Learning unit on the EFForTS - Oil Palm Management Experiment (OPMX)
Topic: Oil palm management strategies and their ecological and socioeconomic impacts with a focus on Jambi province, Indonesia
The research and the development of the educational resources is conducted within the framework of the Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) 990 - Ecological and Socioeconomic Functions of Tropical Lowland Rainforest Transformation Systems. EFForTS is funded by the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft; DFG).
Introduction: Sustainable Oil Palm Management
Do you know how oil palm plantations are managed and in how far that is sustainable? With the help of this unit, you will discover the topic of sustainable oil palm plantation management with a focus on weeding and fertilization strategies in three modules.
The unit is mostly about oil palm management strategies in Jambi, Indonesia, but you will also learn about oil palm plantations and management strategies in general. In the first module, you will discover oil palm plantation strategies and their impact on ecosystem functions (soil fertility) and biodiversity (understory plants and soil animals). Then, in Module II, you will design a network of relationships regarding the impacts of management practices on the oil palm, ecosystem functions and biodiversity. Afterwards, the Oil Palm Management Experiment (OPMX) is introduced in Module III – an experiment with the aim to develop strategies towards more sustainable oil palm management. You will also do detective work on how oil palm plantations might be managed more ecologically-friendly in the future.
Follow the open book page by page to not miss out on any information. There is enough room for you to write down your answers immediately. You can double-click on the green boxes to type in your answer.
If you are studying to become a teacher, there is additional information for you at the end of each session. This will help you implement your knowledge about oil palm management in your future teaching.
- Overarching activity: The design of an infographic on oil palm management should serve as cumulative activity for this unit.
- Hint for tasks: Some tasks are specifically asking for your pre-knowledge. Don't worry if you have few ideas, you can return to these tasks later on and add or modify your answers. Furthermore, some tasks are open tasks. For open tasks, there might be neither correct nor wrong answers.
- Supplementary questions are not tasks. They should just serve as thinking stimuli for you.
Enjoy working with this unit and have fun making it your own experience with oil palm management.
Terima kasih.
The authors of this booklet are open for questions or feedback at any time. Contact: Finn K. Matthiesen
Overall Learning Objective
Below, you find an overview of what you will be able to do by the end of this unit. Tick the boxes on the right, if you feel you have accomplished the learning objective. There will also be specific learning objectives at the beginning of each module.
Overall Learning Objectives
By the end of this unit, you will be able to…
Identify environmental and socioeconomic impacts of different oil palm management strategies (different fertilizing and weeding strategies) and describe corresponding advantages and disadvantages.
Design a simplified overview (a network of relationships) of oil palm management practices, focusing mainly on soil fertility and biodiversity (understory plants and soil animals).
Explain the experimental design of the Oil Palm Management Experiment (OPMX) and critically analyze as well as discuss OPMX data and results.
Discuss in which way weeding and fertilization strategies can contribute to more sustainable oil palm management.
Modules
Please follow the module sequence, and ensure you complete one module before proceeding to the next
