Oil palm plantations and transboundary haze: patronage networks and land licensing in Indonesians peatlands

Peatlands in Indonesia are protected by regulations that forbid the conversion of these lands into plantations. However, peat fires here have been found to be a major source of smoke that travels across national boundaries creating regional haze. Despite these regulations, more than a quarter of all Indonesian oil palm plantations are on peat. This paper argues that patronage networks within the Indonesian oil palm sector have been a major factor in the unsustainable use of peatlands there. Rampant patronage politics have made it easy for well-connected companies to skirt regulations to obtain licenses for these lands. Decentralization has further encouraged this practice at the regional level, as regional elites are eager to reap the benefits of local investments. In addition, clients are able to exert their influence over state decisionmaking to ensure that any changes to the licensing process does not jeopardize their access to these lands. These converted lands are highly fire-prone. Furthermore, some companies have been found to use fire as a cheap way to clear the land for planting. Hence, this paper argues that transboundary haze in Southeast Asia can be traced back to the ongoing oil palm boom in Indonesia, bolstered by patronage networks

Palm oil intensification and expansion in Indonesia and Malaysia: Environmental and socio-political factors influencing policy

Intensification and expansion are two essential tenets of commercial agriculture. This paper analyses trends of intensification and expansion at the national level, particularly in the oil palm sector in Indonesia and Malaysia. Despite similar starting points and also comparable rates of increasing productivity and profit in this sector, both countries have developed almost opposite trajectories of land use. While both intensification and expansion has occurred in these countries, national indicators show that Malaysia has largely pursued intensification while Indonesia has overwhelmingly favoured expansion. Using the framework of the Jevons paradox, this paper contributes to the existing literature by arguing how and why political and social factors, rather than technology and market incentives, can better account for the differences between yield and land use efficiency in Indonesia and Malaysia today. The paper argues that expansion in Malaysia has been curtailed by the Malaysian government's pledge to maintain at least 50% forest cover in the late 1990s, coupled with a government supported corporate strategy of establishing plantations in Indonesia. Indonesia has made no such pledge, leading to expansionist policies focused on market creation and production goals with limited incentives for technology-driven intensification. It also notes however that in recent years, new socio-political developments in both countries may yet change this clear dichotomy of opposing land use strategies between these two countries, namely Sarawak's recent autonomous tendencies over land use and Indonesia's new leadership and international No Deforestation Peat and Exploitation (NDPE) commitments

'Seasons of the Anthropocene': politicisation of the haze season in Southeast Asia

In the last three decades, a new ‘haze season’ has emerged in Indonesian, Malaysian, and Singaporean societies to signify the recurring air pollution episode caused by the widespread burning of tropical peatlands. This study delves into the discursive framework of ‘seasonality’ surrounding the societal perception and response to haze, exploring ‘haze season’ as an adaptation context and ‘haze’ as a mitigation strategy. Deploying a three-step methodology, this paper identifies and analyses key storylines used by various political actors to attribute meaning to haze, namely (1) ‘it keeps coming back’, (2) ‘it will go away’, and (3) ‘it is normal’. Different political actors deploy these storylines for distinct purposes. The objectives of storyline deployment align mostly between governments and corporations seeking to explain, legitimise, and detract from mitigation inefficiencies and adaptation inadequacies, with civil society organisations being the sole challenges and critique of this patronage network structures, where governments and companies tolerate unsustainable agroforestry practices leading to haze. The study underscores the significance of understanding the politics involved in constructing ‘seasons of the Anthropocene’. Divergent framing of seasonality by different actors reveals the underlying mechanisms influencing environmental change mitigation and adaptation. The construction of Anthropocene seasons can be a double-edged sword, with familiarisation enhancing societal preparedness, while normalisation can lead to desensitisation and inertia towards mitigation. Untangling the divergent pathways of politicising Anthropocene seasonalities holds the key to determining whether and how societies can build a ‘liveable future’. By grasping the dynamics of the ‘haze season’ discourse, we can project effective environmental action and address the challenges posed by recurring haze episodes

The Ambiguities of Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil Certification: Internal Incoherence, Governance Rescaling and State Transformation

There are persistent tensions of both a technical and political nature between Southeast Asia’s two major palm oil producers, Indonesia and Malaysia, and the sustainability governance mechanisms shaping global environmental and trade standards emerging from Europe. The establishment of the national Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) certification standard in 2011 is a sign of discontent with the transnational Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) regime, sparking debate about the legitimacy of private governance models initiated by non-governmental organizations and companies in Europe. This article questions whether the adoption of sustainability norms by Indonesia signals normative convergence or the emergence of rival governance structures that challenge the state. Evidence suggests that elements of norm adoption and rival governance coexist in Indonesia and that ISPO certification is an ambiguous policy with degrees of internal incoherence. The ambiguous nature of ISPO certification gives rise to unresolved disputes over power and authority between various actors. This article shows how these disputes came into being by framing these dynamics as part of a long historical process. Novel insights are gained by employing the state transformation framework and the concept of governance rescaling. Within this framework, we argue that the ambiguous nature of the ISPO results from complex interrelated processes of fragmentation, decentralization and the internationalization of the Indonesian state

Denial of long-term issues with agriculture on tropical peatlands will have devastating consequences

Non peer reviewe

Co-producing a Research Agenda for Sustainable Palm Oil

The rise of palm oil as the world’s most consumed vegetable oil has coincided with exponential growth in palm oil research activity. Bibliometric analysis of research outputs reveals a distinct imbalance in the type of research being undertaken, notably a disproportionate focus on biofuel and engineering topics. Recognizing the expansion of oil palm agriculture across the tropics and the increasing awareness of environmental, social, and economic impacts, we seek to reorientate the existing research agenda toward one that addresses the most fundamental and urgent questions defined by the palm oil stakeholder community. Following consultation with 659 stakeholders from 38 countries, including palm oil growers, government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and researchers, the highest priority research questions were identified within 13 themes. The resulting 279 questions, including 26 ranked as top priority, reveal a diversity of environmental and social research challenges facing the industry, ranging from the ecological and ecosystem impacts of production, to the livelihoods of plantation workers and smallholder communities. Analysis of the knowledge type produced from these questions underscores a clear need for fundamental science programmes, and studies that involve the consultation of non-academic stakeholders to develop “transformative” solutions to the oil palm sector. Stakeholders were most aligned in their choice of priority questions across the themes of policy and certification related themes, and differed the most in environmental feedback, technology and smallholder related themes. Our recommendations include improved regional academic leadership and coordination, greater engagement with private and public stakeholders in Africa, and Central and South America, and enhanced collaborative efforts with researchers in the major consuming countries of India and China.The online survey and focus groups were funded by the Geran Kursi Endowmen MPOB-UKM Malaysia, and the Royal Geographical Society UK. The residential workshop was supported from by British Council and Academy Science Malaysia via the UK Newton Ungku-Omar Fund. ZD, JB, and MS are supported by the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NE/K016407/1; http://lombok.nerc-hmtf.info/)

Denial of long-term issues with agriculture on tropical peatlands will have devastating consequences

Lette

Malaysian investors in the Indonesian oil palm plantation sector: home state facilitation and transboundary haze

This paper analyses the regionalization of Malaysian oil palm plantation firms into Indonesia. These firms have been implicated in starting fires to clear land for planting, which has resulted in transboundary haze. This paper argues that these Malaysian investors have been able to burn with impunity, despite the dire consequences of haze on their home country, because of the close patronage relationships and vested interests of the Malaysian government elites in these companies. Because of this, the home government is inclined to protect and defend the actions of these firms in Indonesia against such allegations, while the Malaysian public continues to suffer the haze