Ecosystem-based evaluation of two sustainability standards applied to oil palm cultivation in Sabah, Malaysia

Vast tropical rainforests of South-East Asia have increasingly been converted into oil palm plantations driven by consumption of plant oils replacing fossil fuels. Sustainability certification is expected to safeguard... [ view full abstract ]

Vast tropical rainforests of South-East Asia have increasingly been converted into oil palm plantations driven by consumption of plant oils replacing fossil fuels. Sustainability certification is expected to safeguard ecosystem-friendly biomass production. The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil with European Union Renewable Energy Directive requirements (RSPO-RED) and the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) for the production of biofuel from palm oil were approved to comply with the Renewable Energy Directive of the European Union (EU-RED). Standardised methods for systematically assessing the performance of certification schemes are poorly developed. We propose an ecosystem-based approach called ECOSEFFECT and apply it to evaluate the theoretical effects of ISCC and RSPO-RED implemented to oil palm plantations in Sabah, Malaysia. The method acknowledges the holistic structure of interrelated and nested systems. In particular, it assumes economics is nested within social systems, which in turn are embedded in ecosystem complexes. The maintenance of the ecosystem integrity is fundamental for achieving sustainable natural resource use and for securing the provision of ecosystem services in the long-term, which is essential for human-wellbeing. Based on literature, spatial analyses, and field visits in consultation with experts and stakeholders, the situation in Sabah was analysed. A systemic conceptual model was developed to collect and illustrate environmental stresses, anthropogenic threats, and contributing factors together with their causal interrelations. In the frame of a multi-stakeholder workshop, the two sustainability standards were mapped into the conceptual model and potential outcomes were formulated and semi-quantitatively evaluated along postulated result-chains. Results of the study suggest that RSPO-RED has some potential for reducing certain threats to biodiversity and ecosystems in Sabah. However, the ecological effectiveness of the measures prescribed under the certification is not plausible. The theoretical analysis showed that the certification system of RSPO-RED is likely to effectively change a small proportion of strategically relevant underlying causes that directly or indirectly lead to biodiversity degradation. Only one single factor considered as highly relevant is very likely to be transformed effectively. RSPO-RED influences less than half of the threats identified during the situation analysis. The effectiveness rating revealed that none of the identified threats is likely to be effectively mitigated. ISCC influences around one third of identified contributing factors and one tenth is very likely to be changed effectively. None of the highly relevant contributing factors is very likely to be changed effectively. Almost two-thirds of identified threats are targeted, but none is very likely to be improved effectively. Both standards must be enhanced, e.g. providing science-based thresholds for the use of agrochemicals, adequate spatial and temporal planning, climate change adaptation, and maintaining the hydrology and natural vegetation for becoming a legitimate policy instrument guiding sustainable biofuel production.