Palm oil-based biofuels and sustainability in southeast Asia: A review of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand

Mukherjee, Ishani; Sovacool, Benjamin K.

doi:10.1016/j.rser.2014.05.001

Cited by 236 publications

(150 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…That only a limited number of local or anecdotal case studies have identified oil palm cultivation as a potential driver of mangrove loss (39,40) is surprising, given that our study highlights the large scale of oil palm production in former mangrove forests, particularly in Malaysia and Sumatra and Borneo in Indonesia. This is in keeping with the status of these countries as the top palm oil producers in the region; together they produce 85% of the world's palm oil (41). Palm oil production is encouraged by governments in Southeast Asia to enable energy security and economic development, with most plantations run by larger private enterprises or by smallholders who sell to large private enterprises (40,42).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 84%

Rates and drivers of mangrove deforestation in Southeast Asia, 2000–2012

Richards

Friess

2015

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

857

516

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The mangrove forests of Southeast Asia are highly biodiverse and provide multiple ecosystem services upon which millions of people depend. Mangroves enhance fisheries and coastal protection, and store among the highest densities of carbon of any ecosystem globally. Mangrove forests have experienced extensive deforestation owing to global demand for commodities, and previous studies have identified the expansion of aquaculture as largely responsible. The proportional conversion of mangroves to different land use types has not been systematically quantified across Southeast Asia, however, particularly in recent years. In this study we apply a combined geographic information system and remote sensing method to quantify the key proximate drivers (i.e., replacement land uses) of mangrove deforestation in Southeast Asia between 2000 and 2012. Mangrove forests were lost at an average rate of 0.18% per year, which is lower than previously published estimates. In total, more than 100,000 ha of mangroves were removed during the study period, with aquaculture accounting for 30% of this total forest change. The rapid expansion of rice agriculture in Myanmar, and the sustained conversion of mangroves to oil palm plantations in Malaysia and Indonesia, are identified as additional increasing and under-recognized threats to mangrove ecosystems. Our study highlights frontiers of mangrove deforestation in the border states of Myanmar, on Borneo, and in Indonesian Papua. To implement policies that conserve mangrove forests across Southeast Asia, it is essential to consider the national and subnational variation in the land uses that follow deforestation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 84%

Rates and drivers of mangrove deforestation in Southeast Asia, 2000–2012

Richards

Friess

2015

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

857

516

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“…In fact, the palm oil industry has been a source of income and employment for the indigenous communities residing near the plantations and has led to substantial improvements in their life quality (Basiron, 2007;Mukherjee and Sovacool, 2014). The industry has also provided access to healthcare and education for the indigenous communities (Sheil et al, 2009).…”

Section: Rapid Growth Of Palm Oil Industrymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This is mainly driven by the desire to reduce greenhouse gas emission. The problems associated with the production of biofuel from palm oil are (i) biofuel from palm oil is not sufficient to compensate for global fuel consumption, (ii) it triggers food and fuel competition which may lead to high food price, and (iii) environmental degradation due to conversion of forests to oil palm plantations to excel the oil production (Sheil et al, 2009;Mukherjee and Sovacool, 2014). As such, an initiative has been put forth to produce the biofuel from oil palm and palm oil wastes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Advances in biofuel production from oil palm and palm oil processing wastes: A review

Kurnia¹,

Jangam²,

Akhtar³

et al. 2016

Biofuel Res. J.

138

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“…Increasing global demand for bioenergy feedstock production has intensified land use changes worldwide (Fischer et al, 2010;Wright and Wimberly, 2013;Mukherjee and Sovacool, 2014;Gasparatos et al, 2015), and especially in Brazil (Lapola et al, 2010;Goldemberg et al, 2014;Bordonal et al, 2015). Brazil is the world's largest sugarcane producer (655 million Mg), with about 40% of the global harvest (FAO, 2015).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

A Soil Management Assessment Framework (SMAF) Evaluation of Brazilian Sugarcane Expansion on Soil Quality

Cherubin

Karlen

Franco

et al. 2016

Soil Science Soc of Amer J

100

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The Soil Management Assessment Framework (SMAF) was developed to evaluate impacts of land use and management practices on soil quality (SQ), but its suitability for Brazilian tropical soils was unknown. We hypothesized that SMAF would be sensitive enough to detect SQ changes associated with sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) expansion for ethanol production. Field studies were performed at three sites across the south-central region of Brazil, aiming to quantify the impacts of a land use change sequence (i.e., native vegetation-pasture-sugarcane) on SQ. Eight soil indicators were individually scored using SMAF curves developed primarily for North American soils and integrated into an overall Soil Quality Index (SQI) and its chemical, physical, and biological sectors. The SMAF scores were correlated with two other approaches used to assess SQ changes, soil organic C (SoC) stocks and Visual Evaluation of Soil Structure (VESS) scores. our findings showed that the SMAF was an efficient tool for assessing land use change effects on the SQ of Brazilian tropical soils. The SMAF scoring curves developed using robust algorithms allowed proper assignment of scores for the soil chemical, physical, and biological indicators assessed. The SQI scores were significantly correlated with SoC stocks and VESS scores. Long-term transition from native vegetation to extensive pasture promoted significant decreases in soil chemical, physical, and biological indicators. overall SQI suggested that soils under native vegetation were functioning at 87% of their potential capacity, while pasture soils were functioning at 70%. Conversions of pasture to sugarcane induced slight improvements in SQ, primarily because of improved soil fertility. Sugarcane soils are functioning at 74% of their potential capacity. Based on this study, management strategies were developed to improve SQ and the sustainability of sugarcane production in Brazil.Abbreviations: AGS, macroaggregate stability; BD, bulk density; BG, b-glucosidase activity; MBC, microbial biomass carbon; SMAF, Soil Management Assessment Framework; SQ, soil quality; SQI, soil quality index; SOC, soil organic carbon; VESS, Visual Evaluation of Soil Structure. S oil quality or health is a key factor required to achieve sustainable agricultural systems that will meet our increasing demands for food, feed, fiber, and fuels. Therefore, in recent decades SQ has been discussed worldwide and become a major agenda item for the scientific community (Karlen et al., , 2014a. Soil quality was defined as the capacity of a specific kind of soil to function, within natural or managed ecosystem boundaries, to sustain plant and animal productivity, maintain or enhance water and air quality, and support human health and habitation (Karlen et al., 1997 Core Ideas:• The SMAF efficiently detected soil quality changes under Brazilian tropical conditions.• Soil Quality Index was 0.87 (native vegetation), 0.70 (pasture), and 0.74 (sugarcane).• Sugarcane expansion improves soil quality, mainly due to increasing so...

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Palm oil-based biofuels and sustainability in southeast Asia: A review of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand

Cited by 236 publications

References 46 publications

Rates and drivers of mangrove deforestation in Southeast Asia, 2000–2012

Rates and drivers of mangrove deforestation in Southeast Asia, 2000–2012

Advances in biofuel production from oil palm and palm oil processing wastes: A review

A Soil Management Assessment Framework (SMAF) Evaluation of Brazilian Sugarcane Expansion on Soil Quality

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