TRAILS project: oil palm agroforestry as an alternative to monoculture systems

Mixed forests can provide an alternative to monoculture-based industrial agriculture. Pioneer native tree species are effective in restoring healthy riparian forests and providing shelter for wildlife. Biodiversity corridors also contribute to climate resilience, as complex agroforestry systems can mitigate climate change through the sequestration of atmospheric carbon dioxide in plants and soil.
Mixed plantations also improve livelihoods: it is therefore essential to understand the ecosystem services and welfare values attributed by local communities to the reforestation of riparian areas and the changes induced by the transition from monoculture plantations to mixed plantation systems.
The objective of the TRAILS project is to establish oil palm agroforestry systems using selected oil palm seedlings and native forest tree species grown in locally managed village nurseries.
The project also aims to monitor the dynamics of wildlife recolonisation (abundance, diversity and mobility) in areas covered by mixed plantations, riparian corridors and oil palm plantations. The project monitors the agronomic performance of oil palms planted in agroforestry.
TRAILS also aims to understand the key traits of climate resilience by monitoring the bioclimatic conditions of the plots and their capacity to provide environmental services.
TRAILS relies on a complementary partnership, linking academics, NGOs, private and public stakeholders, allowing for integrated approaches from various scientific fields, from agronomy and forestry to veterinary sciences, including a detailed socio-economic approach to change.