Data pertaining to how economies function and the drivers of production and consumption patterns.

economy-industry

Economy & Industry

land

Colin Stief

### Overview  
  
The Oil Palm Concessions dataset shows public lands allocated by governments to private companies for industrial-scale oil palm plantations. The dataset is a compilation of concession data from Cameroon, Indonesia, Liberia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Congo and the Solomon Islands. Concession name, company and area in hectares (ha) are included in the Oil Palm Concessions dataset. Oil Palm Concessions data is typically from government agencies or nonprofits, although the data source and date vary by country. The Oil Palm Concessions dataset is updated monthly. 

  
  
Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil produced from the fruits of the oil palm tree. According to the [World Wildlife Fund (WWF)](https://www.worldwildlife.org/industries/palm-oil), oil palm is a highly productive crop and grows only in tropical regions. Palm oil does not require refrigeration and is used in food products, cosmetics and detergents. However, oil palm farming contributes to deforestation and the release of harmful greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. [According to a study from the European Commission](http://pure.iiasa.ac.at/id/eprint/14868/), oil palm farming is responsible for 8% of global agriculture-related deforestation. Deforestation from oil palm farming is most prevalent in Indonesia, Brazil and Malaysia. Deforestation has many harmful impacts on the environment, including habitat destruction, erosion, air pollution and groundwater contamination. Understanding the locations and extent of oil palm plantations provides information about potential environmental impacts. It can also be used to encourage farmers and businesses to use sustainable farming practices. 

  
  
The Oil Palm Concessions dataset was generated by [Global Forest Watch (GFW)](https://www.globalforestwatch.org/about/), an organization established in 1997 by the [World Resources Institute](https://www.wri.org/). WRI is an independent, non-governmental global research organization which seeks to create equity and prosperity through sustainable natural resource management. They provide data and research about climate, energy, food, forests, water, cities and oceans. GFW uses satellite data and cloud computing to monitor deforestation in near real-time. This information is critical to ending illegal deforestation and fires, and promoting sustainable practices. It can be used by business owners and the public to monitor the environmental impacts of activities like logging, mining and farming. Additionally, farmers and landowners can use this data to protect their land and resources.  
  
### Methodology  
  
The term “oil palm concession” refers to an area allocated by a government to a company for industrial-scale oil palm plantations. GFW generated the Oil Palm Concessions dataset by compiling concession data from Cameroon, Indonesia, Liberia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Congo and Solomon Islands. Most locations in the dataset include the company, concession name and concession area (ha). 

  
  
Data for each country was collected from various sources, including from government agencies and public documents. The most common source was maps from forestry or agriculture-specific government agencies. Data from the public domain (company websites, news reports, NGOs) was used for countries where data was not readily available from government agencies. This data was used to create polygons representing the locations and boundaries of concessions. Additional information such as company and concession name was added to the polygons as attributes. The Oil Palm Concessions dataset was published in 2019, though the exact dates vary by country. Concession data for each country is available on the [GFW Open Data Portal](https://data.globalforestwatch.org/search?q=oilpalm). 

  
  
For the full documentation, please click on the “Learn more” button.  
  
### Additional Information  
  
Resource Watch shows only a subset of the dataset. For access to the full dataset and additional information, click the “Learn more” button.  
  
### Visualizing the Data  
  
Our team reformatted this dataset before displaying it on Resource Watch.  
  
### Disclaimer  
  
Excerpts of this description page were taken from the source metadata.

Oil Palm Concessions

com-024-rw0-nrt-oil-palm-concessions-rw

global-forest-watch

Global Forest Watch

2010-present Oil Palm Concessions

Public lands allocated by governments to companies for oil palm plantations updated monthly