Oil palm for the people

Palm oil might seem an odd proposition for reducing poverty and preserving rainforests. In recent years, the negative environmental and social impacts associated with its cultivation have become widely known. In the Brazilian Amazon, however, there are hopes that the relatively-new palm oil industry will avoid some of the mistakes made in other parts of the world, and provide opportunities to benefit local people, help avoid deforestation and recover degraded lands. Will it work? That depends on the institutions, regulations and support that’s put in place around the nascent industry, say the co-authors of a recent Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) study. Read the full story on Forests News.