Future oil palm expansion in Indonesia threatens ecosystem services balance.
The study looked at how different ways of expanding oil palm plantations in West Kalimantan, Indonesia could affect the environment. They considered three scenarios: business as usual, conservation, and sustainable intensification. By using special tools to analyze the land and ecosystem services, they found that the sustainable intensification scenario could help store more carbon and increase water yield, but might harm habitat quality. The conservation scenario was best for overall economic value of ecosystem services, while sustainable intensification balanced services and palm oil yield. This research shows that careful planning can help oil palm expansion without harming the environment too much.