Drastic oil palm plantation expansion has left Kalimantan low on lowland rainforest. Deforestation is accompanied by environmental consequences of establishing and operating a monoculture, as well as effects on biodiversity. Sacrificing spatial complexity comes at the costs of (microclimate) cooling potential, soil erosion, nutrient seepage, species richness and vulnerability to both flooding and fire (as climate change makes extreme conditions more likely).
Countermeasures against these threats focus on achieving more spatial complexity. The most important spatial interventions are intercropping, drainage ditch planting, boundary planting and restoring riparian buffers. Certifying produce as RSPO+ can steer implementation.