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Reducing Carbon Emissions from Forest Conversion for Oil Palm Agriculture in Gabon

Publication ,  Journal Article
Burton, MEH; Poulsen, JR; Lee, ME; Medjibe, VP; Stewart, CG; Venkataraman, A; White, LJT
Published in: Conservation Letters
May 1, 2017

Growing demand for palm oil is driving its expansion into the African tropics, potentially leading to significant carbon emissions if tropical forest is converted to palm monoculture. In this first study of a Central African oil palm concession (31,800 ha), we predict that the conversion of 11,500 ha of logged forest to a palm plantation in Gabon will release 1.50 Tg C (95% CI = [1.29, 1.76]). These emissions could be completely offset over 25 years through sequestration in planned forest set-asides given a 2.6:1 ratio of logged to converted forest. Using an agricultural suitability model, we find that careful national land-use planning could largely avoid high carbon emissions while meeting goals for palm oil production. We recommend that Gabon adopts a national carbon threshold for land conversion and requires concession-level set-aside ratios that meet no-net emissions criteria as mechanisms for steering plantations away from high carbon forests.

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Published In

Conservation Letters

DOI

EISSN

1755-263X

Publication Date

May 1, 2017

Volume

10

Issue

3

Start / End Page

297 / 307

Related Subject Headings

  • Ecology
 

Citation

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Burton, M. E. H., Poulsen, J. R., Lee, M. E., Medjibe, V. P., Stewart, C. G., Venkataraman, A., & White, L. J. T. (2017). Reducing Carbon Emissions from Forest Conversion for Oil Palm Agriculture in Gabon. Conservation Letters, 10(3), 297–307. https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12265
Burton, M. E. H., J. R. Poulsen, M. E. Lee, V. P. Medjibe, C. G. Stewart, A. Venkataraman, and L. J. T. White. “Reducing Carbon Emissions from Forest Conversion for Oil Palm Agriculture in Gabon.” Conservation Letters 10, no. 3 (May 1, 2017): 297–307. https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12265.
Burton MEH, Poulsen JR, Lee ME, Medjibe VP, Stewart CG, Venkataraman A, et al. Reducing Carbon Emissions from Forest Conversion for Oil Palm Agriculture in Gabon. Conservation Letters. 2017 May 1;10(3):297–307.
Burton, M. E. H., et al. “Reducing Carbon Emissions from Forest Conversion for Oil Palm Agriculture in Gabon.” Conservation Letters, vol. 10, no. 3, May 2017, pp. 297–307. Scopus, doi:10.1111/conl.12265.
Burton MEH, Poulsen JR, Lee ME, Medjibe VP, Stewart CG, Venkataraman A, White LJT. Reducing Carbon Emissions from Forest Conversion for Oil Palm Agriculture in Gabon. Conservation Letters. 2017 May 1;10(3):297–307.
Journal cover image

Published In

Conservation Letters

DOI

EISSN

1755-263X

Publication Date

May 1, 2017

Volume

10

Issue

3

Start / End Page

297 / 307

Related Subject Headings

  • Ecology