The imagery of the ad, combined with the text and voiceover, suggests that oil palm plantations can coexist harmoniously with rainforests. This is precisely Malaysia’s policy.
The ad makes no pretence that oil palm is not planted for economic purposes, and does not therefore seek to mislead viewers into believing that it is as “natural” as rainforests.
Finally, we consider it to be evident that biodiversity can exist in oil palm plantations contrary to preconceived notions about mono-crop planting. It is clear that biodiversity conservatories in plantation ecosystems, even if they are small, can be significant harbours of wildlife and plants that are rare, endangered or of scientific, heritage or ethnobotanical interest.
A recent study in a coastal oil palm plantation in Selangor, Peninsular Malaysia, showed the environment to contain: 21, 13, 10, 53, 9, 83, 6 and 2 species of dicotyledons, monocotyledons, sedges, ferns and bracken, anthropods, mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, respectively. Although most of the species encountered were common to the agricultural environment, a relatively rare species, the leopard cat ‘Felis bengalensis’, was also recorded. Of the 83 bird species, 61 were breeding residents, which suggests that oil palm plantations are a valuable habitat for such species.
In addition, Golden Hope Plantations Berhad for example strives to encourage biodiversity through conservation and enhancement activities such as:
Conservation
- Carrying out ‘zero burning.’ By this practice, besides contributing to a cleaner environment, soil organic matter, physical properties and fertility are also enhanced. Such practices further conserve if not improve soil biodiversity.
- Ensuring maximum conservation of soils by carrying out appropriate land preparation techniques for road establishment, terracing, and construction of silt-pits and bunds.
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Planting of leguminous cover crops and Vetiver and Guatemala grass to enhance soil fertility and further check soil erosion.
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Maintenance of natural vegetation riparian border along rivers.
- Maintenance of permanent green belts at strategic locations. This includes the steep areas with more than 25o slope and other areas marginal for oil palm planting, e.g., wetlands and swamps.
- Maintenance of water catchment areas and water bodies.
Enhancement
- Crop diversification. These include the planting of agroforestry species in forested reserves, steep or lateritic land and land near catchment areas. Where suitable, commercial species like teak (Tectonia grandis), Sentang (Azadirachta excelsa) and bamboo (Bambusa spp.) are planted around and within cultivated fields. Medicinal and culinary herbal plants are also in the process of being domesticated for planting in estates.
- Soil biodiversity is enhanced by establishment of creeping leguminous covers such as Mucuna bracteata, Pueraria phaseoloides and Calopogonium caeruleum through soil conservation and enhancement of beneficial rhizobium interactions.
- Golden Hope Plantations has now adopted the practice of inoculating all nursery seedlings with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) for the purpose of enhancing vigour and growth of plants and increasing tolerance to infection by Ganoderma basal stem rot when planted out in the field. AMF inoculated seedlings are expected to increase levels of the beneficial AMF organisms in the soil.
- The planting of beneficial plants like Euphorbia heterophylla, Cassia cobanensis, Antigonon leptopus and Turnera subulata are being aggressively pursued. Besides enhancing safe and natural suppression of leaf pests in oil palm, flora biodiversity is also increased.
- Emphasis on biological control. Wherever appropriate, use of host-specific entomopathogens like Cordyceps, Metarhizium and virus is implemented. These will be complemented with release of mass-bred predators for natural control of leaf pests like nettle caterpillars.
- The use of the barn owl as the primary means of rat control in oil palm. By this, use of chemical rodenticides has been reduced by 70-100% in many oil palm plantations.
Malaysian Palm Oil Council (2007), Global Oils & Fats Business Magazine, Vol 4, Issue 2, p.9.
Khairudin Hashim, Ho Cheng Tuck and Muhamed Ramdhan Ab Latiff (Golden Hope Plantations Berhad): “The Role of the Plantation Industry in the Conservation and Enhancement of Biodiversity in the Oil Palm Ecosystem”, paper presented at MPOB’s PIPOC 2005, “In Proceedings of Agriculture, Biotech & Sustainability Conference”, 25-29 Sept 2005, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.
Mohd Hashim, T., Mohd Noor, A.G. & Ho, C.T. (2000) Is biodiversity and plantation agriculture mutually exclusive? – Golden Hope’s experience. In: Proceedings of the International Planters Conference 2000 “Plantation Tree Crops in the New Millennium: The Way Ahead”. The Incorporated Society of Planters, Kuala Lumpur, p. 864.
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