Contribution of illegal hunting, culling of pest species, road accidents and feral dogs to biodiversity loss in established oil-palm landscapes

Context: Understanding the ecological impacts of the palm-oil industry on native fauna requires information on anthropogenic threats that may cause species decline or local extinction. Aim: The main aim of the study was to assess wildlife deaths caused by illegal hunting, road accidents and introduc...

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Main Authors: Md Sharif, Badrul Azhar, Lindenmayer, David, Wood, Jeff, Fischer, Joern, Manning, Adrian, McElhinny, Chris, Hussin, Mohamed Zakaria
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: CSIRO Publishing 2013
Online Access:http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/29104/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/29104/1/Contribution%20of%20illegal%20hunting%2C%20culling%20of%20pest%20species%2C%20road%20accidents%20and%20feral%20dogs%20to%20biodiversity%20loss%20in%20established%20oil-palm%20landscapes.pdf
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author Md Sharif, Badrul Azhar
Lindenmayer, David
Wood, Jeff
Fischer, Joern
Manning, Adrian
McElhinny, Chris
Hussin, Mohamed Zakaria
author_facet Md Sharif, Badrul Azhar
Lindenmayer, David
Wood, Jeff
Fischer, Joern
Manning, Adrian
McElhinny, Chris
Hussin, Mohamed Zakaria
author_sort Md Sharif, Badrul Azhar
building UPM Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Context: Understanding the ecological impacts of the palm-oil industry on native fauna requires information on anthropogenic threats that may cause species decline or local extinction. Aim: The main aim of the study was to assess wildlife deaths caused by illegal hunting, road accidents and introduced predators in established oil-palm landscapes in Peninsular Malaysia. Methods: Between April and October 2009, we interviewed 362 oil-palm workers at 36 sites, including large industrial estates and semi-traditional smallholdings. Key results: Our results showed that (1) illegal hunting by oil-palm workers in different oil-palm management systems was not statistically significant (P = 0.097), (2) native fauna were more often destroyed as pests in smallholdings than in conventional and eco-friendly plantation estates (P = 0.005), (3) non-local poachers conducted illegal activity more often in smallholdings than in conventional and eco-friendly plantation estates (P = 0.011), (4) road accidents were reported to kill more native fauna in conventional plantation estates than in smallholdings and eco-friendly plantation estates (P < 0.001) and (5) feral dogs were reported as killing more native fauna in eco-friendly plantation estates than in conventional plantation estates and smallholdings (P = 0.034). Conclusion: In addition to the conversion of native forest to oil-palm monocultures, various other anthropogenic threats can have a substantial effect on wildlife in oil-palm landscapes. Implications: To improve the conservation value of oil-palm landscapes, we recommend that palm-oil stakeholders should implement anti-poaching patrols, organise conservation programs to educate workers, reduce vehicle speeds on roads within oil-palm landscapes, and control local populations of feral dogs.
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spelling upm-291042017-10-31T06:10:49Z http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/29104/ Contribution of illegal hunting, culling of pest species, road accidents and feral dogs to biodiversity loss in established oil-palm landscapes Md Sharif, Badrul Azhar Lindenmayer, David Wood, Jeff Fischer, Joern Manning, Adrian McElhinny, Chris Hussin, Mohamed Zakaria Context: Understanding the ecological impacts of the palm-oil industry on native fauna requires information on anthropogenic threats that may cause species decline or local extinction. Aim: The main aim of the study was to assess wildlife deaths caused by illegal hunting, road accidents and introduced predators in established oil-palm landscapes in Peninsular Malaysia. Methods: Between April and October 2009, we interviewed 362 oil-palm workers at 36 sites, including large industrial estates and semi-traditional smallholdings. Key results: Our results showed that (1) illegal hunting by oil-palm workers in different oil-palm management systems was not statistically significant (P = 0.097), (2) native fauna were more often destroyed as pests in smallholdings than in conventional and eco-friendly plantation estates (P = 0.005), (3) non-local poachers conducted illegal activity more often in smallholdings than in conventional and eco-friendly plantation estates (P = 0.011), (4) road accidents were reported to kill more native fauna in conventional plantation estates than in smallholdings and eco-friendly plantation estates (P < 0.001) and (5) feral dogs were reported as killing more native fauna in eco-friendly plantation estates than in conventional plantation estates and smallholdings (P = 0.034). Conclusion: In addition to the conversion of native forest to oil-palm monocultures, various other anthropogenic threats can have a substantial effect on wildlife in oil-palm landscapes. Implications: To improve the conservation value of oil-palm landscapes, we recommend that palm-oil stakeholders should implement anti-poaching patrols, organise conservation programs to educate workers, reduce vehicle speeds on roads within oil-palm landscapes, and control local populations of feral dogs. CSIRO Publishing 2013 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/29104/1/Contribution%20of%20illegal%20hunting%2C%20culling%20of%20pest%20species%2C%20road%20accidents%20and%20feral%20dogs%20to%20biodiversity%20loss%20in%20established%20oil-palm%20landscapes.pdf Md Sharif, Badrul Azhar and Lindenmayer, David and Wood, Jeff and Fischer, Joern and Manning, Adrian and McElhinny, Chris and Hussin, Mohamed Zakaria (2013) Contribution of illegal hunting, culling of pest species, road accidents and feral dogs to biodiversity loss in established oil-palm landscapes. Wildlife Research, 40 (1). pp. 1-9. ISSN 1035-3712; ESSN: 1448-5494 http://www.publish.csiro.au/paper/WR12036.htm 10.1071/WR12036
spellingShingle Md Sharif, Badrul Azhar
Lindenmayer, David
Wood, Jeff
Fischer, Joern
Manning, Adrian
McElhinny, Chris
Hussin, Mohamed Zakaria
Contribution of illegal hunting, culling of pest species, road accidents and feral dogs to biodiversity loss in established oil-palm landscapes
title Contribution of illegal hunting, culling of pest species, road accidents and feral dogs to biodiversity loss in established oil-palm landscapes
title_full Contribution of illegal hunting, culling of pest species, road accidents and feral dogs to biodiversity loss in established oil-palm landscapes
title_fullStr Contribution of illegal hunting, culling of pest species, road accidents and feral dogs to biodiversity loss in established oil-palm landscapes
title_full_unstemmed Contribution of illegal hunting, culling of pest species, road accidents and feral dogs to biodiversity loss in established oil-palm landscapes
title_short Contribution of illegal hunting, culling of pest species, road accidents and feral dogs to biodiversity loss in established oil-palm landscapes
title_sort contribution of illegal hunting, culling of pest species, road accidents and feral dogs to biodiversity loss in established oil-palm landscapes
url http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/29104/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/29104/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/29104/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/29104/1/Contribution%20of%20illegal%20hunting%2C%20culling%20of%20pest%20species%2C%20road%20accidents%20and%20feral%20dogs%20to%20biodiversity%20loss%20in%20established%20oil-palm%20landscapes.pdf