A result of skyrocketing land prices, ceilings on land allocation, and the redistribution of both private and public land between 1975-2003 (3.7 m ha of public land was distributed to 1.5 million beneficiaries who received either freehold titles of user rights under the law), this small holder pattern has had a positive impact on several fronts. Indeed, a recent study Oil Palm Expansion in South East Asia: trends and implications for local communities and indigenous peoples, edited by Marcus Colchester and Sophie Chao, credits the small holder pattern with avoiding the serious social and environmental fallouts of large scale conversion of forestland in countries like Malaysia and Indonesia.