Oil palm, biodiversity and the broader sustainability context of vegetable oil production

IUCN Resolution 061 of 2016 called for the establishment on an oil palm task force and for the implementation of a study on oil palm and biodiversity. Both objectives were successfully completed and the oil palm task force will take the opportunity to report back to IUCN members and the general public on its findings. One of the key insights from our analyses is that, while oil palm has clear negative impacts on tropical biodiversity, the high yields of the crop require that we also look at other oil crops such as soy, rapeseed, maize, sunflower and coconut to optimize land use for meeting future oil demand. In addition to these environmental concerns, there is a need to consider both positive and negative social impacts of vegetable oil production. The sustainability context of vegetable oil production is apparently much more complex than many may have thought.