It is well established that oil palm is one of the most efficient and productive oil crops. However, oil palm agriculture is also one of the threats to tropical biodiversity. This study aims to investigate how set-aside areas in an oil palm plantation affect bird biodiversity. The research area includes two set-asides areas: peat swamp forest and riparian reserves and two oil palm sites adjacent to reserved forest sites. A total of 3,074 birds comprising 100 species from 34 families were observed in an oil palm plantation landscape on peatland located in the northern part of Borneo, Sarawak, Malaysia. Results showed that efforts by set-asides forest areas in large scale of oil palm dominated landscapes supported distinct bird species richness. High percentage of the canopies and shrub covers had a positive effect on bird species richness at area between oil palm and peat swamp forest. Herbaceous cover with height less than 1 m influenced the abundance of birds in the plantation closed to the peat swamp forest. The set-aside areas in oil palm plantations are essential in supporting bird's refuges and should be part of oil palm landscape management to improve biodiversity conservation. Thus, provided the forest set-aside areas are large enough and risks to biodiversity and habitat are successfully managed, oil palm can play an important role in biodiversity conservation.
Kelapa sawit ialah salah satu tanaman minyak yang paling cekap dan produktif. Bagaimanapun, pertanian kelapa sawit juga merupakan salah satu ancaman kepada biodiversiti tropika. Kajian ini bertujuan untuk menyiasat bagaimana kawasan terpencil di ladang kelapa sawit mempengaruhi biodiversiti burung. Kawasan penyelidikan merangkumi dua kawasan diketepikan: hutan paya gambut dan rizab riparian dan dua tapak kelapa sawit bersebelahan dengan tapak hutan simpanan. Sebanyak 3,074 ekor burung yang terdiri daripada 100 spesies daripada 34 keluarga telah diperhatikan dalam landskap ladang kelapa sawit di tanah gambut yang terletak di bahagian utara Borneo, Sarawak, Malaysia. Keputusan menunjukkan bahawa usaha oleh kawasan hutan yang diketepikan dalam landskap berskala besar yang didominasi kelapa sawit menyokong kekayaan spesies burung yang berbeza. Peratusan tinggi kanopi dan penutup pokok renek memberi kesan positif terhadap kekayaan spesies burung di kawasan kelapa sawit dan hutan paya gambut. Litupan herba dengan ketinggian kurang daripada 1 m mempengaruhi kelimpahan burung di ladang yang ditutup dengan hutan paya gambut. Kawasan yang diketepikan ladang kelapa sawit adalah penting dalam menyokong perlindungan burung dan harus menjadi sebahagian daripada pengurusan landskap kelapa sawit untuk meningkatkan pemuliharaan biodiversiti. Oleh itu, dengan syarat kawasan hutan yang diketepikan cukup luas dan risiko kepada biodiversiti dan habitat berjaya diuruskan, kelapa sawit boleh memainkan peranan penting dalam pemuliharaan biodiversiti.
Keywords: Biodiversity Conservation; Bird; Oil Palm Plantation; Peat Swamp Forest; Riparian; Set-Asides Areas.
© Penerbit Universiti Sains Malaysia, 2023.