The conservation of tigers and other wildlife in oil palm plantations
The conservation of tigers and other wildlife in oil palm plantations The conservation of tigers and other wildlife in oil palm plantations
Figure 28 - River buffer zone legislation is often flouted Management of unplanted areas Management of unplanted areas requires various decisions. Firstly, how much land is required for conservation? Unfortunately, there is no magic number that is required to achieve conservation success. It may be the case that certain sizes of refuge or corridor are required for certain species to utilise them, but at this stage such values remain unknown. In general, the more land left unplanted, the more the negative effects of oil palm will be mitigated and the higher the perceived commitment to mitigating effects. In previous cases, plantations have left 15-30% of land unplanted for conservation purposes. As a rule of thumb, we would suggest at least 10% above the legal minimum (i.e. not including land that is already legally ineligible for planting such as river buffer zones or steep slopes) of the concession should be left unplanted and actively managed for conservation purposes. The second decision is where to leave land unplanted. Decisions should first be determined by existing habitat characteristics. If the concession includes areas with existing conservation value, these areas should be prioritised. Beyond this, the best placement for unplanted areas will depend upon the plantation location. Plantations bordering important wildlife areas (particularly but not exclusively protected areas and tracts of forest) should use their set-aside to buffer the wildlife area and also focus on increasing plantation permeability through provision of habitat corridors. More isolated plantations (for example plantations surrounded by more plantations) should still implement habitat corridors, although the value and placement will depend on action by neighbours and hence on overall landscape planning at a regional scale. Such plantations should also focus on provision of blocks of habitat refuges for smaller and mobile species which have little alternative in the area. Naturally, management of unplanted land in existing concessions will also depend upon where the remaining unplanted land is. The most economical method of allocating land to conservation is to take it from areas not yet planted and this needs to be accepted by conservationists. However, this should not rule out the possibility of replacing existing oil palm with conservation land if it is deemed that a habitat corridor is vital between two specific areas. The third management decision is whether to modify or restore the conservation areas once established. This study provides no information on whether conservation habitats should be actively modified. Until such information is available it is probably safe to assume that no habitat modification or restoration is required – many species can survive in very degraded habitats but few are so tolerant of human activity. The one exception where habitat restoration may be favourable is in areas threatened by illegal settlement. As this study showed, leaving land fallow can be interpreted as unwanted and encourage settlement. Active habitat modification such as tree planting is one activity that can clearly demonstrate management and ownership and which may also benefit conservation. Wildlife conservation in oil palm plantations 49
The final decision is how to manage the areas on a day to day basis. This study showed that active management and protection is essential and should be integrated into routine plantation management. Whilst excessive ranger presence may be counterproductive, scaring animals away from using corridors for example, it is important to clearly mark conservation areas and to regularly patrol them, demonstrating ownership, preventing hunting and snaring and stopping illegal clearing or settlement before it gets too advanced. Plantations generally require robust security departments and entry procedures for other purposes. Protection of areas allocated to conservation needs to be incorporated into security personnel briefing to the same extent as fruit theft and mill protection, and this can be done with little extra cost. Daily management does not have to be restricted to protection either. It will be in most plantations’ interests to demonstrate patterns of use of conservation habitats too, both to justify their existence and to maximise the benefits. Simple monitoring protocols can be established to monitor presence of key species whilst a small investment in automatic cameras can provide highly visible results. Supporting green credentials with a photograph of endangered species using plantation conservation areas could have an immediate impact. Figure 29 - Options for setting aside 10% of a concession for conservation: A) wildlife refuges B) wildlife buffer zone, C) wildlife corridors, D) a mixture of refugia accounting for 10% of the area in addition to riverine buffers required by law A B C D Offsetting residual impacts through action offsite Responsible planting, responsible management of oil palm and responsible management of unplanted land can all reduce the negative impacts of oil palm plantations on wildlife species. However, even a plantation employing all of these methods will still have a considerable residual impact on its environment. If the palm oil industry seriously wants to counter its total impact in conservation terms, then biodiversity offsetting is the only feasible option. Biodiversity offsets are a concept currently receiving increasing acceptance in the mineral extraction industries. With limited options to reduce the impact of the actual mining process, a substantial residual impact is unavoidable. Biodiversity offsetting 50 Wildlife conservation in oil palm plantations
- Page 1 and 2: ZSL Conservation Report No.7 The co
- Page 3 and 4: The conservation of tigers and othe
- Page 5 and 6: importance of marginal or degraded
- Page 7 and 8: tersebut masih ada dalam populasi y
- Page 9 and 10: The value of degraded land 44 Impli
- Page 11 and 12: INTRODUCTION Protected areas and co
- Page 13 and 14: survival (Western, 1989). Consequen
- Page 15 and 16: However, in Indonesia the potential
- Page 17 and 18: Environmental impact of oil palm Oi
- Page 19 and 20: Figure 3 - Land use within the stud
- Page 21 and 22: Non-random camera placement Cameras
- Page 23 and 24: Captured animals were anaesthetised
- Page 25 and 26: Species survival within a human-dom
- Page 27 and 28: Table 3 - Conservation and protecti
- Page 29 and 30: Figure 15 - Distribution maps based
- Page 31 and 32: Species survival within the plantat
- Page 33 and 34: Evidence of persistence in oil palm
- Page 35 and 36: Figure 19 - Distribution of species
- Page 37 and 38: Figure 22 - Ranges for two wild pig
- Page 39 and 40: Table 12 - Estimated tiger densitie
- Page 41 and 42: Tigers on the plantation 2003-2006
- Page 43 and 44: Figure 26 - Summary of individual t
- Page 45 and 46: Figure 27 - Examples of conservatio
- Page 47 and 48: occasionally and usually on the edg
- Page 49 and 50: forest, unprotected or unknown area
- Page 51: left unplanted, they will be more v
- Page 55 and 56: Figure 30 Information Box 1: The RS
- Page 57 and 58: Integrating oil palm management int
- Page 59 and 60: consumers). Engaging communities on
- Page 61 and 62: REFERENCES Arcese, P. and Sinclair,
- Page 63 and 64: RSPO (2006). RSPO Principles and Cr
- Page 65 and 66: APPENDIX II Birds recorded opportun
<strong>The</strong> f<strong>in</strong>al decision is how to manage the areas on a day to day basis. This study<br />
showed that active management <strong>and</strong> protection is essential <strong>and</strong> should be <strong>in</strong>tegrated<br />
<strong>in</strong>to rout<strong>in</strong>e plantation management. Whilst excessive ranger presence may be<br />
counterproductive, scar<strong>in</strong>g animals away from us<strong>in</strong>g corridors for example, it is<br />
important to clearly mark <strong>conservation</strong> areas <strong>and</strong> to regularly patrol them,<br />
demonstrat<strong>in</strong>g ownership, prevent<strong>in</strong>g hunt<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> snar<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> stopp<strong>in</strong>g illegal<br />
clear<strong>in</strong>g or settlement before it gets too advanced. Plantations generally require<br />
robust security departments <strong>and</strong> entry procedures for <strong>other</strong> purposes. Protection <strong>of</strong><br />
areas allocated to <strong>conservation</strong> needs to be <strong>in</strong>corporated <strong>in</strong>to security personnel<br />
brief<strong>in</strong>g to the same extent as fruit theft <strong>and</strong> mill protection, <strong>and</strong> this can be done with<br />
little extra cost. Daily management does not have to be restricted to protection either.<br />
It will be <strong>in</strong> most <strong>plantations</strong>’ <strong>in</strong>terests to demonstrate patterns <strong>of</strong> use <strong>of</strong> <strong>conservation</strong><br />
habitats too, both to justify their existence <strong>and</strong> to maximise the benefits. Simple<br />
monitor<strong>in</strong>g protocols can be established to monitor presence <strong>of</strong> key species whilst a<br />
small <strong>in</strong>vestment <strong>in</strong> automatic cameras can provide highly visible results. Support<strong>in</strong>g<br />
green credentials with a photograph <strong>of</strong> endangered species us<strong>in</strong>g plantation<br />
<strong>conservation</strong> areas could have an immediate impact.<br />
Figure 29 - Options for sett<strong>in</strong>g aside 10% <strong>of</strong> a concession for <strong>conservation</strong>: A) <strong>wildlife</strong> refuges<br />
B) <strong>wildlife</strong> buffer zone, C) <strong>wildlife</strong> corridors, D) a mixture <strong>of</strong> refugia account<strong>in</strong>g for 10% <strong>of</strong> the<br />
area <strong>in</strong> addition to river<strong>in</strong>e buffers required by law<br />
A B<br />
C D<br />
Offsett<strong>in</strong>g residual impacts through action <strong>of</strong>fsite<br />
Responsible plant<strong>in</strong>g, responsible management <strong>of</strong> <strong>oil</strong> <strong>palm</strong> <strong>and</strong> responsible<br />
management <strong>of</strong> unplanted l<strong>and</strong> can all reduce the negative impacts <strong>of</strong> <strong>oil</strong> <strong>palm</strong><br />
<strong>plantations</strong> on <strong>wildlife</strong> species. However, even a plantation employ<strong>in</strong>g all <strong>of</strong> these<br />
methods will still have a considerable residual impact on its environment. If the <strong>palm</strong><br />
<strong>oil</strong> <strong>in</strong>dustry seriously wants to counter its total impact <strong>in</strong> <strong>conservation</strong> terms, then<br />
biodiversity <strong>of</strong>fsett<strong>in</strong>g is the only feasible option.<br />
Biodiversity <strong>of</strong>fsets are a concept currently receiv<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>g acceptance <strong>in</strong> the<br />
m<strong>in</strong>eral extraction <strong>in</strong>dustries. With limited options to reduce the impact <strong>of</strong> the actual<br />
m<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g process, a substantial residual impact is unavoidable. Biodiversity <strong>of</strong>fsett<strong>in</strong>g<br />
50 Wildlife <strong>conservation</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>oil</strong> <strong>palm</strong> <strong>plantations</strong>
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