What is the scale of oil palm expansion in Sarawak since 2007?

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Sarawak Has Experienced Significant Oil Palm Expansion Since 2007

Between 2007 and 2017, Sarawak saw a substantial increase in land dedicated to oil palm cultivation, adding nearly one million hectares. This growth represented over half of Malaysia's total oil palm expansion during that same decade, highlighting the significant shift in land use within the state. By 2018, monoculture plantations occupied as much as a quarter of Sarawak's landmass, a development that has largely occurred since the 1990s.
Oil Palm Cultivation Areas Increased Substantially

The growth of oil palm cultivation areas in Sarawak between 2007 and 2017 was precisely 941,513 hectares. This figure indicates a rapid and extensive conversion of land for this specific agricultural commodity over a ten-year period. This expansion was a dominant factor in the overall increase of oil palm plantations across Malaysia during that decade, which saw a national rise of 1.57 million hectares from 4.24 million in 2007 to 5.81 million in 2017.
Over Half of National Expansion Occurred in Sarawak

The expansion in Sarawak accounted for more than half of the total oil palm expansion that occurred throughout Malaysia between 2007 and 2017. This concentration of growth in a single state underscores the unique pressures and land use patterns present in Sarawak compared to other regions. For context, in peninsular Malaysia, where plantations began earlier, oil palm expansion constituted less than a quarter of the total growth during the same period.
Monoculture Plantations Cover a Quarter of Sarawak's Land

As of 2018, up to a quarter of Sarawak's land was dedicated to monoculture plantations. This statistic is particularly striking given that large-scale commercial agriculture in the state only began to take hold from the late 1990s onwards. In Sarawak, 2.8 million hectares of largely forested areas had been licensed out for pulp and paper and timber tree plantations, with a specific allocation of 285,520 hectares permitted for oil palm cultivation.
Forests Converted to Plantations Since the Late 1990s

The conversion of forests into oil palm plantations in Sarawak since the late 1990s is an established reality. This trend has been influenced by state legislation and policies that have facilitated the expansion of corporate oil palm operations, sometimes at the expense of forest reserves and native customary land. The report highlights that this conversion is an undeniable aspect of Sarawak's land use transformation over the past few decades.

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What is the scale of oil palm expansion in Sarawak since 2007?

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