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

Bicknell, Jake E., O’Hanley, Jesse R., Armsworth, Paul R., Slade, Eleanor M., Deere, Nicolas J., Mitchell, Simon L., Hemprich-Bennett, David, Kemp, Victoria, Rossiter, Stephen J., Lewis, Owen T., and others. (2023) Enhancing the ecological value of oil palm agriculture through set-asides. Nature Sustainability, 6 (5). pp. 513-525. ISSN 2398-9629. (doi:10.1038/s41893-022-01049-6) (KAR id:98270)

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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 cultivation area. 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 between plantations (‘variable’ approach). We find that all set-aside configurations support substantial ecological values, but the best strategies involve set-asides (particularly alongside rivers) that are spatially-targeted and variable between plantations. This ‘variable’ approach can increase ecological outcomes two-fold, without reducing net cultivation area, in contrast to the ‘uniform’ approach. Our findings underscore the potential importance of well-planned set-asides for enhancing agricultural sustainability.

Item Type:	Article
DOI/Identification number:	10.1038/s41893-022-01049-6
Projects:	LOMBOK - HMTF
Additional information:	For the purpose of open access, the author has applied a CC BY public copyright licence (where permitted by UKRI, an Open Government Licence or CC BY ND public copyright licence may be used instead) to any Author Accepted Manuscript version arising
Subjects:	H Social Sciences
Divisions:	Divisions > Kent Business School - Division > Department of Analytics, Operations and Systems Divisions > Division of Human and Social Sciences > School of Anthropology and Conservation > DICE (Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology)
Funders:	Natural Environment Research Council (https://ror.org/02b5d8509)
Depositing User:	Jake Bicknell
Date Deposited:	23 Nov 2022 12:46 UTC
Last Modified:	05 Nov 2024 13:03 UTC
Resource URI:	https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/98270 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

University of Kent Author Information

Bicknell, Jake E..

Creator's ORCID:	https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6831-627X
CReDIT Contributor Roles:

O’Hanley, Jesse R..

Creator's ORCID:	https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3522-8585
CReDIT Contributor Roles:

Deere, Nicolas J..

Creator's ORCID:	https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1299-2126
CReDIT Contributor Roles:

Mitchell, Simon L..

Creator's ORCID:	https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8826-4868
CReDIT Contributor Roles:

Struebig, Matthew J..

Creator's ORCID:	https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2058-8502
CReDIT Contributor Roles:

Davies, Zoe G..

Creator's ORCID:	https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0767-1467
CReDIT Contributor Roles:

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