Protecting biodiversity in palm oil plantations with Dr Jennifer Lucey
Dr Jennifer Lucey of the University of Oxford has been shortlisted for the NERC Impact Awards 2018 Early Career Impact Award, recognising an early career researcher who has achieved demonstrable economic and/or societal impact.
Jen has dedicated her career so far to reducing the devastating impact that commodities such as palm oil - an ingredient used in more than half of supermarket products in the UK - can have on biodiversity in the tropics, as rich ecosystems are deforested to make way for crops. Jen's research has informed action by industry, farmers and regulators by determining minimum forest patch size needed to be set aside on agricultural land in order to maintain biodiversity.
These set aside thresholds demonstrated by her research have been used to develop new industry standards which have been adopted by many of the largest oil palm growers and applied across millions of hectares of land, and continue to be influential for decision-making on sustainable palm oil production.