The role of NGOs and sustainability standards in oil palm developments in Gabon and Cameroon

In the past five years, much concern has been expressed about the fast expansion of large plantations of oil palm in tropical forest in African countries. However, in this same period, a large number of multinational companies made major commitments to eradicate deforestation in their palm oil supply chain. This thesis focuses on two different aspects of these commitments. Part 1: A large and undefined collection of actors – including e.g. NGOs, civil society groups, individuals, companies, academics and journalists – have aimed to change the context in which oil palm developments in the tropics take place and reduce deforestation for this commodity crop. Components of this 'transnational advocacy network' share similar values and have promoted these in a number of ways. My study finds that the 'Zero Deforestation' commitments resulting from the actions of this network have strongly affected the trajectory of development of oil palm in Gabon and Cameroon. Here I ask what conservation practitioners and scientists can learn from the way transnational activism and advocacy has affected the way the oil palm industry is developing in Cameroon and Gabon. Part 2: Current Zero Deforestation standards for oil palm are in the process of being reviewed. The 'High Carbon Stock' concept is being adapted by a group of companies and the accompanying carbon stock thresholds somewhat relaxed. It is vital to understand the potential spatial implications of these changes in terms of environmental outcomes and to be explicit about the arguments in favour of such an increase and critically examine their underlying values. Here I aim to show what a doubling of the carbon threshold could mean for oil palm companies which would operate under Zero Deforestation commitments in Cameroon and Gabon. I show which areas would become available for sustainable oil palm production, what value these areas may have for wildlife conservation in Cameroon (only) and what potential obstacles exist for plantation development in the locations which are low in carbon.