The Suitability Mapper

The Suitability Mapper is a public online application developed by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and Sekala to help users identify potentially suitable sites for sustainable palm oil production in Kalimantan, Indonesia. The tool uses a binary GIS methodology based on 11 environmental and crop indicators to classify land as either 'potential' or 'not suitable', specifically targeting the identification of degraded land to support low-carbon expansion.

• The Suitability Mapper uses a binary technique to determine land suitability based on 11 indicators; if any single indicator is classified as 'not suitable', the entire area is deemed not suitable. For an area to be classified as 'potential', all 11 indicators must meet the suitability criteria.
• Environmental criteria for suitability are based on carbon stocks, soil and water protection, and biodiversity high conservation values (HCV 1–3). These include five indicators: land cover, peat depth, slope, and buffers for both conservation areas and water resources.
• Crop criteria focus on the economic and biological viability of oil palm cultivation through six indicators: elevation, rainfall, soil drainage, soil depth, soil acidity, and soil type. The default values for these criteria were selected from the most inclusive ranges available in existing standards to account for technological advances in cultivation.
• The tool is specifically designed to identify 'degraded land' for sustainable palm oil expansion, aligning with the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) standards and Indonesia's proposed national REDD+ strategy.
• The application is currently limited geographically to Kalimantan, although development is underway to expand the tool to Papua and eventually all of Indonesia and other palm oil producing countries.
• The Suitability Mapper is a desktop analysis tool and cannot replace field-level due diligence. Users must conduct field assessments to verify results and perform social impact assessments, including obtaining free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC), which are beyond the tool's scope.

APA

World Resources Institute (2012). The Suitability Mapper. https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/suitability_mapper_technical_document.pdf

Chicago

World Resources Institute. The Suitability Mapper. 2012. https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/suitability_mapper_technical_document.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=The Suitability Mapper |date=26 October 2012 |url=https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/suitability_mapper_technical_document.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitute2012suitability, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{The Suitability Mapper}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2012}, month = oct, url = {https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/suitability_mapper_technical_document.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }