The Impact of Oil Palm Expansion on Environmental Change: Putting Conservation Research in Context

Agricultural expansion is one of the major drivers of tropical biodiversity loss worldwide (Foley et al., 2005; Green et al., 2005). Oil palm cultivation is among the main culprits, owing to its huge increase in cultivation in recent years (Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations [FAO], 2011) and its centre of production being within the most biodiverse regions and habitats on the planet (Sodhi et al., 2010; Turner et al., 2008). Increasing demand for palm oil in food products and as a biofuel is likely to result in accelerating environmental change in the future (Koh & Ghazoul, 2008). Despite the importance of this crop and increasing global concern for environmental change, surprisingly little research has focussed on the actual impacts of conversion of forest to oil palm on biodiversity (Fitzherbert et al., 2008; Foster et al., 2011; Turner et al., 2008). In particular much still needs to be studied if we are to understand how human-modified landscapes can be managed to allow continued sustainable production of this globally important crop as well as maintenance of biodiversity. The development of more sustainable oil palm landscapes containing higher levels of biodiversity is not an alternative to conserving large areas of intact primary forest, as only these forested areas can provide a habitat for many rare and threatened species (Edwards et al., 2010). Rather it will allow preservation of a higher level of biodiversity within plantations, a greater connectivity and permeability for species to travel between reserve areas, and crucially the maintenance of important ecosystem functions within the agricultural landscape such as pollination, biological control, decomposition, maintenance of water quality, and environmental enrichment for people living in the vicinity of plantations. Central to the development of landscapes which support biodiversity and oil palm cultivation is increasing the dialogue between the oil palm industry, scientists and conservationists, as only this will allow new research findings to be applied to oil palm cultivation practices effectively. In this chapter we will • Describe in detail the change in palm oil production that has taken place over the last 30 years, the key regions where cultivation has taken place, and options for future conservation in the tropics