Leveraging tree-based ecosystem restoration: The case of a Sumatran oil palm landscape

Being a PhD student in the EFForTS project, I am involved into identification of entry points for tree-based ecosystem restoration. We focus on a landscape in Sumatran province Jambi (Indonesia). Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) monocultures prevail in the landscape of interest and nine types of land-use transitions are currently under consideration (Fig. 1). Aware of trade-offs between nature conservation and socio-economic needs, we apply an interdisciplinary approach and consider biodiversity, ecosystem functions and socio-economic benefits in the different land-use types. We make new use of data previously collected in the EFForTS project and look at them through the prism of the leverage concept. It suggests, among all, that conservation and restoration programs can be more efficient if planned and applied under consideration of the land-use transitions really existing in the given region. Based on such analyses, we hope to identify leverage points in time and space where ecosystem restoration and conservation strategies can be applied most efficiently.