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IPOSC International Palm Oil Sustainability Conference 2012
Maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem
functions in the oil palm landscapes of South
East Asia
William A Foster
Jake L. Snaddon & Edgar C. Turner
Department of
Zoology
University of Cambridge
Outline of Talk
• What is biodiversity?
• Extent, nature and causes of losses in biodiversity
• How can we minimize losses in biodiversity and maintain ecosystem functions in oil palm landscapes ?
Players in oil-palm sustainability
Conservation Community
Oil Palm Community
Research Community
Themes of the talk
• Cooperation
• Research
• Dissemination
Research on Oil Palm
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Turner, Snaddon, Fayle, Foster PLoS ONE (2008)
Publications on Biodiversity and Conservation
Breakdown for 2007-2009
Biofuels
Outline of Talk
• What is biodiversity?
• Extent, nature and causes of losses in biodiversity
• How can we minimize losses in biodiversity and maintain ecosystem functions in oil palm landscapes ?
Reduction in biodiversity and abundance when forest is
converted to oil palm
Foster et al. (2011). Phil Trans R. Soc . Lond .B.326: 3277-91
Conversion to oil palm affects some habitats more than
others
Ant species richness
Spe
cies
rich
ness
Leaf Litter Canopy
Forest
Oil palm
Forest
Oil palm
Sample number Sample number
Fayle, Turner, Snaddon, Foster et al. Basic & Applied Ecol (2010)
The ant fauna of oil palm is dominated by alien
species
Fayle, Turner, Snaddon, Foster et al. Basic & Applied Ecol (2010)
Anoplolepis gracilipes
50 m 50 m
50 m
70 m
Profiles of forest, oil-palm and soya
Primary forest Oil Palm Soya
Foster et al. (2011). Phil Trans R. Soc . Lond .B.326: 3277-91
Tem
p o
C
Microclimate: oil palm is hotter and drier than
rainforest, and the conditions vary more
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Oil Palm
High Canopy
Low Canopy
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Low Canopy
High Canopy
Oil Palm
RH
(%
)
Time Time
Temperature Relative humidity
Foster et al. (2011). Phil Trans R. Soc . Lond .B.326: 3277-91
The increased temperatures in oil palm is associated with
drastic reductions in arthropod abundance
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10000
25 30 35 40
Primary forestOil palm
Art
hro
po
d a
bu
nd
ance
Temperature (oC)
Foster et al. (2011). Phil Trans R. Soc . Lond .B.326: 3277-91
Outline of Talk
• What is biodiversity?
• Extent, nature and causes of losses in biodiversity
• How can we minimize losses in biodiversity and maintain ecosystem functions in oil palm landscapes ?
The oil palm landscape
The oil palm matrix
Rivers & streams
Settlements Understorey
Epiphytes blocks
Oil-palm mill
Riparian strips Forest blocks
Forest fragments
Oil-palm matrix
Oil palm plantation
Primary forest Logged forest
● Unlogged forest ▲ Once logged forest ◊ Twice logged forest
Edwards et al (2011) Proc R.Soc B. 278: 82-90
The value of heavily-logged forest to biodiversity
Edwards et al (2011) Proc R.Soc B. 278: 82-90
Twice-logged forest
Oil Palm
Effect of conversion of heavily logged forest to oil-palm on birds
Edwards et al. (2010) Conserv.Lett. 3: 236-42
# of spp
Sample size
Natural
habitats
Low-yield
farmland
High-yield
farmland
Land-sharing
Land-sparing
Conservation of biodiversity in relation to agriculture: two contrasting solutions
Low-yield
farmland
Original situation
Wildlife-friendly Farming. Biodiversity may be maintained on the low yield land, BUT the yield may be so low that more land needs to be taken into agriculture
Biodiversity may be massively reduced in the high-yield farmland, BUT this may allow natural habitats to be spared from conversion to agriculture.
LAND-SPARING BEST
LAND-SPARING BEST
LAND-SPARING BEST
LAND-SPARING BEST
Tre
es
Bir
ds
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0
Proportion of species in category
What is the evidence about land-sparing vs land-sharing?
Phalan et al.(2011) Science 333:1289
167 spp.
174 spp.
220 spp.
40 spp.
WINNERS LOSERS
Ecosystem Function: Conservation of HCV
species
Forest
Unlogged, or logged
Forest conversion
Conservation of HCV species usually requires maintenance of
forest areas. Logged forests remain important in this respect
African oil palm weevil Elaeidobius kamerunicus
Pollinator of oil palm
Macrotermes gilvus
A common termite species in disturbed habitats such
as oil palm plantations
A dung beetle
Pollination Dung removal Litter decomposition
Ecosystem functions in oil palm
Ecosystem Function
Forest
Forest conversion
• herbivory
• litter decomposition
• dung decomposition
• pollination
Enhancing habitat complexity in the oil palm
landscape
A. By increasing the complexity outside the oil palm crop matrix:
fragments riverine strips
B. By increasing complexity within the oil palm crop
beneficial planting epiphyte complexity
understorey vegetation
Distance (m)
Is there a spillover of animals from forest to oil palm?
Ants
Butterflies
For ants: no For fruit-eating butterflies: yes
Lucy, J. and Hill, J. (2012) Biotropica
Experiment at the SAFE project (Sabah) on the effects of widths of riparian buffers on biodiversity and function in the oil palm
landscape
Enhancing habitat complexity in the oil palm
landscape
A. By increasing the complexity outside the oil palm crop matrix:
fragments riverine strips
B. By increasing complexity within the oil palm crop
beneficial planting epiphyte complexity
understorey vegetation
Beneficial planting
Beneficial planting
Ho, C.T. The, C.L. (1999). PORIM conf
Metisia plana incidence after planting with E. heterophylla and Antigonum
leptopus
Potential importance of epiphytes in oil palm
Diversity of epiphyte species per oil palm tree Site1 9.1 (range 6-18) Site 2 10.6 (range 7 – 14)
Graham Prescott (In preparation)
Epiphytic ferns retain similar diversity levels
when forest is converted to oil palm: ANTS
Epiphytic fern (Asplenium nidus)
Sample number
Forest Oil palm
Spe
cies
rich
ness
Ant species richness
Fayle, Turner, Snaddon, Foster et al. Basic & Applied Ecol (2010)
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Fern
Control
Oil palm plantation
14:00 18:00 22:00 02:00 06:00 10.00
Time (24hr)
Tem
per
atu
re (o
C)
Turner & Foster Selbyana (2006)
Diurnal temperature fluctuations are reduced within the ferns
Does epiphyte removal affect biodiversity and
ecosystem function?
Experiments being undertaken by Graham Prescott in Wilmar plantations in Sabah
Habitat Complexity
Ground layer cover
What is the role of understory vegetation in
promoting biodiversity and ecosystem functioning?
Jean-Pierre Caliman Edgar Turner Jake Snaddon William Foster
Compare three treatments/levels of understory + epiphytes Total removal Moderate levels High levels Monitor effects on: biodiversity (ants, dung beetles, parasitoids, dungbeetles) herbivory yield
Planned experiments on the effects of habitat complexity
on biodiversity and ecosystem fucntion
300 m
10
00
m
150 m
15
0 m
50
m
50 m
1 Normal
150 m
45
0 m
2 Reduced
3 Enhanced
6 replicates
across landscape
gradient of non
crop habitat
1.Reduced
2. Normal 3. Enhanced
6 replicates across landscape gradient of non-crop habitat
Ecosystem services in the oil palm landscape
Complexity
Biodiversity
Ecosystem Function
Ecosystem Services
Management Practices
Pristine Forest
Forest conversion
Sustainable oil-palm yield
Water quality
Recreation/education
Carbon sequestration
Species conservation
?
?
?
Themes of the talk
• Cooperation
• Research
• Dissemination
SUMMARY
1. Conversion of forest to oil palm leads to significant losses of biodiversity:
Impacts vary for different groups of species Impacts vary for different sub-habitats within oil palm Do the remaining oil palm species contribute to ecosystem function?
2. Biodiversity loss is caused by habitat simplification. The introduction of complexity might restore some biodiversity
3. Increasing biodiversity might help maintain ecosystem functions within the oil palm matrix.
4. We urgently need rigorous scientific studies of the potential
links between biodiversity and ecosystem function in oil palm