About the pilot project The tropical areas suitable for palm oil plantations are incredibly rich in biodiversity. For many years, oil palm production has been associated with negative impacts on global biodiversity, as it significantly contributes to land-use changes in tropical forests, peatlands, and other species-rich habitats. The major direct impact on biodiversity caused by palm oil cultivation is habitat loss caused by deforestation and the burning of peat or natural vegetation to prepare the land for planting. Since the 1990s, palm oil has become a global commodity widely used in processed foods and is the highest yielding plant producing vegetable oil. Palm oil is produced from palm trees cultivated in Western Africa and South and Central America, but the most considerable extension of palm oil fields is in Indonesia and Malaysia, which provide 85% of the world production. This pilot aims to advance Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and biodiversity conservation practices at the farm level for palm oil producers. To sustainably produce palm oil, there is more than concentrating on preventing deforestation or habitat loss. Advanced integrated pest management (IPM), less toxic plant protection products, and improving biodiversity-friendly production practices are crucial to arrive at environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable production systems with maximum resilience. The pilot includes the development of an additional module of Malaysia-specific pesticide data for the Pesticides & Alternatives APP, a survey of biodiversity-friendly practices currently implemented by farmers, and a census of insect diversity and their associated host plants on oil palm farms – both pest and beneficial insects. The results of this census will provide important additional information about the natural history of beneficial and pest insects and their host plants in local oil palm production regions. An international team of entomologists and botanists will discuss the results to understand plant-insect interactions and…
