Visual guide to boosting biodiversity in palm oil landscapes

More biodiversity in oil palm landscapes: that is the vision of IUCN NL’s new report Boosting biodiversity:  a visual guide to promote biodiversity values in oil palm landscapes.

Header photo: Cover Boosting Biodiversity/IUCN NL, photo by Tropenbos Indonesia

Zero deforestation, peatland preservation, and the prevention of exploitation are fundamental principles for the production of sustainable palm oil. However, exploring examples and best practices that can maximise the biodiversity in existing oil palm landscapes also deserve our support and attention.

An atlas for more biodiverse oil palm production

In 2023, there were over 30 million hectares of oil palm plantations across the globe. This guide aims to show the potential of these existing plantations for biodiversity in fragmented landscapes. It should not be read as a blueprint, but as an atlas. Inspiring you to find new routes in your journey towards more biodiverse oil palm production.

By doing so we want to push the debate on sustainable palm oil to go beyond ‘stopping further loss’ only and move towards actively including biodiversity-positive practices in already existing palm oil landscapes.

This guide was written by Thijs Pasmans and illustrated by Daphne van den Heuvel.