Sustainable Palm Oil Communities now include close to 200 businesses committed to sustainable palm oil

Since the launch of the Sustainable Palm Oil Communities Project back in 2017, our aim has been clear: to empower communities across the UK to support the use of sustainable palm oil. As we continue to unite towns, cities, counties and regions in support of a sustainable approach to this agricultural commodity, we create meaningful change in supply chains, whilst driving public awareness for a topic still laden with misconception.

In this Chester Zoo led campaign, almost 200 businesses around the UK have pledged or fully signed up as a Sustainable Palm Oil Champion in one of 6 active communities: Chester, Blackpool, Newquay, Oxford, Hull and East Riding of Yorkshire and Dorset, each led by a dedicated lead organisation. Working with businesses across a variety of sectors, the project supports each organisation to make an initial step in switching to sustainable palm oil in their supply chains. While the original focus was on hospitality, champions now include everything from coffee shops to garden centres, gyms to solicitors – representing the need for a whole-community approach to removing environmental damage and deforestation from global supply chains.

Despite progress in consumers recognising that sourcing sustainable palm oil is the best way to prevent habitat destruction and protect biodiversity, as supported by countless NGOs and scientific research, the lasting impact of misconceptions around palm oil remain widespread. Chief among them is the assumption that ‘palm oil free’ automatically equates to no deforestation which consistently misleads consumers. That’s why the Sustainable Palm Oil Communities Project and its wider partnerships continue to advocate for deforestation-free sustainable palm oil as the most efficient, regulated and sustainable solution to a growing global demand for vegetable oil.

To help us shift the narrative, the project has expanded to include a growing list of Ambassadors, such as popular food-to-go retailer Greggs, who are leading by example and utilising their extensive platforms to amplify campaign messaging. These larger businesses not only help educate customers on just how important it is to source sustainable palm oil, but also often simultaneously become a champion themselves when based in one of the campaign’s communities.

In November 2024, the campaign was recognised on the global stage. As part of Chester Zoo’s broader collaboration with Ferrero, the partnership was awarded the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil’s ‘Communicating for Good Award’, voted for live at the 2024 Annual Roundtable Conference on Sustainable Palm Oil in Bangkok. The award is a clear testament to the campaign’s success in driving positive behaviour change through collective action, and we were absolutely delighted to share this achievement with our sustainable palm oil network.

As we look to the future, our mission remains unchanged. We’re inviting more businesses and organisations to join us in shifting the market towards a sustainable future. If you would like to get involved in the sustainable palm oil communities project, either as a champion for one of our sustainable palm oil communities, or as an ambassador, please get in touch at spocity@chesterzoo.org or go to Sustainable Palm Oil – Everything You Need To Know | Chester Zoo to find out more.

“Is there any wildlife here?” I asked the plantation worker. “Yes there is, we see monkeys, deer, sometimes even a sun bear.” “And birds too,” his colleague adds from a distance. What are these animals doing here?

There are almost 30 million hectares of oil palm plantations across the globe. Plantations are not forest: they are home to fewer species, have simplified vegetation structure and suffer from human disturbance. But that doesn’t mean plantations have no role to support and increase biodiversity values. Animals such as the orangutan, but also deer, elephants, giant anteaters or sun bears, make use of oil palm plantations.

Of course most animals do not live exclusively in plantations. But there is an increasing change of view that wildlife can survive in disturbed and mosaic landscapes. This means knowing animal behaviour and understanding their movement. Did you know that male orangutans can travel up to 10 km through oil palm plantations and navigate using rivers or high points?

Biodiversity in plantations is not just about large mammals.

But biodiversity in plantations is not just about large mammals. Small termites, bacteria or fungi are as important for ecosystems as elephants or orangutans. Together these forms of biodiversity create the basis for ecological functioning of the world we live in. They must therefore be taken into account as a whole for effective biodiversity protection.

Allowing more floral diversity and complexity in undergrowth creates habitat for insects and other ‘hidden biodiversity’ in oil palm plantations. Insects can benefit the oil palm by controlling pests, improve soil and pollinate palms. As insects depend on undergrowth, limiting the frequency of spraying herbicides or only targeting specific zones will boost their occurrence and diversity. Understory vegetation also increases soil fertility, water-holding capacity and prevents soil erosion.

Probably the easiest practice to boost biodiversity: placing artificial bird perches attracts predatory birds that can enhance biological pest control, especially against rodents. Perches are vital as a heightened vantage punt for hunting, resting, preying, and roosting of predatory birds. White-throated Kingfisher (left and bottom right) and Collared Kingfisher (top right) prey on pups and juvenile rodents, potentially controlling rodents at pre-breeding stage. This complements presence of introduced barn owls who prey on adults and by night only.

Photo credits: Badrul Azhar, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM)

Cattle grazing and intercropping between young oil palms reduces weeds and therefore use of herbicides. Interestingly it is usually something that is only applied by smallholders – not by companies who are still reluctant to try this.

Photo credit: Thijs Pasmans and PT Arconesia

But my favourite biodiversity practice however, is still under–exposed.

But my favourite biodiversity practice however, is still under-exposed: redesigning the plantation landscape. The need for replanting is an excellent opportunity for that. Replanting aged oil palms, usually a clear-cut activity, takes away the biodiversity and habitat complexity that has been built up for 25-30 years: a ‘second wave’ of biodiversity loss.

However, when well-planned, replanting can contribute to improved permeability, connectivity and reducing negative impact on habitat and microclimates in plantations. For example, by planting every other row or alternating between oil palm patches and integrating new plantings with ‘forest islands’ and intercropping. An approach already happening ‘naturally’ in smallholder plantation landscapes because replanting is done on a smaller scale and not at the same time. Can we learn from what is happening here?

As we walk back to the car I can’t stop feeling how excited I am: it’s not just a paper reality, animals are really making use of plantations. And I am not even at an oil palm plantation, but walking between endless rows of natural rubber trees. Maybe there is a need to update the visual guide and include other tree crops as well.

Want to know more?

Read the IUCN NL report called “Boosting Biodiversity: a visual guide to promote biodiversity values in oil palm landscapes”. The guide aims to show the potential of these existing plantations for biodiversity in fragmented landscapes. 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 what is already out there.

Visual guide to boosting biodiversity in palm oil landscapes | IUCN NL 

About the author:

Thijs runs his own sustainability consultancy since 2019. He has 11 years of experience in policy development, due diligence regulations and certifications, especially in palm oil. In 2022, he started supporting IUCN-NL in their advocacy on sustainable palm oil. He has written and contributed to studies and reports for organisations such as the RSPO and IUCN and helped develop Remediation and Compensation Plans for oil palm growers. He has also organised successful government to government dialogues and conferences as part of the secretary of the Amsterdam Declaration Partnership.

“Absolutely no palm oil, ever!”

A bold claim, often printed proudly across product packaging. But it’s a largely unhelpful statement that stokes consumer fear without offering a clear understanding of the issue. The impacts of palm oil, like those of any vegetable oil, depend far more on how and where it’s produced than on the crop itself.

Fears surrounding palm oil, and the marketing advantages gained by promoting “palm-oil-free” products, are largely driven by media narratives that focus solely on the negative. These one-sided portrayals often ignore the contexts in which palm oil is produced ethically and sustainably, and more importantly, they rarely mention the environmental downsides of the oils that typically replace it.

For example, one frequently cited claim is that palm oil is found in 50% of supermarket products. You may have come across it before; it has become a staple of anti-palm oil campaigns. Big numbers presented in familiar contexts are powerful tools for shaping perception. Think of the widely used image of “6 football fields of forest lost every minute” (ref). But given their potential to influence public opinion and behavior, such statistics should be grounded in solid evidence.

A recent study by myself and a team of scientists, currently under peer-review, explored this particular claim, originally popularized by WWF in 2006. It didn’t take long to discover that the “50%” figure wasn’t backed by research. The parameters were unclear. Did this refer to global supermarkets? Were only packaged goods included? What about household items, fresh produce, or cleaning supplies?

Assessing all products in all supermarkets across the world would be a stretch for a research team of just five. Instead, we selected a random sample of around 2,000 items across three major supermarket chains in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Australia as a practical way to test the claim’s validity.

Our preliminary findings are eye-opening. Palm oil was found in far fewer products than the widely cited 50% claim suggests. In fact, oil crops like maize, rapeseed, and soya appeared in more products than palm (Figure 1). Yet, when was the last time you saw a product proudly declare it was free of rapeseed?

Figure 1. Overall Relative Presence of Oil Crop Derivatives

This isn’t to say that palm oil is without its issues or that we should be advocating for its inclusion in everything we consume. Rather, it highlights how palm oil has become an easy scapegoat—singled out by powerful campaigns that have turned it into public enemy number one, while the environmental and social costs of other oils remain largely overlooked.

This study underscores a critical point: the environmental and social impact of any crop—palm oil, soya, maize, or otherwise—is determined not by the crop itself, but by how and where it’s produced. Palm oil isn’t inherently worse than other vegetable oils. In fact, it’s highly land efficient compared to many alternatives. The issue lies in the production practices: deforestation, exploitation, and lack of oversight in some regions are what give palm oil its tarnished name.

Unfortunately, when campaigns present selective or misleading information, they can skew public perception. By vilifying palm oil without context, they may unintentionally endorse its replacements, many of which are just as problematic, if not more so, in different ways. When a product boasts that it’s “palm oil free,” consumers often see that as a moral shortcut. They’re offered a quick and simple choice, and who wouldn’t take the easier option when the narrative feels so clear?

But that clarity is often an illusion. The truth is messy, nuanced, and less marketable. If we truly care about sustainable agriculture and reducing harm, we need to move beyond binary thinking. Consumers must look beyond the label, question the sourcing of all ingredients, and push brands to provide real transparency, whether a product contains palm oil or not.

Sustainability doesn’t come from swapping one logo for another. It comes from understanding systems, challenging simplified narratives, and demanding that all producers of palm, soy, sunflower, or rapeseed be held to the same high standards.

Because if we’re only asking whether a product contains palm oil, we’re not asking the right question.

Oil palm in West Africa

When we think about oil palm cultivation, Southeast Asia often comes to mind. The industry’s rapid expansion there has been well-researched, particularly its effects on biodiversity and the environment. But oil palm cultivation is now rapidly expanding West Africa, where it grows naturally and has been traditionally harvested for centuries. Unlike the industrial-scale plantations that are common in Southeast Asia, many West African farmers cultivate oil palm alongside subsistence crops like cassava, rice, and banana in what’s known locally as ‘country palm’ farms. These small-scale farms stand in stark contrast to the industrial plantations which are now increasing across the region, where foreign companies are clearing rainforests to establish oil palm monocultures using intensive agricultural techniques.

While research on oil palm’s ecological impact in Southeast Asia is extensive, much less is known about its effects in West Africa. That’s why, as part of the Sustainable Oil Palm in West Africa (SOPWA) Project, we set out to study the biodiversity of ground-dwelling arthropods (insects, spiders, and similar creatures) across three different systems in Liberia: natural rainforest, traditional country palm farms, and industrial oil palm plantations.

Traditional and industrial oil palm farming impacts arthropod biodiversity in Liberia

Our findings were fascinating. While the total number of arthropods didn’t vary significantly across our study systems, the composition of these communities did. We saw shifts in the abundance of spiders (Araneae), springtails (Collembola), earwigs (Dermaptera), and flies (Diptera). We conducted species-level analyses on spiders, owing to their key roles as predators within tropical agricultural systems. Our spider results indicated that country palm supported the greatest number of spider individuals and species, and that all systems supported distinct spider assemblages.

Why is this important for oil palm cultivation?

Biodiversity isn’t just important for conservation – it directly affects agriculture. Spiders, for instance, prey on insect pests like slug moth caterpillars and bagworms, which can significantly damage oil palm yields. Maintaining high abundances of spiders within industrial oil palm plantations may lead to increased predation of pests, and potentially higher crop yields. Springtails and earwigs play a key role in decomposition and are prey for other arthropods, whilst flies are pollinators and decomposers. Therefore, the differences in arthropod biodiversity that we found across our study systems are not only important for conservation but also oil palm yields, owing to the vital ecosystem functions that many arthropod species provide.

How can we protect arthropods in oil palm systems?

To conserve arthropods in West African oil palm plantations, a few management strategies can be considered:

1. Maintain forest fragments near plantations:Preserving patches of natural forest within or around oil palm farms can provide refuge for beneficial species, enhancing biodiversity and ecosystem services (e.g., pest control, pollination).
2. Reduce herbicide use:Allowing understory vegetation to grow can create habitat complexity, supporting a wider range of arthropods.
3. Diversify plantations:Integrating polyculture systems or tree islands within oil palm farms can improve species richness by increasing vegetation diversity.

While these approaches have been studied in Southeast Asia, their effectiveness in West Africa is still uncertain. More research is needed to determine how best to balance crop yields with conservation in this unique context. Identifying such strategies is a key component to ensuring the long-term sustainability of the West African oil palm industry.

More information:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969724019934

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167880925001586

Agricultural expansion is ongoing, and so is an ever-increasing overlap between agricultural land and natural habitats. Traditionally, this overlap has been viewed as an unavoidable threat to biodiversity. However, recent findings suggest that, with proper management, species can thrive in agricultural landscapes. This presents an opportunity to transform biodiversity monitoring systems into ones that embrace coexistence, enhance ecosystems, and support business performance without compromising sustainability.

A recent study by Maharani et al. examines such a system: PENDAKI, a pilot project developed by Borneo Futures for Austindo Nusantara Jaya (ANJ), in Indonesia. This citizen science-based monitoring program relies on plantation workers to collect biodiversity data during their daily tasks. The information gathered helps the company track species trends, understand habitat use, and inform conservation strategies within palm oil estates.

Since 2019, PENDAKI has recorded over 148,000 wildlife observations across seven estates, contributed by approximately 3,950 participants. Unlike traditional biodiversity surveys, which are often conducted by external experts and remove data from those working in the field, PENDAKI engages on-site staff directly. This not only democratizes data collection but also fosters a sense of ownership and pride among participants.

Interviews with PENDAKI contributors revealed that workers felt greater appreciation for biodiversity and valued being part of a company that prioritizes sustainability. Many reported gaining knowledge of species names, conservation statuses, and the importance of protecting wildlife.

Why Presence Alone Isn’t Enough

Understanding species abundance—not just their presence—is crucial for effective biodiversity management. It is very difficult to adaptively manage wildlife if you only look at species presence. What you need instead is an indicator of abundance, how this varies over time, and why. This allows an estate manager to plan and budget appropriate habitat and threat management to maintain wildlife populations of high conservation value.

PENDAKI employs special models designed for opportunistically collected wildlife observation through non-systematic surveys. These models account for imperfect detection and biases in data collection. The resulting data allow researchers to track species populations over time and measure biodiversity trends through the Living Plantation Index (LPI)—an estate-specific wildlife diversity index.

Figure. Living Plantation Index for PT KAL, Kalimantan, Indonesia, showing an increase in wildlife abundance and richness from 2020 to 2024, in this case combining data from 60 wildlife species. Baseline year 2020 = index value 100.

The data can also be used spatially. For example, orangutans were observed not only in protected forests but also in oil palm blocks (see map below), highlighting the need for wildlife corridors. Meanwhile, species like the White-breasted Waterhen showed higher occupancy in planted areas, challenging assumptions about wildlife distribution in agricultural settings.

Figure. An example of the use of occupancy statistics for orangutans derived from PENDAKI.

A Cost-Effective Model for Conservation

One of PENDAKI’s biggest advantages is its affordability. The program costs just USD 0.14 per hectare annually, far less than traditional wildlife surveys or surveys using drones or camera traps. This makes it a scalable and financially viable approach to biodiversity monitoring.

Conclusion

This study demonstrates that citizen science can revolutionize biodiversity monitoring in oil palm plantations. By leveraging the power of local engagement, companies can gather valuable ecological data, support conservation, and strengthen their sustainability commitments—all while keeping costs low. If you want to know more about potential implementation in your company, feel free to reach out to us at emeijaard@borneofutures.org.

For more information on the work of Borneo Futures, visit www.borneofutures.org.