Pathways to successful conservation management in oil palm landscapes

Posted on Wednesday 4 February 2026

The research, published in the journal Ecological Solutions and Evidence, was led by Dr Sarah Scriven from the University of York’s Department of Biology and Leverhulme Centre for Anthropocene Biodiversity, in collaboration with an international team of academics and practitioners. 

The study was carried out under the SEnSOR programme, coordinated by Dr Jennifer Lucey from the University of Oxford.

Conservation challenges

Palm oil is a key agricultural commodity worldwide, but its production can come at significant environmental and social costs. The RSPO certification standard requires member companies to conserve High Conservation Value (HCV) and High Carbon Stock (HCS) forests within their plantations, yet implementing these commitments effectively remains challenging.

The research team conducted detailed surveys and interviews with 18 sustainability managers from 12 palm oil companies in Malaysia and Indonesia, identifying major technical, social, and economic barriers to protecting biodiversity.

Dr Jennifer Lucey, co-author and researcher at Oxford’s Nature-based Solutions Initiative, said: “To achieve real conservation impact we need to bridge the gap between research and practice. 

By combining scientific evidence with the experience of practitioners, we can better understand what works, what doesn’t – and how we can improve.”

Some of the most common challenges identified by plantation managers were:

• Limited staff expertise in biodiversity monitoring
• Insufficient community participation and unclear land tenure
• Weak integration of monitoring data into management decisions
• Difficulty convincing senior management of biodiversity’s value

Recommendations for more effective conservation

Drawing on company experiences and evidence from the SEnSOR programme and wider literature, the authors developed 15 recommendations grouped into four key themes:

1. Respecting human rights – Strengthening Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) and ensuring Indigenous and local communities can meaningfully participate in management decisions.
2. Standardising biodiversity metrics – Developing clear and consistent approaches to measuring species and habitat change over time.
3. Building capacity – Training plantation staff and auditors in biodiversity management and monitoring, and supporting knowledge-sharing among companies.
4. Improving sustainability processes – Enhancing transparency, adaptive management, and landscape-scale collaboration.

Dr Helen Newing, from Oxford’s Interdisciplinary Centre for Conservation Science, added: “Protecting biodiversity in palm oil landscapes depends as much on respecting community rights and participation as on technical conservation measures. Long-term success requires both.”

The study also emphasises the need for improved data sharing and more standardised biodiversity monitoring across the palm oil sector. By linking scientific guidance with local knowledge and community participation, the authors argue that companies can more effectively demonstrate measurable gains for both people and nature.

Dr Scriven added: “This research provides a clear, evidence-based roadmap for how companies can strengthen biodiversity outcomes while meeting sustainability standards. Collaboration between science, policy and industry is key.”

The research was funded by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) through the SEnSOR project, with support from the South East Asia Rainforest Research Partnership (SEARRP). The interdisciplinary team included scientists and practitioners from the University of York, University of Oxford, Wageningen University, SEARRP, High Conservation Value Network, Borneo Futures and University of Kent.