Oil Palm & Forest Conversion - RSPO · WWF-Malaysia • Trust founded in 1972 as a charitable trust...
Transcript of Oil Palm & Forest Conversion - RSPO · WWF-Malaysia • Trust founded in 1972 as a charitable trust...
Oil Palm & Forest Conversion
WWF-Malaysia's Activities with the Oil Palm Sector
Dato' Dr. Mikaail Kavanagh AbdullahRoundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil Kuala Lumpur, 21-22 August 2003
Presentation Outline
1. WWF Malaysia: Who We Are & What We Do
2. WWF Malaysia & Oil Palm Sector3. Interaction & Engagement of Oil Palm
Sector4. Project Updates5. The Next Steps
WWF-Malaysia• Trust founded in 1972 as a charitable trust
in Malaysia with full tax exemptions for donors and organisation
• Core business: Biodiversity conservation, sustainable development
• Works in partnership with stakeholders to address environmental problems
• Credible NGO in Malaysia consulted by government, industry and public
• HQ in Petaling Jaya with regional office in Kota Kinabalu
Core Priorities and Themes
Why Oil Palm is an Issue• Concern over role of oil
palm sector in deforestation
• Palm oil is an important economic pillar for Malaysia
• WWF-M believes it is acting in the interest of all parties to mitigate unconstructive actions (like boycotts) by solutions oriented approach
Oil Palm related activities• A part of protecting Malaysia's
forests– HCVF and land use planning– Lower Kinabatangan Floodplain
• Saving charismatic animal species
– Asian Rhino and Elephant Action Strategy (AREAS)
– Tiger-human conflict resolution• Other priorities
– Freshwater habitat conservation– Better business and industry
practices
Progress to Date
Working on different fronts to achieve conservation:
1. Better Management Practices implementation
2. Tiger-Human Conflict resolution3. Partners for Wetlands Programme,
Kinabatangan, Sabah (land-use / forest restoration project)
Making Business Linkages
• Engaging Malaysian Palm Oil Association– Promoting dialogue and joint solutions
• Green business as a competitive edge– Better Management Practices to increase
productivity and gain market access– Safeguarding reputation and market share
• Learning from plantation companies– Developing industry benchmarks– Understanding industry's role in sustainable
development• Ensuring a level playing field
Making Business Linkages
“Shooting” the Tiger in Terengganu & Kelantan
Land Use in the Lower Kinabatangan River, Sabah
Better Management Practices Suite of BMPs•Landscape level:
– Planning; HCVF– Mitigating human wildlife
conflicts• Plantation
– Restoration/ reforestation
– Zero-burn– Integrated Pest Mgmt.– Waste minimisation &
recycling
Moving Ahead - Future Plans• Testing BMPs with progressive
companies - promoting green productivity
• Identifying benchmarks for sustainable palm oil with stakeholders that contribute to the Roundtable process
• Recent criticisms have focussed on WWF's supposed role in a 'smear campaign' against palm oil
• Unfortunate that efforts not seen in same light
• Increased emphasis on communicating• Focus still on win-win partnerships
Moving Ahead - Future Plans
Thank You