Jurisdictional Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (JCSPO)
- Sabah, Malaysia

How to balance nature conservation and sustainable palm oil production

Plantations generally have adverse effects for nature conservation because they introduce monoculture agriculture to the land. For example, palm oil is produced by plantations, but this practice has been criticized because biodiversity and natural habitats are lost due to deforestation. In the case of Sabah, Malaysia, palm oil production supports the lives of the people, but the loss of biodiversity caused by palm oil has led to the loss of wildlife and natural habitats. For example, the habitat for Bornean elephants has decreased, and the species is now listed as endangered. Because their natural habitat has decreased, elephants sometimes destroy human crops resulting in conflict between humans and elephants. There are also concerns about the loss of local traditions and culture, but at the same time there is demand for plantations because of their economic benefits. Therefore, from the perspective of government officials and producers, plantations are established out of necessity, so it is not productive to simply ban plantations. Instead, efforts should be made to make them as sustainable and ecological as possible. The specific challenges of balancing sustainable plantation and nature conservation vary from one place to another, and they need to be responded to in a location specific way.

Sabah’s jurisdictional approach to strike a balance between sustainable development and nature conservation

Given the issues facing Sabah, the government decided to utilize the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). The RSPO is a global initiative composed of 7 sectors of the palm oil industry: oil palm producers, processors or traders, consumer goods manufacturers, retailers, banks/investors, and environmental and social non-governmental organizations. The RSPO develops and implements global standards for sustainable palm oil and issues a certification for producers who meet these standards. The RSPO’s latest principles and criteria for certification include nature conservation, namely, to “protect, conserve and enhance ecosystems and the environment” (Principle 7). This principle is further broken down into detailed criteria and indicators, which provide detailed instructions for stakeholders in the palm oil industry. However, merely recommending producers acquire the RSPO certification will not solve the issues in Sabah. Firstly, it is difficult for small-scale producers to comply with these criteria due to a lack of resources and expertise. Secondly, if the landscape is a mosaic of certified and non-certified producers, then it is not enough to secure wildlife habitat. And lastly, without top-down administrative control, the efficient allocation of land for conservation and plantation areas will not be achieved. Thus, there seems to be one more step, beyond RSPO, needed for the adequate conservation of nature in areas with many plantation fields.

This is where the uniqueness of the Sabah government’s JCSPO initiative lies. The initiative is composed of three elements. First, Sabah is committed to achieving 100% RSPO certificated palm oil production by 2025. Second, Sabah aims to protect more than 50% of forest cover in Sabah and to ensure that more than 30% of land area is protected. Third, the government will enhance nature restoration activities where necessary. With this policy package, JCSPO aims to overcome and complement the shortcomings of RSPO discussed above by making it part of a landscape-wide approach. JCSPO covers the entire administrative area and is equipped with a governance structure that provides the necessary oversight and supervision for the entire area. For instance, the Jurisdiction Certification Steering Committee, composed of government agencies, private companies, and civil society organizations, provides necessary advice and instructions for local palm oil producers. JCSPO is not just a program to make each plantation sustainable, as RSPO does, but also a framework to incorporate each plantation into the overall landscape management strategy. By doing so, it opens the way to discuss the appropriate allocation of lands for palm oil production and nature conservation in Sabah.

Key factors to realize the jurisdictional approach in Sabah

Sabah’s JCSPO is a commitment toward 2025, and there will be many challenges to overcome in the upcoming process. Having said that, there are a few positive elements to highlight. First, in Sabah, private companies and civil society are working together with the government to identify areas with suitable geographical conditions for plantations and areas that need protection to ensure elephant habitat. It is important to involve local residents in the decision-making process, since the decisions affect land planning, which has a direct impact on them. The governance structure discussed above has helped to provide a forum for multi-stakeholder discussions. Second, Sabah leverages support and cooperation from international actors. One notable example is the WWF-Malaysia project, Sabah Landscapes Programme. In this program, WWF-Malaysia implements what they call a Living Landscapes approach, composed of four pillars of activities, which are largely in line with JCSPO: supporting global, national, and state conservation targets, contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, supporting the Sabah State Government Policy to fully protect 30% of its land area and 50% natural forest cover, and finally supporting Sabah’s 100% RSPO target. Cooperation with WWF is important for Sabah because the government can then receive expert advice and consult about the process of acquiring RSPO certification and selecting areas for palm-oil production, nature conservation, and nature restoration.

Tips for users

• Sabah’s JCSPO is inspiring other parts of the world to make their plantations sustainable and ecological. Sabah’s case demonstrates how effective a landscape-based approach can be and provides an example of how to make it happen.
• International support helps to fill gaps in resources and expertise. In Sabah’s case, the support of WWF contributes to the implementation of Sabah’s JCSPO scheme.