Megachiropteran diversity patterns and processes in oil palm production landscape
Oil palm industry is one of the main economic drivers in Southeast Asia. It has caused tropical deforestation on a massive scale in producing countries. Forest conversion to commercial oil palm agriculture has decimated habitats of countless native flora and fauna species. Large-scale plantations...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2017
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/70901/1/FH%202017%2010%20IR.pdf |
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| Summary: | Oil palm industry is one of the main economic drivers in Southeast Asia. It has
caused tropical deforestation on a massive scale in producing countries. Forest
conversion to commercial oil palm agriculture has decimated habitats of countless
native flora and fauna species. Large-scale plantations and smallholdings are two
distinctive oil palm production systems. Smallholdings would host a greater
biodiversity than large-scale plantations. Habitat complexity in smallholdings is
influenced by multiple farming practices (i.e. polyculture and monoculture).
However, little is known on the effects of such farming practices in oil palm
smallholdings on mammal biodiversity, particularly megachiropteran bats. This
study aimed to find the best farming practice to reconcile oil palm production and
biodiversity conservation. Mist-nets were used to trap frugivorous bats at 120
smallholdings in Peninsular Malaysia. The species richness and abundance of
frugivorous bats between monoculture and polyculture smallholdings were
compared and their relationships with vegetation structure characteristics were
investigated. The results revealed that species richness (total megachiropteran
bat species) and abundance (total individual from each species of
megachiropteran bat) were significantly greater in polyculture smallholdings than
monoculture smallholdings. The result also found that 28.21% of the model
variations in species richness were explained by the habitat characteristics
measured including the number of dead standing oil palms and immature oil
palms, non-grass cover, height of non-grass cover, and farming practice. This
shows greater habitat complexity is required for the maintenance of frugivorous
bats. Therefore, in order to conserve farmland biodiversity in oil palm production
landscapes, either smallholding or plantation, commercial growers should
implement polyculture rather than monoculture farming. |
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