International: A user-friendly tool for effective monitoring and management of forest conservation set-asides in oil palm landscapes

热带森林生态系统面临农业扩张的危险，棕榈油工业是整个热带森林砍伐的关键驱动力。为了解决这个问题，可持续棕榈油圆桌会议(RSPO)认证标准要求油棕榈树种植者留出并管理他们种植园内的森林。然而，这些地点往往由公司或小农团体管理，他们获得森林生态或保护知识的机会有限。缺乏关于如何监测和管理这些地区的指导，意味着这些政策的保护潜力目前没有得到充分实现。评估和监测边远地区的森林质量对于应用适当的管理做法至关重要。然而，现有的森林评估方法既耗时又昂贵，而且/或需要专业知识。因此，对这些森林的监测往往做得很差、不一致，或者根本没有。由于管理和监测的负担，可能会完全禁止小农户参加认证计划。因此，油棕榈种植者需要一种强大、廉价、快速和简单的工具来监测森林质量和恢复工作。他们还需要知识来有效地解释监测结果并根据监测结果采取行动。RSPO将受益于一种一致的、标准化的方法，这将使人们能够更好地审计和评估认证对森林保护的影响。NERC资助的研究在开发简化的保护工具方面具有巨大的潜力。作为Pi JML的NERC知识交流奖学金的一部分，我们使用了关于生物多样性和生态系统功能的数据来开发和测试东南亚森林的森林完整性评估(FIA)调查工具。从博士后研究人员到种植园经理的志愿者的调查结果显示，仅依靠是或否的答案，不需要昂贵的设备、测量或分类鉴定，就显示出与各种科学森林质量指标的强烈相关性。这些结果，再加上调查中非专业用户的积极反馈，表明FIA工具是克服政策和有效实施之间差距的理想工具。该项目旨在将该工具从目前的纸质形式转换为动态的智能手机应用程序。这样做的好处包括1)应用内培训以提高准确性，2)快速数字记录和存储调查结果的能力，3)提高现场的便携性和效率，4)集成的GPS地图，5)结果的自动分析5)内置的决策支持，以实现自适应管理。数字化将提供机会，以建立进一步的能力，如遥感信息、机器学习、长期存储、存档和为不同地区和行业扩展产品的能力。这些好处将改变FIA工具的可用性，使人们能够广泛采用并提供高质量的环境管理。需要一种强有力的、基于证据的保护方法，以确保在脆弱的碎片化森林景观中保护的最佳结果。然而，为这些方法的发展提供信息的大量学术知识在很大程度上是终端用户无法获得的。因此，学术界最有能力与该工具的主要用户密切合作开展这一项目，并在此过程中在油棕榈业内建立森林生态和养护专门知识方面的能力。我们的合作伙伴包括RSPO认证标准，全球最大的油棕榈树种植者之一，与种植者和小农户合作实施可持续实践的第三部门组织，以及关键的学术机构。该联盟确保该工具将被纳入最高级别的政策和指导，符合实地的目的，并得到最新的世界级科学的支持。

Tropical forest ecosystems are at risk of clearance for agricultural expansion and the palm oil industry is a key driver of deforestation across the tropics. To tackle this, the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) certification standard requires oil palm growers to set aside and manage forests within their plantations. However, these sites are often managed by companies or smallholder groups that have limited access to knowledge of forest ecology or conservation. A lack of guidance about how to monitor and manage these areas means that the full conservation potential of these policies is not currently being realised.Assessing and monitoring the quality of forest set asides is vital for applying appropriate management practices. However, existing methods for forest assessment are time-consuming, expensive and/ or require specialist expertise. As a result, monitoring of these forests is often done poorly, inconsistently, or not at all. Small farmers may be prohibited entirely from participating in certification schemes because of the burdens of management and monitoring. Thus, oil palm growers require a robust, inexpensive, quick and easy tool for monitoring forest quality and restoration efforts. They also need the knowledge to effectively interpret and act on the results of monitoring. The RSPO will benefit from a consistent, standardised method which will enable better auditing and assessment of the impact of certification on forest conservation.NERC-funded research has huge potential to inform the development of simplified conservation tools. As part of PI JML's NERC Knowledge Exchange fellowship we used data on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning to develop and test a Forest Integrity Assessment (FIA) survey tool for SE Asian forest. Relying only on yes-no answers, with no need for expensive equipment, measurements or taxonomic identification, the survey results of volunteers ranging from post-doctoral researchers to plantation managers revealed strong correlations with a variety of scientific forest quality metrics. These results, combined with positive feedback from non-specialist users of the survey, indicates that the FIA tool is ideal for overcoming the gap between policy and effective implementation.This project aims to convert the tool from its current paper form to a dynamic smartphone application. The benefits of this include 1) in-app training to improve accuracy, 2) the ability to quickly digitally record and store survey results, 3) improved portability and efficiency in the field, 4) integrated GPS mapping, 5) automated analysis of results 5) in-built decision-support to enable adaptive management. Digitalisation will provide opportunities to build in further capabilities such as remote sensed information, machine learning, long-term storage, archiving and the ability to expand the product for different regions and sectors. These benefits will transform the usability of the FIA tool, enabling widespread uptake and delivering high quality environmental management.A robust, evidence-based approach to conservation is necessary to ensure the best outcomes for conservation in vulnerable fragmented forest landscapes. However, the vast body of academic knowledge to inform the development of these approaches is largely inaccessible to end-users. The academic community is thus best placed to deliver this project, in close partnership with the key users of the tool, and in doing so build capacity in forest ecology and conservation expertise within the oil palm industry. Our partners include the RSPO certification standard, one of the largest oil palm growers globally, third sector organisations who work with growers and smallholders to implement sustainable practices, and key academic institutions. This consortium ensures that the tool will be incorporated into policy and guidance at the highest levels, be fit for purpose on the ground, and be supported by the latest world class science.