Protecting natural forest in oil palm plantations crucial for
conservation

Date:
June 22, 2020
Source:
University of York
Summary:
A study has found that patches of protected forest on oil palm
plantations play an important role in helping to conserve endangered
species including hornbill birds and dipterocarp trees.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Forest conservation areas in oil palm plantations play a vital role in
storing carbon and boosting rainforest biodiversity, a new study on palm
oil agriculture in Borneo has revealed.


==========================================================================
The study, led by the University of York, found that patches of protected forest play an important role in helping to conserve endangered species including hornbill birds and dipterocarp trees.

The study revealed that plantations, where a tenth of the land is
protected as natural forest, store up to 20% more carbon than plantations
with no protected forest.

Oil palm agriculture is a key driver of deforestation, causing widespread biodiversity loss and carbon emissions -- particularly in Indonesia and Malaysia, where 85% of the world's palm oil is produced.

Lead author of the study, Susannah Fleiss, a PhD student in the Department
of Biology at the University of York, said: "Our study found that these
forest areas do increase carbon stored in oil palm plantations, helping
to mitigate the carbon emissions associated with oil palm agriculture.

"We also found that the protected forest sites which stored the most
carbon also contained the highest plant diversity, so by choosing to
protect forest areas with high carbon stocks, oil palm plantations will
also protect rainforest biodiversity." For the study, the researchers
measured trees and other vegetation in 14 forest areas protected in
Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO)-certified oil palm plantations
in Malaysian Borneo.



==========================================================================
A key requirement for oil palm plantations to be certified as sustainable, under the RSPO certification scheme, is that the plantations must protect
areas of natural forest within their land.

The researchers found that, in comparison to primary rainforest, the
forest areas protected within oil palm plantations had low numbers of
tree seedlings, meaning they may contain fewer trees in the years to come.

Oil palm plantation owners must act to manage protected areas of forest
in order to conserve them for the future, the researchers urge.

Susannah Fleiss added: "We recommend that oil palm plantations manage
their protected forest to improve the potential for the trees to produce seedlings and for the seedlings to survive. This could include planting additional seedlings or cutting back vines." Professor Jane Hill, who co-supervised the project added: "Palm oil is a key ingredient in many supermarket products and it is crucial that it comes from sustainable
sources. Our study highlights the importance of retaining forest patches
in sustainable cultivation practices." The research was jointly funded
by Unilever and the University of York.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_York. Note: Content
may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Susannah Fleiss, Emily H. Waddell, Bernadus Bala Ola, Lindsay
F. Banin,
Suzan Benedick, Azlin Bin Sailim, Daniel S. Chapman, Ahmad
Jelling, Henry King, Colin J. McClean, Kok Loong Yeong, Jane
K. Hill. Conservation set- asides improve carbon storage and
support associated plant diversity in certified sustainable oil
palm plantations. Biological Conservation, 2020; 248: 108631 DOI:
10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108631 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/06/200622132930.htm

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