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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Low Canopy

High Canopy

Oil Palm

RH

(%

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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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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

Acknowledgements

Sabah Forestry Department