The Suitability Mapper

The Suitability Mapper is a public online tool developed by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and Sekala to help stakeholders identify potentially suitable areas for sustainable oil palm cultivation in Kalimantan. It uses a binary analysis of 11 environmental and crop indicators to classify land as either 'potential' or 'not suitable'. The tool allows users to apply default settings based on Project POTICO—which align with RSPO standards and Indonesian law—or customize criteria to fit specific project needs. Because the underlying data has not been systematically verified, the document emphasizes that field assessments and due diligence regarding legal and social issues are mandatory to confirm site suitability.

• 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.
• Environmental criteria for suitability focus on carbon stocks, biodiversity high conservation values (HCV 1–3), and soil and water protection, utilizing five indicators: land cover, peat, slope, and buffers for conservation areas and water resources.
• Crop criteria assess the economic feasibility and productivity of oil palm cultivation through six indicators: elevation, rainfall, soil drainage, soil depth, soil acidity, and soil type.
• Default settings for the tool are aligned with the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) standards, Indonesian laws, and the national REDD+ strategy to promote expansion on low-carbon, degraded land.
• The tool is currently limited geographically to Kalimantan, although development is underway to expand it to Papua and eventually all of Indonesia and other palm oil producing countries.
• The data used in the application has not been systematically verified, making field assessments and site-level due diligence essential to confirm suitability and address legal or social issues, such as free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC).

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} }