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Will forests remain in the face of oil palm expansion? Simulating change in Malinau, Indonesia

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Title Will forests remain in the face of oil palm expansion? Simulating change in Malinau, Indonesia
 
Creator Sandker, M.
Suwarno, A.
Campbell, Bruce M.
 
Subject decentralization
local government
income
participation
livelihoods
tropical forests
natural forests
forest conservation
oil palms
plantations
simulation models
 
Description The severe tensions between conservation and development are illustrated by events in Malinau District (Kalimantan, Indonesia). Conservationists decry proposed plans for logging and conversion of pristine tropical forest to oil palm (Elaeis guineensis). Although the local government is willing to declare the district a “conservation district,” at the same time, it shows interest in oil palm conversion. This article explores the impact of the potential conversion of 500 000 ha of forest to oil palm on forest cover, in-migration, and the local economy in Malinau. The simulation model was developed using STELLA® software, and relies on a combination of empirical data, data from the literature, and stakeholder perceptions. If a company were to clear the forest for timber without planting oil palm (as commonly happens), poverty levels are likely to rise rather than decline over the long term. If large-scale oil palm plantations were to be established, they could yield significant benefits to local authorities. However, such development would induce massive employment-driven migration, with wide-ranging consequences for the current inhabitants of the region. By visualizing and quantifying these trade-offs between conservation and development, the model stimulates debate and information exchange among conservationists, development actors, and district authorities so that well-informed choices can be made.
 
Date 2007
2012-06-04T09:12:43Z
2012-06-04T09:12:43Z
 
Type Journal Article
 
Identifier Sandker, M., Suwarno, A., Campbell, B.M. 2007. Will forests remain in the face of oil palm expansion? Simulating change in Malinau, Indonesia . Ecology and Society 12 (2) :37. [online] URL: http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol12/iss2/art37/. ISSN: 1708-3087.
1708-3087
https://hdl.handle.net/10568/19767
https://www.cifor.org/knowledge/publication/2361
 
Language en
 
Source Ecology and Society