Plant biomass represents a sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide, which is one of the most important greenhouse gases and which is assumed to contribute more than half of the global warming. Establishing tree plantations or perennial crops on degraded land is an effective way to reduce atmospheric carbon by building up terrestrial carbon stocks, not only in the living biomass, but also in the soil. By converting Imperata cylindrica grassland into tree plantations (Acacia mangium or oil palm), aboveground biomass carbon can be increased about 20-fold and below ground biomass carbon up to 8-fold, while soil carbon can almost be doubled.

Key messages This brief examines two contrasting policy options: the implementation of zero deforestation commitments by the private sector and a complete moratorium on the expansion of large-scale oil palm plantations, and compares them to a situation without policy action.The zero deforestation commitments and the moratorium on large-scale oil palm plantations expansion could reduce cumulative deforestation by 25% and 28%, respectively, compared to a situation without policy action. They could also cut greenhouse gas emissions from land use and land-use change by 13% and 16%, respectively, over the period 2010-2030.Even under the zero-deforestation and moratorium scenarios, Indonesia is projected to increase palm oil production between 124%-97% over 2010-2030, which is partly due to higher production originating from smallholders.Both measures - the zero deforestation commitments and a moratorium of future large-scale oil palm plantations expansion - would be especially beneficial to limit future deforestation in Indonesia in a context in which global demand for palm oil is expected to keep increasing.Foresight tools can equip stakeholders and policy makers with data and information to allow for evidence-based policy making. This will permit planning for reducing deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions, and finding options acceptable to all stakeholders involved.

Key Messages National and provincial emissions reduction goals and efforts to slow deforestation may come into conflict with provincial and district level economic ambitions based on agricultural development.Around half of existing oil palm concessions in East Kalimantan are on forested and peatland areas. If developed, these plantations will release ~206 MtCO2e into the atmosphere.The expansion of oil palm plantations on currently allocated concessions will lead to the conversion of forested lands and swamp areas, including peatland, and represents a critical source of carbon emissions.To ensure the sustainability of plantation expansion the government needs to undertake a review of all existing plantation permits to ensure that they align with existing sustainability criteria.Green Growth does not present a win-win strategy and therefore requires strong political commitment, and awareness of social and environmental tradeoffs.

Coffea arabica, one of the economically most important crops worldwide, occurs naturally in the undergrowth of montane rainforests of Ethiopia. The study provides the first detailed ecophysiological investigations of wild coffee populations. It demonstrates the inter- and intra-regional variability in phenotypic and hydrological characteristics of wild coffee. The results reveal very different strategies of wild coffee seedlings for coping with drought stress. The ecophysiological diversity shows the importance of Ethiopian wild coffee populations as gene pools for future breeding programs, and underlines the need for an in-situ conservation strategy. The study includes recommendations for coffee forest management and the use of wild arabica coffee in Ethiopia.

Solanum quitoense (Lulo) from the northern Andes is a fruit with an attractive taste. It has a high export potential but its production is hampered by insufficient pollination. Studies on the reproductive system of Lulo revealed that, due to their poricidal anthers, the flowers need pollinators for self- and cross-pollination. Pollination by native bumblebees significantly increases fruit set and quality. Experiments show that colonies of Bombus atratus can be reared in captivity and used in Lulo fields for providing increased pollination services. Modeling based on data on colony development reveal larva/workers ratio and the supply of pollen as main parameters for improving the rearing method.