The conservation of tigers and other wildlife in oil palm plantations

with wildlife could make an important contribution to the hypothetical situation
represented in the map. Areas fully planted with oil palm crop would be recorded as
no value on the example landscape map. Such areas at best reduce the area available
to wildlife, at worst break existing connections. However, actions taken by responsible
oil palm plantations could result in the status of some areas of their concession land
increasing from no value to low or even medium value. Such action would only be
effective if applied collaboratively throughout the landscape. Building corridors is
useless if there is nothing to connect, setting land aside is pointless if it is immediately
occupied by illegal settlers and sacrificing profits for conservation will never be
economically viable if the effort goes unrecognised. For this reason, action within the
palm oil industry has to happen within the context of a collaborative landscape
approach to conservation. If this is done, potential exists for significant improvements
in both species survival and ecosystem benefits across the landscape.
Implementing a landscape approach towards conservation
Identify priorities
The first step in a landscape approach is to identify the priorities. The map presented
above represents a likely but theoretical situation. Maps of real conservation value
distribution need to be produced. Protected areas that require more work to maintain
their value, existing connections that have to be maintained, connections requiring
restoration and areas needing new connections all need to be identified. Furthermore,
better understanding of how conservation values can be maintained outside protected
areas is needed. Our study is a good start, but further data are needed on how species
survive in low value areas, what their key requirements are for survival, how they
adapt in order to survive, and what can be done to increase the chances of survival?
Engaging landscape stakeholders
The second step is to use the information obtained to make improvements in the
landscape, engaging with key stakeholders to persuade them to use their collaborative
influence to bring change. Most important of these is government which has to take a
leading role if any significant impact is to be expected. Support is essential from local
land planning agencies to understand conservation priorities and to consider them in
land use plans, allocating concessions to users most compatible with intrinsic
conservation values and encouraging heterogeneity in the landscape to minimise the
impacts that are unavoidable. Furthermore, government support is essential to drive
through change amongst all landscape users. Existing environmental laws need to be
enforced and action supported; companies need to know that if they don’t leave river
buffer zones they will be prosecuted, but if they do make sacrifices above the legal
requirement they will be recognised, not penalised. Local communities need to know
that hunting protected species is illegal, and that areas set aside for conservation will
be recognised and protected.
After government, industry is possibly the most important actor in this landscape, with
single companies controlling large tracts of land. Change can come quickly, if
incentives are sufficient, and environmental responsibility is a major concern for most
industries. The oil palm industry is a key player with a rapidly increasing stake, and is
perhaps the most challenging for compatibility, but other industries also have equally
important influence. For example, the forestry industry still represents the dominant
land use in Sumatra and also the land use with most potential for compatibility with
conservation if managed correctly. The mining industry can also operate with a
relatively small local environmental footprint, but with major environmental concerns.
Local communities represent the third landscape stakeholder, with particular
difficulties stemming from the problems in implementing large scale change.
Engaging the wider community in the importance of conservation outside protected
areas is important for raising the awareness that drives change on a local level (for
example, change in the palm oil industry is largely due to pressure from palm oil
Wildlife conservation in oil palm plantations 55