Data from: Addressing the challenges of managing and monitoring biodiversity in High Conservation Value areas and High Carbon Stock forests within oil palm landscapes
Data files
Nov 20, 2025 version files 178.75 KB
Abstract
Corporate commitments to biodiversity protection are difficult to achieve due to limited knowledge of effective conservation strategies and insufficient attention to the social challenges involved in fulfilling these commitments. We explore these concerns in tropical oil palm landscapes focusing specifically on the commitment of members of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) to meeting environmental sustainability standards relating to maintaining or enhancing High Conservation Values (HCVs) and High Carbon Stock (HCS) forests.
Prior to developing new plantations, the RSPO requires that baseline assessments be conducted by licensed assessors to identify HCV and HCS forest areas for protection. Growers then develop management actions to mitigate threats to these HCVs and HCS forests and preserve the conservation values and carbon stocks within them.
We investigated the challenges that growers face in achieving these environmental sustainability commitments by carrying out online surveys and interviews of plantation managers (18 participants from 12 palm oil companies in Malaysia and Indonesia). We use findings from our survey and interview questions to make recommendations for improvements in managing and monitoring biodiversity within oil palm landscapes.
Practical Implication: Drawing on findings from our surveys and interviews, integrated with our knowledge of current policy and practice, we make 15 recommendations to help support biodiversity conservation, focused around four themes: (A) respecting human rights, including the rights to free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) and to participation in decision-making processes that affect people’s rights; (B) standardising biodiversity metrics, with guidance on measuring biodiversity and analysing data on species trends, recognising that local biodiversity is highly dynamic; (C) building management and monitoring capacity and buy-in from oil palm companies through training and sharing of best-practice; and (D) improving sustainability processes by incorporating information into monitoring and adaptive management systems, and creating open, transparent and standardised processes for regular reporting. We hope our recommendations will encourage the implementation of evidence-based practices that respect rights and incorporate local community perspectives, leading to better protection of biodiversity in oil palm landscapes in the long-term.
Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.qjq2bvqvj
Description of the data and file structure
This dataset contains anonymised survey and interview data collected from Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) member oil palm companies in Malaysia and Indonesia. The data were gathered as part of a study examining current biodiversity management and monitoring practices in RSPO certified and member plantations. The dataset includes responses from an online survey and summarised notes from semi-structured interviews. All participants provided informed consent for the publication of de-identified data in the public domain.
Files and variables
File: Anonymised_Online_Survey_Results_RSPO_Biodiversity_Management.xlsx
Description: This file contains anonymised responses from the online survey (Part 1 of the mixed-method study) conducted with sustainability staff from 12 Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) member companies using Qualtrics software (https://www.qualtrics.com/en-gb/). The survey comprised 30 questions about participants’ roles within their companies, the size of management and monitoring teams, and basic information on concessions and conservation areas - including whether management and monitoring were being conducted in High Conservation Value (HCV), High Carbon Stock (HCS), or other conservation areas. The data were compiled and cleaned to remove all personal or company-identifying information. Column headings correspond to survey questions provided in the Supporting Information (Appendix 3) of the associated publication.
File: Anonymised_Zoom_Interview_Summaries_RSPO_Biodiversity_Management.xlsx
Description: This file contains anonymised summaries from semi-structured Zoom interviews (Part 2 of the mixed-method study) conducted with 18 sustainability staff participants from 12 Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) member companies in Malaysia and Indonesia. The interviews explored company practices related to biodiversity and ecosystem management, with 18 questions focused around three main themes: (i) management and monitoring development and implementation, (ii) monitoring interpretation, data analysis, and adaptive management, and (iii) current barriers to effective management and monitoring, and moving forwards. Interviews were conducted in English or Indonesian, summarised in note format, and verified by participants for accuracy. All personal, company, and potentially identifying details have been removed or redacted to ensure participant confidentiality. Column headings correspond to interview questions provided in the Supporting Information (Appendix 4) of the associated publication.
Human subjects data
The study received ethical approval from the University of York’s Biology Ethical Committee (BEC). Information sheets and consent forms were provided to all 18 participants from 12 Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) member companies who took part in the survey. All interviews were voluntary, and participants provided written informed consent prior to participation, including consent for the publication of de-identified data in the public domain. Participants were informed that they could withdraw from the study at any time. All uploaded data have been anonymised, and specific identifying details have been removed or redacted to ensure participant confidentiality.