Sabah has set up an initiative to ensure the palm oil sector remains the state's key economic driver while also working towards conservation and sustainability. The initiative will be implemented through the Jurisdictional Certification of Sustainable Palm Oil (JCSPO) and Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) certification in Sabah. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Malaysia CEO Sophia Lim said the adoption of the JCSPO initiative would help the state government address deforestation in the palm oil supply chain by putting in place strategies, policies and measures to safeguard the environment. "This is a crucial step in positioning Sabah and laying the foundation for the state as the global leader in sustainable palm oil," said Lim, who is also WWF Malaysia executive director. Sabah set up the Jurisdictional Certification Steering Committee (JCSC) in 2016 to lead and implement the JCSPO and MSPO certifications under a 10-year plan. The committee is co-chaired by the Sabah Forestry Department and the Natural Resources Office while also including government representatives, the private sector and civil society, including WWF-Malaysia. The Sabah JCSPO will remain the ultimate goal in the initiative while pursuing the MSPO certification to achieve an internationally-accepted standard under the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). The 10-year plan aims to produce 100% RSPO-certified sustainable palm oil by 2025. To date, about 26% of palm oil produced in Sabah is RSPO-certified.

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