land-suitability-for-oil-palm-in-southern-myanmar

A working paper investigating the agro-ecological conditions where oil palm is presently cultivated in southern Myanmar and where it could be further developed. The researchers compiled a spatial database from diverse sources (data provided), and used Geographic Information System tools to identify the distribution of reported palm plantings. Relative suitability for oil palm was determined by examining the distribution of cleared and planted land across the full range of locally occurring rainfall, moisture stress and elevation values. The research was conducted as a contribution to assessing the long term commercial viability of Myanmar’s oil palm industry, as well as its social and environmental impacts.