How big the land use of Oil Palm plantations in Indonesia?

Myth

Oil palm plantations are the main trigger for conversion of forests to non-forests in Indonesia.


Fact

Conversion of forests into non-forest areas (deforestation) is a normal phenomenon development that happens in every country all over the world. In the European region, deforestation took place before the 17th century while in the United States it lasted from 1620 until 1950.

No country in the world, including Indonesia, prohibits deforestation and each country sets its own rules and procedures for deforestation. Conversion of forest into non- forest is one of the ways to meet demand for space for development. Demand for space continues to rise in line with the growth of population and expansion of development in all sectors to improve the welfare of the people. Is there any land on Earth that has never been covered by forests?

In Indonesia conversion of forest into non-forest has taken place for a long time in line with the need for space for development. Deforestation in Indonesia cannot be separated from the logging era, which resulted in neglected and degraded land that was later used by the government for the development of transmigration areas or for extending agriculture and plantations. Expansion of oil palm plantations came later by utilizing logged areas, which had been converted by the government into cultivation areas.

Discussing the history of deforestation, Koh and Wilcove (2008) mentioned that 67 percent of oil palm plantations are on areas converted from forest. However, a study by Gunarso et al (2012) made a different conclusion from the accusation made by Koh and Wilcove. They concluded the land for oil palm development in Indonesia was mostly originally farmland and degraded land and some was converted from secondary forest (Casson 2000; McMorrow & Talip 2001; Gunarso et al, 2012). The massive logging era before 1990 left neglected areas and ghost towns. The development of oil palm plantations only started later, especially after 2000.

An analysis of the history of the conversion of forest into non-forest areas shows that the expansion of oil palm plantations is not the main driver (Figure 7.1)

In 1950 there was 162.3 million ha of forested land in Indonesia. From 1950 to 1985 the conversion of forest into non- forest areas reached 68.1 million ha, while expansion of oil palm plantation in the same period was only about 0.6 million ha, 0.9 percent. Then, total conversion of forest into non-forest areas until 2000 reached 84.4 million hectares, so that the forest areas declined to 103.3 million ha. Meanwhile, oil palm plantation areas expanded to only 4.2 million ha.

In other words, from 1950 to 2014, conversion of forest into non-forest areas in Indonesia accumulatively totaled 99.6 million hectares, compared to 10.8 million ha of oil palm plantation areas developed during the period. This data shows that out of 99.6 million ha of forests converted into non-forest areas, oil palm plantation areas in Indonesia were relatively small, growing by 10.8 percent only. Therefore, oil palm cultivation is not the main driver of deforestation in Indonesia.


Myth

Oil palm plantations are the main trigger for conversion of forests to non-forests in Indonesian Islands.


Fact


Fact in Sumatra Island

Sumatra Island is where the early development of oil palm plantations took place. It is also where major development of Indonesian oil palm plantations has continued to take place. According to 2015 data from the Agriculture Ministry, about 63 percent of the national oil palm plantation areas are on Sumatra. Are oil palm plantations the chief trigger of conversion of forest into non-forest areas on Sumatra Island?

In 1950 there were 37.4 million ha of forest areas on Sumatra. From 1950 to 1985 the conversion of forest into non- forest areas reached 23.8 million ha (Figure 7.2). Meanwhile, the expansion of oil palm plantations in the same period took up only 0.5 million ha, 2.3 percent. Total conversion of forests into non-forest areas increased to 31.6 million hectares by the year 2000. However, the oil palm plantation areas increased only to 2.7 million hectares, 8.6 percent.

In other words, from 1950 to 2014 the conversion of forest into non-forest areas on Sumatra Island reached 34.2 million ha, while those earmarked for oil palm plantation development on Sumatra Island in the corresponding period were 6.8 million ha, only 19.9 percent of the total conversion area.

Therefore, oil palm plantations are not the main trigger of the conversion of forest into non-forest areas on Sumatra Island. About 80 percent of forest conversion areas are used for purposes other than oil palm plantations.


Fact in Kalimantan Island

Kalimantan province on Borneo Island has become a center of the world’s attention on issues of forest conservation. The world’s attention on Borneo Island has been rising since the island constitutes an area of Indonesian oil palm development. Therefore, perception has been built up that the expansion of oil palm plantations has become the main trigger of the reduction of forest areas in Kalimantan.

Data of the history of conversion shows that in 1950 there were 51.4 million ha of forest areas in Kalimantan. From 1950 to 1985, the conversion of forests into non-forests areas reached 13.1 million hectares (Figure 7.3). Meanwhile, in the same period, oil palm plantations reached only 0.04 million hectares, 0.1 percent of the total forest conversion on the island.

Conversion of forests into non-forests increased to 20.2 million hectares by the year 2000, while oil palm plantation development reached only 0.8 million ha, 3 percent of the total forest conversion areas.

In other words, from 1950 to 2014, total conversion of forests into non-forest areas in Kalimantan reached 27.4 million hectares, while the oil palm plantation areas in Kalimantan covered only 3.4 million ha, 13 percent of the total forest conversion areas.

Therefore, the perception that oil palm plantations have become the main trigger of the conversion of forests into non- forests is not supported by data.


Fact in Sulawesi Island

Sulawesi Island is actually not a major oil palm plantation center in Indonesia. The oil palm plantations on the island only covered 0.37 million hectares in 2015, only about 3 percent of the national oil palm plantation areas. The development of oil palm plantations on Sulawesi took place only after the era of logging on the island.

In 1950 there were 17.0 million ha of forest areas on Sulawesi. From 1950 to 1985, conversion of forests into non- forest areas reached 7.2 million ha (Figure 7.4), while oil palm plantations only covered 5,000 ha, 0.07 percent of the forest conversion areas.

Total conversion of forests into non-forest areas reached 7.8 million hectares by the year 2000, while the oil palm plantation areas increased only by 100,000 ha, 1.4 percent of the total conversion areas.

In other words, from 1950 to 2014, the accumulated area of forest converted into non-forests on Sulawesi reached 9.9 million ha, while the oil palm plantation areas on Sulawesi in the same period were only 400,000 ha, 3.5 percent of the total conversion accumulation. So the oil palm plantations are not the main trigger of the conversion of forests into non-forests on Sulawesi Island.


Source: The Myths versus Facts by PASPI

Please follow and like us:

Leave a Reply