Pastures, not forest, are best place for oil palm expansion in Colombia

Mongabay: Colombia is targeting a six-fold increase in crude palm-oil production by 2020. Conservationists fear this may compromise the nation's natural ecosystems, but a new study suggests the impact may be minimized by limiting new oil palm plantations to certain areas of pasture land. "In the Latin American context, characterized generally by extensive and often under-productive pastures, the expansion of oil palm plantations can be accommodated with minimal impact on forest cover," explains study co-author...

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