Land-Use and Livelihoods - A Malaysian Oil Palm Scheme and its Social and Ecological Impacts

Livelihoods and land-uses in rural Malaysia have undergone a series of changes in the past 40 years affecting both livelihood security and the environment. The rapid rise of oil palm cultivation has been associated with high deforestation rates and biodiversity loss and has therefore triggered concerns regarding the long term sustainability of this land use change. This study researches pathways through which the Sarawak Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority (SALCRA) oil palm scheme affects livelihood security and environmental sustainability. This study seeks to combine findings of both areas of research. In terms of livelihood security, SALCRA was found to diversify income sources of households at the study site in Sarawak, Malaysia. This diversification occurs through direct and indirect ways. Notwithstanding, the positive effects and the general positive perception of SALCRA at the study site, concerns about the environmental sustainability of oil palm development have been expressed regarding soil quality. An analysis of soil active carbon in different land-use types could only partly support those concerns.