概要

The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) Principles and Criteria set out the standards against which accredited oil palm producers are certified. This report provides a critical assessment of the guidance and recommendations for soil erosion control set out within the RSPO's Principles and Criteria and supporting documents. This report was prepared following a review of peer-reviewed scientific literature as well as government, NGO and industry reports to identify the drivers of soil erosion within oil palm estates. The RSPO Principles and Criteria for erosion control were then assessed against the scientific literature and the guidelines for erosion control provided by both government and non-governmental organisations in tropical regions. Because of the paucity of observational studies directly relating to soil erosion within oil palm plantations, however, the report has also drawn on research from other types of plantations, logged forest and agricultural systems in the tropics.