An ecosystem services analysis of oil palm and alternative land use systems on peat in Malaysia

Middelberg Joline, . and Badrul Azhar, . and Kho Lip Khoon, . and Van Der Meer Peter J., . An ecosystem services analysis of oil palm and alternative land use systems on peat in Malaysia. pp. 468-479. ISSN 1511-2780

In this article we assess the potential of alternative land use systems using non-drainage peatland species which could eventually phase out or partly replace oil palm plantations on undrainable peatlands. We have used the ecosystem services approach to analyse what scenarios using drainage-free peatland species could be suitable alternatives for oil palm cultivation on peat and how these scenarios compare to oil palm plantations in terms of selected ecosystem services. Our results indicate that alternative paludiculture systems will provide more direct and indirect ecosystem services than oil palm plantations on peat. We also found that stakeholders were aware of issues with growing oil palm on peat and that there was a general intention for sustainable use of peatlands amongst several groups of stakeholders. Replacing oil palm with alternative systems such as paludiculture in Malaysia is not yet realistic. The most important impediments are a lack of knowledge on potential of non-drainage peatland species and its associated value chains as well as the technical difficulty for smallholders to implement such a system. We recommend starting experimental plantings with paludiculture systems to further test species performance life cycle analysis growth intercropping limitations and possibilities yields and improvements in the value chain.

Full text available from: Official URL: http://jopr.mpob.gov.my/wp-content/uploads/2019/09...

Abstract

In this article we assess the potential of alternative land use systems using non-drainage peatland species which could eventually phase out or partly replace oil palm plantations on undrainable peatlands. We have used the ecosystem services approach to analyse what scenarios using drainage-free peatland species could be suitable alternatives for oil palm cultivation on peat and how these scenarios compare to oil palm plantations in terms of selected ecosystem services. Our results indicate that alternative paludiculture systems will provide more direct and indirect ecosystem services than oil palm plantations on peat. We also found that stakeholders were aware of issues with growing oil palm on peat and that there was a general intention for sustainable use of peatlands amongst several groups of stakeholders. Replacing oil palm with alternative systems such as paludiculture in Malaysia is not yet realistic. The most important impediments are a lack of knowledge on potential of non-drainage peatland species and its associated value chains as well as the technical difficulty for smallholders to implement such a system. We recommend starting experimental plantings with paludiculture systems to further test species performance life cycle analysis growth intercropping limitations and possibilities yields and improvements in the value chain.

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Item Type:	Article
AGROVOC Term:	Elaeis guineensis
AGROVOC Term:	Oil palm
AGROVOC Term:	Plantations
AGROVOC Term:	Crop production
AGROVOC Term:	Ecosystems
AGROVOC Term:	Wetlands
AGROVOC Term:	Peatlands
AGROVOC Term:	Peat soils
AGROVOC Term:	Alternative agriculture
AGROVOC Term:	Land use
Depositing User:	Mr. AFANDI ABDUL MALEK
Last Modified:	24 Apr 2025 00:54
URI:	http://webagris.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/8683

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