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Oil Palm Research In Context: Identifying The Need For Biodiversity Assessment

Date:
February 13, 2008
Source:
Public Library of Science
Summary:
Oil palm cultivation has expanded dramatically in recent decades and is frequently cited as a major threat to tropical biodiversity. Analysis of the published literature has revealed significant changes in the focus of oil palm research over the last 30 years.
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Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) cultivation has expanded dramatically in recent decades and is frequently cited as a major threat to tropical biodiversity. This is because oil palm is grown in lowland tropical regions and so impacts on the most biodiverse terrestrial habitats: tropical rainforests.

Analysis of the published literature by scientists led by Edgar Turner at the University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge has revealed significant changes in the focus of oil palm research over the last 30 years.

Recent years have seen a broadening in the scope of the research with a slight increase in research focusing on the environment and a dramatic increase in research focusing on biofuel. Despite this, hardly any oil palm publications focused on biodiversity and species conservation.

Of these publications, the majority were related to mammals and birds. Although these larger animals are important flagships for the state of the tropical environment, they are not good indicators of oil palm biodiversity. The vast majority of the species worldwide are insects and it is they that carry out the lion's share of the ecosystem function.

Head of the Insect Ecology Research Group, Dr William Foster said: "Much more research must be carried out to determine the impacts of habitat conversion on insect biodiversity. We need to move on from merely cataloguing biodiversity impacts, to understanding how all aspects of ecosystem services are affected by agricultural expansion."

Journal citation: Turner EC, Snaddon JL, Fayle TM, Foster WA (2008) Oil Palm Research in Context: Identifying the Need for Biodiversity Assessment. PLoS One 3(2): e1572. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0001572 http://www.plosone.org/doi/pone.0001572


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Public Library of Science. "Oil Palm Research In Context: Identifying The Need For Biodiversity Assessment." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 13 February 2008. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080213090520.htm>.
Public Library of Science. (2008, February 13). Oil Palm Research In Context: Identifying The Need For Biodiversity Assessment. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 28, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080213090520.htm
Public Library of Science. "Oil Palm Research In Context: Identifying The Need For Biodiversity Assessment." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080213090520.htm (accessed March 28, 2024).

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