1
|
Lim FKS, Carrasco LR, Edwards DP, McHardy J. Land-use change from market responses to oil palm intensification in Indonesia. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2024; 38:e14149. [PMID: 37424370 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.14149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2022] [Revised: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/11/2023]
Abstract
Oil palm is a major driver of tropical deforestation. A key intervention proposed to reduce the footprint of oil palm is intensifying production to free up spare land for nature, yet the indirect land-use implications of intensification through market forces are poorly understood. We used a spatially explicit land-rent modeling framework to characterize the supply and demand of oil palm in Indonesia under multiple yield improvement and demand elasticity scenarios and explored how shifts in market equilibria alter projections of crop expansion. Oil palm supply was sensitive to crop prices and yield improvements. Across all our scenarios, intensification raised agricultural rents and lowered the effectiveness of reductions in crop expansion. Increased yields lowered oil palm prices, but these price-drops were not sufficient to prevent further cropland expansion from increased agricultural rents under a range of price elasticities of demand. Crucially, we found that agricultural intensification might only result in land being spared when the demand relationship was highly inelastic and crop prices were very low (i.e., a 70% price reduction). Under this scenario, the extent of land spared (∼0.32 million ha) was countered by the continued establishment of new plantations (∼1.04 million ha). Oil palm intensification in Indonesia could exacerbate current pressures on its imperiled biodiversity and should be deployed with stronger spatial planning and enforcement to prevent further cropland expansion.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Felix K S Lim
- Grantham Centre for Sustainable Futures, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, UK
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Luis Roman Carrasco
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - David P Edwards
- Grantham Centre for Sustainable Futures, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
- Department of Plant Sciences and Conservation Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jolian McHardy
- Grantham Centre for Sustainable Futures, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
- Department of Economics, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Leijten F, Lantz C Baldos U, Johnson JA, Sim S, Verburg PH. Projecting global oil palm expansion under zero-deforestation commitments: Direct and indirect land use change impacts. iScience 2023; 26:106971. [PMID: 37332602 PMCID: PMC10275959 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.106971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2022] [Revised: 01/21/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/20/2023] Open
Abstract
In the last three decades, global production of oil palm has boomed, which has partly come at the expense of tropical rainforests. Recognizing this, many companies operating in the palm oil industry have committed to eliminate deforestation from their operations, often referred to as zero-deforestation commitments (ZDCs). Here, we estimate that if ZDCs are fully adopted and enforced across all sectors and geographies, the global extent of oil palm plantations may be 11 M ha or 40% smaller in 2030 than in a business-as-usual (BAU) scenario that assumes no compliance with ZDCs. As a result of such land-sparing effects, we estimate that 96 M ha of forests are saved from conversion, of which, 17% would otherwise have been converted (directly or indirectly) due to expanding oil palm plantations. Overall, these figures suggest that ZDCs have the potential to deliver major environmental benefits if they are fully adopted and enforced.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Floris Leijten
- Environmental Geography Group, Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081HV Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Uris Lantz C Baldos
- Department of Agricultural Economics, Purdue University, 403 West State Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - Justin A. Johnson
- Institute on the Environment, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN 55108, USA
| | - Sarah Sim
- Safety and Environmental Assurance Centre, Unilever R&D, Colworth Science Park, Sharnbrook, Bedfordshire, UK
| | - Peter H. Verburg
- Environmental Geography Group, Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081HV Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Giger M, Musselli I. Could global norms enable definition of sustainable farming systems in a transformative international trade system? DISCOVER SUSTAINABILITY 2023; 4:18. [PMID: 37008991 PMCID: PMC10042758 DOI: 10.1007/s43621-023-00130-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
This paper aims to support differentiation between sustainable and unsustainable agricultural production, with a view to enabling a transformative agricultural trade system by incentivizing sustainable agricultural production. We argue that transformative governance of corresponding global trade flows will need to provide support to the weaker participants in production systems, above all small-scale farmers in the global South, in order to support their food security and a path out of poverty as well as global environmental goals. The present article seeks to provide an overview of internationally agreed norms that can serve as basis for differentiation between sustainable and unsustainable agricultural systems. Such common objectives and benchmarks could then be used in multilateral and binational trade agreements. We propose a list of objectives, criteria, and benchmarks that could contribute to formulation of new trade agreements that strengthen producers who are currently marginalized in international trade flows. While acknowledging that sustainability cannot be easily measured and defined for all site-specific conditions, we posit that it is nevertheless possible to identify such common objectives and benchmarks, based on internationally agreed norms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Markus Giger
- Centre for Development and Environment (CDE), University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Irene Musselli
- Centre for Development and Environment (CDE), University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Hamer KC, Sasu MA, Ofosuhene L, Asare R, Ossom B, Parr CL, Scriven SA, Asante W, Addico R, Hill JK. Proximity to forest mediates trade‐offs between yields and biodiversity of birds in oil palm smallholdings. Biotropica 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Michael A. Sasu
- School of Biology University of Leeds Leeds UK
- Nature Conservation Research Centre Accra Ghana
| | - Linda Ofosuhene
- School of Biology University of Leeds Leeds UK
- Nature Conservation Research Centre Accra Ghana
| | | | | | - Catherine L. Parr
- Department of Earth, Ocean and Ecological Sciences University of Liverpool Liverpool UK
| | - Sarah A. Scriven
- Leverhulme Centre for Anthropocene Biodiversity Department of Biology University of York York UK
| | - Winston Asante
- Department of Silviculture and Forest Management Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Kumasi Ghana
| | | | - Jane K. Hill
- Leverhulme Centre for Anthropocene Biodiversity Department of Biology University of York York UK
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Species Richness and Carbon Footprints of Vegetable Oils: Can High Yields Outweigh Palm Oil’s Environmental Impact? SUSTAINABILITY 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/su13041813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Palm oil has been widely criticised for its high environmental impacts, leading to calls to replace it with alternative vegetable oils in food and cosmetic products. However, substituting palm oil would be environmentally beneficial only if the environmental footprint per litre oil were lower than those of alternative vegetable oils. Whether this is the case is not obvious, given the high oil yields of oil palm of up to 10 times those of alternative crops. Here, we combine global agricultural and environmental datasets to show that, among the world’s seven major vegetable oil crops (oil palm, soybean, rapeseed, sunflower, groundnut, coconut, olive), oil palm has the lowest average species richness and carbon footprint associated with an annual production of one litre of vegetable oil. For each crop, these yield-adjusted footprints differ substantially between major producer countries, which we find to be largely the result of differences in crop management. Closing agricultural yield gaps of oil crops through improved management practices would significantly reduce the environmental footprints per oil yield. This would minimise the need for further land conversion to oil cropland and indeed could increase production to such an extent that a significant area of oil croplands could be ecologically restored.
Collapse
|
6
|
Edwards FA, Massam MR, Cosset CCP, Cannon PG, Haugaasen T, Gilroy JJ, Edwards DP. Sparing land for secondary forest regeneration protects more tropical biodiversity than land sharing in cattle farming landscapes. Curr Biol 2021; 31:1284-1293.e4. [PMID: 33482111 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.12.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2020] [Revised: 10/19/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Effectively managing farming to meet food demand is vital for the future of biodiversity.1,2 Increasing yields on existing farmland can allow the abandonment (sparing) of low-yielding areas that subsequently recover as secondary forest.2-5 A key question is whether such "secondary sparing" conserves biodiversity more effectively than retaining wildlife-friendly habitat within farmland ("land sharing"). Focusing on the Colombian Choco-Andes, a global hotspot of threatened biodiversity,6 and on cattle farming, we examined the outcomes of secondary sparing and land sharing via simulated scenarios that maintained constant landscape-wide production and equal within-pasture yield: (1) for species and functional diversity of dung beetles and birds; (2) for avian phylogenetic diversity; and (3) across different stages of secondary forest regeneration, relative to spared primary forests. Sparing older secondary forests (15-30 years recovery) promotes substantial species, functional, and phylogenetic (birds only) diversity benefits for birds and dung beetles compared to land sharing. Species of conservation concern had higher occupancy estimates under land-sparing compared to land-sharing scenarios. Spared secondary forests accumulated equivalent diversity to primary forests for dung beetles within 15 years and within 15-30 years for birds, highlighting the need for longer term protection to maximize the biodiversity gains of secondary sparing. Promoting the recovery and protection of large expanses of secondary forests under the land-sparing model provides a critical mechanism for protecting tropical biodiversity, with important implications for concurrently assisting in the delivery of global targets to restore 350 million hectares of forested landscapes.7,8.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Felicity A Edwards
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK.
| | - Mike R Massam
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - Cindy C P Cosset
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - Patrick G Cannon
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - Torbjørn Haugaasen
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway
| | - James J Gilroy
- School of Environmental Science, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - David P Edwards
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Legacy Effects Overshadow Tree Diversity Effects on Soil Fungal Communities in Oil Palm-Enrichment Plantations. Microorganisms 2020; 8:microorganisms8101577. [PMID: 33066264 PMCID: PMC7656304 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms8101577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2020] [Revised: 09/28/2020] [Accepted: 10/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Financially profitable large-scale cultivation of oil palm monocultures in previously diverse tropical rain forest areas constitutes a major ecological crisis today. Not only is a large proportion of the aboveground diversity lost, but the belowground soil microbiome, which is important for the sustainability of soil function, is massively altered. Intermixing oil palms with native tree species promotes vegetation biodiversity and stand structural complexity in plantations, but the impact on soil fungi remains unknown. Here, we analyzed the diversity and community composition of soil fungi three years after tree diversity enrichment in an oil palm plantation in Sumatra (Indonesia). We tested the effects of tree diversity, stand structural complexity indices, and soil abiotic conditions on the diversity and community composition of soil fungi. We hypothesized that the enrichment experiment alters the taxonomic and functional community composition, promoting soil fungal diversity. Fungal community composition was affected by soil abiotic conditions (pH, N, and P), but not by tree diversity and stand structural complexity indices. These results suggest that intensive land use and abiotic filters are a legacy to fungal communities, overshadowing the structuring effects of the vegetation, at least in the initial years after enrichment plantings.
Collapse
|
8
|
Scriven SA, Williams SH, Ghani MA, Agama AL, Benedick S, Brodie JF, Hamer KC, McClean CJ, Reynolds G, Hill JK. Assessing the effectiveness of protected areas for conserving range‐restricted rain forest butterflies in Sabah, Borneo. Biotropica 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Sara H. Williams
- Division of Biological Sciences and Wildlife Biology Program University of Montana Missoula MT USA
| | - Mazidi A. Ghani
- Department of Biology University of York York UK
- WWF‐Malaysia Sabah Office Kota Kinabalu Malaysia
| | - Agnes L. Agama
- South East Asia Rainforest Research Partnership (SEARRP) Lahad Datu Malaysia
| | - Suzan Benedick
- Faculty of Sustainable Agriculture Universiti Malaysia Sabah Sandakan Malaysia
| | - Jedediah F. Brodie
- Division of Biological Sciences and Wildlife Biology Program University of Montana Missoula MT USA
| | - Keith C. Hamer
- School of Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences University of Leeds Leeds UK
| | - Colin J. McClean
- Department of Environment and Geography University of York York UK
| | - Glen Reynolds
- South East Asia Rainforest Research Partnership (SEARRP) Lahad Datu Malaysia
| | - Jane K. Hill
- Department of Biology University of York York UK
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Scriven SA, Carlson KM, Hodgson JA, McClean CJ, Heilmayr R, Lucey JM, Hill JK. Testing the benefits of conservation set-asides for improved habitat connectivity in tropical agricultural landscapes. J Appl Ecol 2019; 56:2274-2285. [PMID: 31762491 PMCID: PMC6853203 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2018] [Accepted: 05/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Habitat connectivity is important for tropical biodiversity conservation. Expansion of commodity crops, such as oil palm, fragments natural habitat areas, and strategies are needed to improve habitat connectivity in agricultural landscapes. The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) voluntary certification system requires that growers identify and conserve forest patches identified as High Conservation Value Areas (HCVAs) before oil palm plantations can be certified as sustainable. We assessed the potential benefits of these conservation set-asides for forest connectivity.We mapped HCVAs and quantified their forest cover in 2015. To assess their contribution to forest connectivity, we modelled range expansion of forest-dependent populations with five dispersal abilities spanning those representative of poor dispersers (e.g. flightless insects) to more mobile species (e.g. large birds or bats) across 70 plantation landscapes in Borneo.Because only 21% of HCVA area was forested in 2015, these conservation set-asides currently provide few connectivity benefits. Compared to a scenario where HCVAs contain no forest (i.e. a no-RSPO scenario), current HCVAs improved connectivity by ~3% across all dispersal abilities. However, if HCVAs were fully reforested, then overall landscape connectivity could improve by ~16%. Reforestation of HCVAs had the greatest benefit for poor to intermediate dispersers (0.5-3 km per generation), generating landscapes that were up to 2.7 times better connected than landscapes without HCVAs. By contrast, connectivity benefits of HCVAs were low for highly mobile populations under current and reforestation scenarios, because range expansion of these populations was generally successful regardless of the amount of forest cover. Synthesis and applications. The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) requires that High Conservation Value Areas (HCVAs) be set aside to conserve biodiversity, but HCVAs currently provide few connectivity benefits because they contain relatively little forest. However, reforested HCVAs have the potential to improve landscape connectivity for some forest species (e.g. winged insects), and we recommend active management by plantation companies to improve forest quality of degraded HCVAs (e.g. by enrichment planting). Future revisions to the RSPO's Principles and Criteria should also ensure that large (i.e. with a core area >2 km2) HCVAs are reconnected to continuous tracts of forest to maximize their connectivity benefits.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Kimberly M. Carlson
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental ManagementUniversity of Hawai'i MānoaHonoluluHIUSA
| | - Jenny A. Hodgson
- Institute of Integrative BiologyUniversity of LiverpoolLiverpoolUK
| | | | - Robert Heilmayr
- Environmental Studies Program and Bren School of Environmental Science & ManagementUniversity of California Santa BarbaraCAUSA
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
10
|
Cannon PG, Gilroy JJ, Tobias JA, Anderson A, Haugaasen T, Edwards DP. Land-sparing agriculture sustains higher levels of avian functional diversity than land sharing. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2019; 25:1576-1590. [PMID: 30793430 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.14601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2018] [Revised: 12/05/2018] [Accepted: 01/15/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The ecological impacts of meeting rising demands for food production can potentially be mitigated by two competing land-use strategies: off-setting natural habitats through intensification of existing farmland (land sparing), or elevating biodiversity within the agricultural matrix via the integration of "wildlife-friendly" habitat features (land sharing). However, a key unanswered question is whether sparing or sharing farming would best conserve functional diversity, which can promote ecosystem stability and resilience to future land-use change. Focusing on bird communities in tropical cloud forests of the Colombian Andes, we test the performance of each strategy in conserving functional diversity. We show that multiple components of avian functional diversity in farmland are positively related to the proximity and extent of natural forest. Using landscape and community simulations, we also show that land-sparing agriculture conserves greater functional diversity and predicts higher abundance of species supplying key ecological functions than land sharing, with sharing becoming progressively inferior with increasing isolation from remnant forest. These results suggest low-intensity agriculture is likely to conserve little functional diversity unless large blocks of adjacent natural habitat are protected, consistent with land sparing. To ensure the retention of functionally diverse ecosystems, we urgently need to implement mechanisms for increasing farmland productivity whilst protecting spared land.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Patrick G Cannon
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - James J Gilroy
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, Norfolk, UK
| | - Joseph A Tobias
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
| | - Alex Anderson
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management (MINA), Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Ås, Norway
| | - Torbjørn Haugaasen
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management (MINA), Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Ås, Norway
| | - David P Edwards
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Dang DKD, Patterson AC, Carrasco LR. An analysis of the spatial association between deforestation and agricultural field sizes in the tropics and subtropics. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0209918. [PMID: 30699139 PMCID: PMC6353091 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0209918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2018] [Accepted: 12/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Tropical deforestation is one of the most pressing threats to biodiversity, and substantially reduces ecosystem services at the global scale. Little is known however about the global spatial distribution of the actors behind tropical deforestation. Newly available maps of global cropland field size offer an opportunity to gain understanding towards the spatial distribution of tropical deforestation actors. Here we use a map of global cropland field size and combine it with maps of forest loss to study the spatial association between field size and deforestation while accounting for other anthropogenic and geographical drivers of deforestation. We then use linear mixed–effects models and bootstrapping to determine what factors affect field sizes within deforested areas across all countries in the global tropics and subtropics. We find that field size within deforested areas is largely determined by country-level effects indicating the importance of socio-economic, cultural and institutional factors on the distribution of field sizes. Typically, small field sizes appear more commonly in deforested areas in Africa and Asia while the association was with larger field sizes in Australia and the Americas. In general, we find that smaller field sizes are associated with deforestation in protected areas and large field sizes with areas with lower agricultural value, although these results have low explanatory power. Our results suggest that the spatial patterns of actors behind deforestation are aggregated geographically which could help target conservation and sustainable land-use strategies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Doan K. D. Dang
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Republic of Singapore
| | - Amy C. Patterson
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Republic of Singapore
| | - Luis R. Carrasco
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Republic of Singapore
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Wyckhuys KAG, Hughes AC, Buamas C, Johnson AC, Vasseur L, Reymondin L, Deguine JP, Sheil D. Biological control of an agricultural pest protects tropical forests. Commun Biol 2019; 2:10. [PMID: 30623106 PMCID: PMC6323051 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-018-0257-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2018] [Accepted: 12/07/2018] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Though often perceived as an environmentally-risky practice, biological control of invasive species can restore crop yields, ease land pressure and thus contribute to forest conservation. Here, we show how biological control against the mealybug Phenacoccus manihoti (Hemiptera) slows deforestation across Southeast Asia. In Thailand, this newly-arrived mealybug caused an 18% decline in cassava yields over 2009-2010 and an escalation in prices of cassava products. This spurred an expansion of cassava cropping in neighboring countries from 713,000 ha in 2009 to > 1 million ha by 2011: satellite imagery reveals 388%, 330%, 185% and 608% increases in peak deforestation rates in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Vietnam focused in cassava crop expansion areas. Following release of the host-specific parasitoid Anagyrus lopezi (Hymenoptera) in 2010, mealybug outbreaks were reduced, cropping area contracted and deforestation slowed by 31-95% in individual countries. Hence, when judiciously implemented, insect biological control can deliver substantial environmental benefits.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- K. A. G. Wyckhuys
- Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture & Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, People’s Republic of China
- China Academy of Agricultural Sciences CAAS, Beijing 100193, People’s Republic of China
- University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, QLD Australia
- Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058 People’s Republic of China
| | - A. C. Hughes
- Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Gardens, China Academy of Sciences CAS, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan 666303 People’s Republic of China
| | - C. Buamas
- Department of Agriculture (DoA), Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Bangkok 10900, Thailand
| | - A. C. Johnson
- Charles Sturt University, Orange, NSW 2800 Australia
| | - L. Vasseur
- Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture & Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, People’s Republic of China
- Brock University, St. Catharines, ON L2S 3A1 Canada
| | - L. Reymondin
- International Center for Tropical Agriculture CIAT, 100000 Hanoi, Vietnam
| | | | - D. Sheil
- Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, 1432 Ås, Norway
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Balmford B, Green RE, Onial M, Phalan B, Balmford A. How imperfect can land sparing be before land sharing is more favourable for wild species? J Appl Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ben Balmford
- Department of ZoologyUniversity of Oxford Oxford UK
- Land, Environment, Economics and Policy InstituteUniversity of Exeter Exeter UK
| | - Rhys E. Green
- Department of ZoologyUniversity of CambridgeConservation Science Group Cambridge UK
| | - Malvika Onial
- Department of ZoologyUniversity of CambridgeConservation Science Group Cambridge UK
| | - Ben Phalan
- Department of ZoologyUniversity of CambridgeConservation Science Group Cambridge UK
- Department of Forest Ecosystems and SocietyOregon State University Corvallis Oregon
| | - Andrew Balmford
- Department of ZoologyUniversity of CambridgeConservation Science Group Cambridge UK
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Estrada A, Garber PA, Mittermeier RA, Wich S, Gouveia S, Dobrovolski R, Nekaris K, Nijman V, Rylands AB, Maisels F, Williamson EA, Bicca-Marques J, Fuentes A, Jerusalinsky L, Johnson S, Rodrigues de Melo F, Oliveira L, Schwitzer C, Roos C, Cheyne SM, Martins Kierulff MC, Raharivololona B, Talebi M, Ratsimbazafy J, Supriatna J, Boonratana R, Wedana M, Setiawan A. Primates in peril: the significance of Brazil, Madagascar, Indonesia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo for global primate conservation. PeerJ 2018; 6:e4869. [PMID: 29922508 PMCID: PMC6005167 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.4869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2018] [Accepted: 05/10/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Primates occur in 90 countries, but four-Brazil, Madagascar, Indonesia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)-harbor 65% of the world's primate species (439) and 60% of these primates are Threatened, Endangered, or Critically Endangered (IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017-3). Considering their importance for global primate conservation, we examine the anthropogenic pressures each country is facing that place their primate populations at risk. Habitat loss and fragmentation are main threats to primates in Brazil, Madagascar, and Indonesia. However, in DRC hunting for the commercial bushmeat trade is the primary threat. Encroachment on primate habitats driven by local and global market demands for food and non-food commodities hunting, illegal trade, the proliferation of invasive species, and human and domestic-animal borne infectious diseases cause habitat loss, population declines, and extirpation. Modeling agricultural expansion in the 21st century for the four countries under a worst-case-scenario, showed a primate range contraction of 78% for Brazil, 72% for Indonesia, 62% for Madagascar, and 32% for DRC. These pressures unfold in the context of expanding human populations with low levels of development. Weak governance across these four countries may limit effective primate conservation planning. We examine landscape and local approaches to effective primate conservation policies and assess the distribution of protected areas and primates in each country. Primates in Brazil and Madagascar have 38% of their range inside protected areas, 17% in Indonesia and 14% in DRC, suggesting that the great majority of primate populations remain vulnerable. We list the key challenges faced by the four countries to avert primate extinctions now and in the future. In the short term, effective law enforcement to stop illegal hunting and illegal forest destruction is absolutely key. Long-term success can only be achieved by focusing local and global public awareness, and actively engaging with international organizations, multinational businesses and consumer nations to reduce unsustainable demands on the environment. Finally, the four primate range countries need to ensure that integrated, sustainable land-use planning for economic development includes the maintenance of biodiversity and intact, functional natural ecosystems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Estrada
- Institute of Biology, National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Paul A. Garber
- Department of Anthropology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | | | - Serge Wich
- School of Natural Sciences and Psychology and Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, Liverpool John Moores University and University of Amsterdam, Liverpool, UK
| | - Sidney Gouveia
- Department of Ecology, Federal University of Sergipe, São Cristóvão, Brazil
| | | | - K.A.I. Nekaris
- Department of Social Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK
| | - Vincent Nijman
- Department of Social Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK
| | | | - Fiona Maisels
- Global Conservation Program, Wildlife Conservation Society, NY, USA
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, Scotland, UK
| | | | | | - Agustin Fuentes
- Department of Anthropology, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
| | - Leandro Jerusalinsky
- Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade, Ministério do Meio Ambiente, Brasilia, Brazil
| | - Steig Johnson
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Fabiano Rodrigues de Melo
- Universidade Federal de Goiás and Dept. Eng. Florestal, Campus UFV, UFV, Viçosa, Brazil, Jataí Viçosa, Brazil
| | - Leonardo Oliveira
- Departamento de Ciências, Faculdade de Formação de Professores, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (DCIEN/FFP/UERJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | - Christian Roos
- Deutsches Primatenzentrum, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Susan M. Cheyne
- Borneo Nature Foundation, Palangka Raya, Indonesia
- Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK
| | - Maria Cecilia Martins Kierulff
- Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Instituto Pri-Matas and Centro Universitário Norte do Espírito Santo, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Brigitte Raharivololona
- Mention Anthropobiologie et Développement Durable, University of Antananarivo, Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | - Mauricio Talebi
- Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Diadema, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Jonah Ratsimbazafy
- Groupe d’étude et de recherche sur les primates (Gerp), Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | - Jatna Supriatna
- Graduate Program in Conservation Biology, Department of Biology FMIPA, University of Indonesia, Depok, Indonesia
| | - Ramesh Boonratana
- Mahidol University International College, Salaya, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand
| | - Made Wedana
- The Aspinall Foundation–Indonesia Program, Bandung West Java, Indonesia
| | - Arif Setiawan
- SwaraOwa, Coffee and Primate Conservation Project, Java, Central Java, Indonesia
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Neves MP, de Arruda Amorim JP, Delariva RL. Influence of land use on the health of a detritivorous fish (Ancistrus mullerae) endemic to the Iguassu ecoregion: relationship between agricultural land use and severe histopathological alterations. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2018; 25:11670-11682. [PMID: 29435799 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-018-1283-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2017] [Accepted: 01/11/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
This study aimed to evaluate the histopathological biomarkers of the gills and liver of endemic catfish to test the hypothesis that, in environments under intense land use by agricultural activities, histopathological alterations occur more severely. Samples were collected by electrofishing in seven streams in the Lower Iguaçu basin quarterly from August 2015 to February 2016. The gills and livers were processed according to routine histological methods and examined by light microscopy. The histopathological alterations observed in fish from the streams with a higher percentage of natural vegetation cover were considered modest and indicated normal functioning of the organ (such as edema, hyperplasia, and leukocyte infiltration). As predicted, fish collected in streams with higher agricultural influence presented moderate to severe damage (aneurysm, vacuolization and cytoplasmic degeneration, and pyknotic nucleus). The abundance of chloride cells was significantly increased in the gills of Ancistrus mullerae collected in rural streams. In addition, in most streams, mucous cells were more abundant during the rainy period. Significant differences were observed in the histopathological index (HI) of the gills and livers, where severe histopathological alterations occurred in fish from streams with a higher agricultural influence. The observed alterations were more severe in the liver than in the gills, which are indeed related to the liver's key role in the detoxification of xenobiotics. We conclude that more severe histological alterations occurred in fish from streams with the highest land use by agricultural activities. Thus, our work provides important insight into the conservation and management of natural resources.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mayara Pereira Neves
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Conservação e Manejo de Recursos Naturais, Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Estadual do Oeste do Paraná, Rua Universitária 2069, Jardim Universitário, Cascavel, 85819110, Paraná, Brazil.
- CCBS, Universidade Estadual do Oeste do Paraná, Sala 017, Rua Universitária 2069, Jardim Universitário, Cascavel, Paraná, 85819-110, Brazil.
| | - João Paulo de Arruda Amorim
- Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Estadual do Oeste do Paraná, Rua Universitária 2069, Jardim Universitário, Cascavel, Paraná, 85811280, Brazil
| | - Rosilene Luciana Delariva
- Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Conservação e Manejo de Recursos Naturais, Universidade Estadual do Oeste do Paraná, Rua Universitária 2069, Jardim Universitário, Cascavel, 85819-110, Paraná, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Edwards DP, Lim F, James RH, Pearce CR, Scholes J, Freckleton RP, Beerling DJ. Climate change mitigation: potential benefits and pitfalls of enhanced rock weathering in tropical agriculture. Biol Lett 2017; 13:rsbl.2016.0715. [PMID: 28381631 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2016.0715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2016] [Accepted: 12/03/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Restricting future global temperature increase to 2°C or less requires the adoption of negative emissions technologies for carbon capture and storage. We review the potential for deployment of enhanced weathering (EW), via the application of crushed reactive silicate rocks (such as basalt), on over 680 million hectares of tropical agricultural and tree plantations to offset fossil fuel CO2 emissions. Warm tropical climates and productive crops will substantially enhance weathering rates, with potential co-benefits including decreased soil acidification and increased phosphorus supply promoting higher crop yields sparing forest for conservation, and reduced cultural eutrophication. Potential pitfalls include the impacts of mining operations on deforestation, producing the energy to crush and transport silicates and the erosion of silicates into rivers and coral reefs that increases inorganic turbidity, sedimentation and pH, with unknown impacts for biodiversity. We identify nine priority research areas for untapping the potential of EW in the tropics, including effectiveness of tropical agriculture at EW for major crops in relation to particle sizes and soil types, impacts on human health, and effects on farmland, adjacent forest and stream-water biodiversity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David P Edwards
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - Felix Lim
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - Rachael H James
- Ocean and Earth Science, National Oceanography Centre Southampton, University of Southampton, Southampton SO14 3ZH, UK
| | - Christopher R Pearce
- National Oceanography Centre, University of Southampton Waterfront Campus, European Way, Southampton SO14 3ZH, UK
| | - Julie Scholes
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - Robert P Freckleton
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - David J Beerling
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Carrasco LR, Webb EL, Symes WS, Koh LP, Sodhi NS. Global economic trade-offs between wild nature and tropical agriculture. PLoS Biol 2017; 15:e2001657. [PMID: 28732022 PMCID: PMC5521733 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.2001657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2016] [Accepted: 06/01/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Global demands for agricultural and forestry products provide economic incentives for deforestation across the tropics. Much of this deforestation occurs with a lack of information on the spatial distribution of benefits and costs of deforestation. To inform global sustainable land-use policies, we combine geographic information systems (GIS) with a meta-analysis of ecosystem services (ES) studies to perform a spatially explicit analysis of the trade-offs between agricultural benefits, carbon emissions, and losses of multiple ecosystem services because of tropical deforestation from 2000 to 2012. Even though the value of ecosystem services presents large inherent uncertainties, we find a pattern supporting the argument that the externalities of destroying tropical forests are greater than the current direct economic benefits derived from agriculture in all cases bar one: when yield and rent potentials of high-value crops could be realized in the future. Our analysis identifies the Atlantic Forest, areas around the Gulf of Guinea, and Thailand as areas where agricultural conversion appears economically efficient, indicating a major impediment to the long-term financial sustainability of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) schemes in those countries. By contrast, Latin America, insular Southeast Asia, and Madagascar present areas with low agricultural rents (ARs) and high values in carbon stocks and ES, suggesting that they are economically viable conservation targets. Our study helps identify optimal areas for conservation and agriculture together with their associated uncertainties, which could enhance the efficiency and sustainability of pantropical land-use policies and help direct future research efforts. Tropical forests are often destroyed to clear land for agriculture or to harvest forestry products, such as timber. However, the benefits derived from agriculture and these products are countered by the costs to the environment and the loss of ecosystem systems (the benefits that nature provides to humans). Little is known about how the economic benefits and costs of deforestation vary on a global scale. Knowing the distribution of benefits and costs would help identify regions where deforestation is most and least beneficial and thus could help select areas to focus conservation efforts. We studied the trade-offs between agricultural benefits, carbon emissions, and losses of multiple ecosystem services (ES) in tropical deforested areas around the world. We find large differences between costs and benefits globally. For instance, we identify the Atlantic Forest, areas around the Gulf of Guinea, and Thailand as areas where the benefits from agricultural conversion are greater than environmental costs, which could make it difficult to incentivize and implement biodiversity conservation strategies that are based on payments to farmers. By contrast, Latin America, insular Southeast Asia, and Madagascar represent areas with low agricultural benefits and high environmental costs. This suggests that these regions are economically viable conservation targets. Our study helps identify strategies to enhance the sustainability of land-use policies in the tropics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Luis R. Carrasco
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Republic of Singapore
- * E-mail: (L.R.C.); (L.P.K.)
| | - Edward L. Webb
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Republic of Singapore
| | - William S. Symes
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Republic of Singapore
| | - Lian P. Koh
- Environment Institute, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
- * E-mail: (L.R.C.); (L.P.K.)
| | - Navjot S. Sodhi
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Republic of Singapore
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Lim FKS, Carrasco LR, McHardy J, Edwards DP. Perverse Market Outcomes from Biodiversity Conservation Interventions. Conserv Lett 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/conl.12332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Felix K. S. Lim
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences; University of Sheffield; Sheffield S10 2TN UK
| | - L. Roman Carrasco
- Department of Biological Sciences; National University of Singapore; Singapore
| | - Jolian McHardy
- Department of Economics; University of Sheffield; Sheffield S1 4DT UK
| | - David P. Edwards
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences; University of Sheffield; Sheffield S10 2TN UK
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Lindenmayer DB, Mortelliti A, Ikin K, Pierson J, Crane M, Michael D, Okada S. The vacant planting: limited influence of habitat restoration on patch colonization patterns by arboreal marsupials in south‐eastern Australia. Anim Conserv 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/acv.12316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- D. B. Lindenmayer
- Fenner School of Environment and Society The Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
- National Environmental Science Program Threatened Species Recovery Hub Fenner School of Environment and Society The Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
| | - A. Mortelliti
- Fenner School of Environment and Society The Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
- Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology University of Maine Orono ME USA
| | - K. Ikin
- Fenner School of Environment and Society The Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
| | - J. Pierson
- Fenner School of Environment and Society The Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
| | - M. Crane
- Fenner School of Environment and Society The Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
- National Environmental Science Program Threatened Species Recovery Hub Fenner School of Environment and Society The Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
| | - D. Michael
- Fenner School of Environment and Society The Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
- National Environmental Science Program Threatened Species Recovery Hub Fenner School of Environment and Society The Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
| | - S. Okada
- Fenner School of Environment and Society The Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
- National Environmental Science Program Threatened Species Recovery Hub Fenner School of Environment and Society The Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Lynam AJ, Porter L, Campos-Arceiz A. Conservation focus: the challenge of conservation in changing tropical southeast asia. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2016; 30:931-932. [PMID: 27341391 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.12781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Southeast Asia is a biodiversity hotspot where the risk of extinction for many vertebrates is high (Duckworth et al. 2012) due to the loss and degradation of habitats resulting from burgeoning human populations and economies, expansion of agricultural development, and unsustainable harvest of wildlife and other natural resources (Sodhi et al. 2010). Important conservation challenges in the region, especially in the terrestrial and coastal realms, include reducing the loss and degradation of native vegetation and reducing the risk of species' extinction and extirpation. This will involve mitigating impacts of land-use change, reducing human-wildlife conflicts, improving management of protected areas, resolving land-tenure conflicts, increasing community engagement in in resource conservation, and ultimately developing proconservation behaviors in Asian societies as a whole. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Antony J Lynam
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Center for Global Conservation, 2300 Southern Blvd, Bronx, NY, 10460, U.S.A
| | - Lindsay Porter
- SMRU Asia Pacific, The University of St. Andrews, 1102 One Midtown, 11 Hoi Shing Street, Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Ahimsa Campos-Arceiz
- School of Geography, The University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus, Jalan Broga, 43500 Semenyih, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Vijay V, Pimm SL, Jenkins CN, Smith SJ. The Impacts of Oil Palm on Recent Deforestation and Biodiversity Loss. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0159668. [PMID: 27462984 PMCID: PMC4963098 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0159668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 143] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2016] [Accepted: 07/05/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Palm oil is the most widely traded vegetable oil globally, with demand projected to increase substantially in the future. Almost all oil palm grows in areas that were once tropical moist forests, some of them quite recently. The conversion to date, and future expansion, threatens biodiversity and increases greenhouse gas emissions. Today, consumer pressure is pushing companies toward deforestation-free sources of palm oil. To guide interventions aimed at reducing tropical deforestation due to oil palm, we analysed recent expansions and modelled likely future ones. We assessed sample areas to find where oil palm plantations have recently replaced forests in 20 countries, using a combination of high-resolution imagery from Google Earth and Landsat. We then compared these trends to countrywide trends in FAO data for oil palm planted area. Finally, we assessed which forests have high agricultural suitability for future oil palm development, which we refer to as vulnerable forests, and identified critical areas for biodiversity that oil palm expansion threatens. Our analysis reveals regional trends in deforestation associated with oil palm agriculture. In Southeast Asia, 45% of sampled oil palm plantations came from areas that were forests in 1989. For South America, the percentage was 31%. By contrast, in Mesoamerica and Africa, we observed only 2% and 7% of oil palm plantations coming from areas that were forest in 1989. The largest areas of vulnerable forest are in Africa and South America. Vulnerable forests in all four regions of production contain globally high concentrations of mammal and bird species at risk of extinction. However, priority areas for biodiversity conservation differ based on taxa and criteria used. Government regulation and voluntary market interventions can help incentivize the expansion of oil palm plantations in ways that protect biodiversity-rich ecosystems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Varsha Vijay
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Stuart L. Pimm
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | | | - Sharon J. Smith
- Union of Concerned Scientists, Oakland, California, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Nghiem TPL, Carrasco LR. Mobile Applications to Link Sustainable Consumption with Impacts on the Environment and Biodiversity. Bioscience 2016. [DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biw016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
|
23
|
Kotowska MM, Leuschner C, Triadiati T, Meriem S, Hertel D. Quantifying above- and belowground biomass carbon loss with forest conversion in tropical lowlands of Sumatra (Indonesia). GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2015; 21:3620-34. [PMID: 25980371 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.12979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2015] [Revised: 04/03/2015] [Accepted: 05/03/2015] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Natural forests in South-East Asia have been extensively converted into other land-use systems in the past decades and still show high deforestation rates. Historically, lowland forests have been converted into rubber forests, but more recently, the dominant conversion is into oil palm plantations. While it is expected that the large-scale conversion has strong effects on the carbon cycle, detailed studies quantifying carbon pools and total net primary production (NPPtotal ) in above- and belowground tree biomass in land-use systems replacing rainforest (incl. oil palm plantations) are rare so far. We measured above- and belowground carbon pools in tree biomass together with NPPtotal in natural old-growth forests, 'jungle rubber' agroforests under natural tree cover, and rubber and oil palm monocultures in Sumatra. In total, 32 stands (eight plot replicates per land-use system) were studied in two different regions. Total tree biomass in the natural forest (mean: 384 Mg ha(-1) ) was more than two times higher than in jungle rubber stands (147 Mg ha(-1) ) and >four times higher than in monoculture rubber and oil palm plantations (78 and 50 Mg ha(-1) ). NPPtotal was higher in the natural forest (24 Mg ha(-1) yr(-1) ) than in the rubber systems (20 and 15 Mg ha(-1) yr(-1) ), but was highest in the oil palm system (33 Mg ha(-1) yr(-1) ) due to very high fruit production (15-20 Mg ha(-1) yr(-1) ). NPPtotal was dominated in all systems by aboveground production, but belowground productivity was significantly higher in the natural forest and jungle rubber than in plantations. We conclude that conversion of natural lowland forest into different agricultural systems leads to a strong reduction not only in the biomass carbon pool (up to 166 Mg C ha(-1) ) but also in carbon sequestration as carbon residence time (i.e. biomass-C:NPP-C) was 3-10 times higher in the natural forest than in rubber and oil palm plantations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Martyna M Kotowska
- Albrecht-von-Haller Institute for Plant Sciences, University of Göttingen, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Christoph Leuschner
- Albrecht-von-Haller Institute for Plant Sciences, University of Göttingen, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Triadiati Triadiati
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Bogor Agricultural University, St. Agatis Darmaga Campus, 16680 Bogor, Indonesia
| | - Selis Meriem
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Bogor Agricultural University, St. Agatis Darmaga Campus, 16680 Bogor, Indonesia
| | - Dietrich Hertel
- Albrecht-von-Haller Institute for Plant Sciences, University of Göttingen, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073, Göttingen, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Sahner J, Budi SW, Barus H, Edy N, Meyer M, Corre MD, Polle A. Degradation of Root Community Traits as Indicator for Transformation of Tropical Lowland Rain Forests into Oil Palm and Rubber Plantations. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0138077. [PMID: 26366576 PMCID: PMC4569261 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0138077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2015] [Accepted: 08/26/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Conversion of tropical forests into intensely managed plantations is a threat to ecosystem functions. On Sumatra, Indonesia, oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) plantations are rapidly expanding, displacing rain forests and extensively used rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) agro-forests. Here, we tested the influence of land use systems on root traits including chemical traits (carbon, nitrogen, mineral nutrients, potentially toxic elements [aluminium, iron] and performance traits (root mass, vitality, mycorrhizal colonization). Traits were measured as root community-weighed traits (RCWTs) in lowland rain forests, in rubber agro-forests mixed with rain forest trees, in rubber and oil palm plantations in two landscapes (Bukit Duabelas and Harapan, Sumatra). We hypothesized that RCWTs vary with land use system indicating increasing transformation intensity and loss of ecosystem functions. The main factors found to be related to increasing transformation intensity were declining root vitality and root sulfur, nitrogen, carbon, manganese concentrations and increasing root aluminium and iron concentrations as well as increasing spore densities of arbuscular mycorrhizas. Mycorrhizal abundance was high for arbuscular and low for ectomycorrhizas and unrelated to changes in RCWTs. The decline in RCWTs showed significant correlations with soil nitrogen, soil pH and litter carbon. Thus, our study uncovered a relationship between deteriorating root community traits and loss of ecosystem functionality and showed that increasing transformation intensity resulted in decreasing root nutrition and health. Based on these results we suggest that land management that improves root vitality may enhance the ecological functions of intense tropical production systems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Josephine Sahner
- Department for Forest Botany and Tree Physiology, Büsgen-Institute, Georg-August University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Sri Wilarso Budi
- Department of Sylviculture, Faculty of Forestry, Jalan Lingkar Akademik Campus, IPB Darmaga, Bogor, Indonesia
| | - Henry Barus
- Department of Agrotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture, Tadulako University, Palu, Indonesia
| | - Nur Edy
- Department for Forest Botany and Tree Physiology, Büsgen-Institute, Georg-August University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Department of Agrotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture, Tadulako University, Palu, Indonesia
| | - Marike Meyer
- Institute for Geography, Georg-August University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Marife D. Corre
- Department for Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems, Büsgen-Institute, Georg-August University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Andrea Polle
- Department for Forest Botany and Tree Physiology, Büsgen-Institute, Georg-August University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
|
26
|
DeFries R, Fanzo J, Remans R, Palm C, Wood S, Anderman TL. Global nutrition. Metrics for land-scarce agriculture. Science 2015; 349:238-40. [PMID: 26185232 DOI: 10.1126/science.aaa5766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 131] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Ruth DeFries
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Jessica Fanzo
- Institute of Human Nutrition, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Roseline Remans
- Agriculture and Food Security Center, The Earth Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA. Bioversity International, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Cheryl Palm
- Agriculture and Food Security Center, The Earth Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Stephen Wood
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA. Agriculture and Food Security Center, The Earth Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
27
|
Abstract
Conservation biologists are devoting an increasing amount of energy to debating whether land sparing (high-yielding agriculture on a small land footprint) or land sharing (low-yielding, wildlife-friendly agriculture on a larger land footprint) will promote better outcomes for local and global biodiversity. In turn, concerns are mounting about how to feed the world, given increasing demands for food. In this review, I evaluate the land-sparing/land-sharing framework--does the framework stimulate research and policy that can reconcile agricultural land use with biodiversity conservation, or is a revised framing needed? I review (1) the ecological evidence in favor of sparing versus sharing; (2) the evidence from land-use change studies that assesses whether a relationship exists between agricultural intensification and land sparing; and (3) how that relationship may be affected by socioeconomic and political factors. To address the trade-off between biodiversity conservation and food production, I then ask which forms of agricultural intensification can best feed the world now and in the future. On the basis of my review, I suggest that the dichotomy of the land-sparing/land-sharing framework limits the realm of future possibilities to two, largely undesirable, options for conservation. Both large, protected regions and favorable surrounding matrices are needed to promote biodiversity conservation; they work synergistically and are not mutually exclusive. A "both-and" framing of large protected areas surrounded by a wildlife-friendly matrix suggests different research priorities from the "either-or" framing of sparing versus sharing. Furthermore, wildlife-friendly farming methods such as agroecology may be best adapted to provide food for the world's hungry people.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Claire Kremen
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, California
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Are Biofuels an Effective and Viable Energy Strategy for Industrialized Societies? A Reasoned Overview of Potentials and Limits. SUSTAINABILITY 2015. [DOI: 10.3390/su7078491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
|