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Cited by 375Oil Palm Production and SustainabilityConservation, Biodiversity, and Resource ManagementAgriculture, Land Use, Rural Development

Effect of oil palm sustainability certification on deforestation and fire in indonesia

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Carlson, Kimberly M., Heilmayr, Robert, Gibbs, Holly K., Noojipady, Praveen, Burns, David N., Morton, Douglas C., Walker, Nathalie F., Paoli, Gary D. +1 more·2018·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
DOI 10.1073/pnas.1704728114PMC PMC5776786
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Abstract

Significance: Demand for agricultural commodities is the leading driver of tropical deforestation. Many corporations have pledged to eliminate forest loss from their supply chains by purchasing only certified “sustainable” products. To evaluate whether certification fulfills such pledges, we applied statistical analyses to satellite-based estimates of tree cover loss to infer the causal impact of a third-party certification system on deforestation and fire within Indonesian oil palm plantations. We found that certification significantly reduced deforestation, but not fire or peatland clearance, among participating plantations. Moreover, certification was mostly adopted in older plantations that contained little remaining forest. Broader adoption by oil palm growers is likely needed for certification to have a large impact on total forest area lost to oil palm expansion.

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  • Brazil's Zero-Deforestation Cattle Agreements (CA) are one of the longest-standing examples of supply chain governance, but shortcomings in implementation have reduced their conservation impacts.

    “Brazil's Zero-Deforestation Cattle Agreements (CA) are one of the longest-standing examples of SCG but shortcomings in implementation have reduced their conservation impacts.”

    From Cattle supply chain fidelity in the Brazilian Amazon: key considerations for deforestation monitoring (2024) · cites this paper as Carlson et al 2018

    The introductory passage labeled Abstract (page unavailable) includes cattle among sectors with sustainable-sourcing commitments and says research on South American beef supply chains found changes in actor behavior. It does not say Brazil’s cattle agreements are among the longest-standing examples, or that implementation shortcomings reduced their conservation impacts. The implementation shortcomings discussed elsewhere in that section concern Indonesian palm-oil certification, not the cattle agreements. (LLM, conf=0.80)

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Research works printed but not linked: 22

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Cited by

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Authors
Carlson, K. M., Heilmayr, R., Gibbs, H. K., Noojipady, P., Burns, D. N., Morton, D. C., Walker, N. F., Paoli, G. D., & Kremen, C.
Affiliations
  • University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (US)
  • University of Wisconsin–Madison (US)
  • Goddard Space Flight Center (US)
  • National Wildlife Federation (US)
  • University of California, Berkeley (US)
Corresponding author
Carlson, Kimberly M.
ORCID
Venue
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Publisher
National Academy of Sciences
Published
2017-12-11
Volume
115
Issue
1
Pages
121-126
ISSN
  • 0027-8424 (ISSN-L)
  • 1091-6490
DOI
10.1073/pnas.1704728114
PMC
PMC5776786
OpenAlex
W2775030393
Cited by
375
References
3
Citations by year
2026: 21 · 2025: 40 · 2024: 42 · 2023: 45 · 2022: 39 · 2021: 65 · 2020: 42 · 2019: 52 · 2018: 29
FWCI
25.36
Type
journal article
Language
en
Update notices
correction (2018-01-16)
Open access
Licence
www.pnas.org/site/aboutpnas/licenses.xhtml (vor)
Locations
  • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NNX16AI20G)
  • USDA | National Institute of Food and Agriculture (HAW01136-H)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Oil Palm Production and Sustainability
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › General Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Agriculture, Land Use, Rural Development
Keywords
oil palm, sustainability certification, deforestation, forest fires, tree cover loss, plantation age, agricultural commodity demand
MeSH terms
Crop Production, Palm Oil, Wildfires, Conservation of Natural Resources, Indonesia, Magnoliopsida

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