899921264
local.identifier.thomsonID000337590000006
CollectionsANU Research Publications

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