Oil Plantation Research Articles

Bird Diversity, Abundance, and Evenness Rates in Ecotone Area of Sutan Syarif Hasyim Forest Park, Riau, Indonesia

Ecotone – an area where two environments of different composition and structure meet due to land conversion – is prone to habitat loss and biodiversity devaluation as a result of fragmentation. Responsive to change, birds represent one of the common animals of all habitat types since their diversity and abundance are able to reflect ecological tendencies in different biodiversity. This study was aimed to analyze the diversity, abundance, and evenness of birds as well as determine their density and frequency in the ecotone area of Sutan Syarif Hasyim Forest Park, Riau, Indonesia. Six sections of the study area (natural forest-and-shrubbery, natural forest-and-palm oil plantation, natural forest-and-lake, shrubbery-and-palm oil plantation, shrubbery-and-lake, and palm oil plantation-and-lake) were observed by employing Line Intercept Transect. 1 182 individuals of 59 bird species were reported, with Pycnonotusaurigaster (Vieillot, 1818) as the dominant one. The total diversity index of 3.75, abundance 8.2 and evenness 0.92 were evident to high density and frequency of birds in the area.

Life history, phenology, host range and natural enemies of Acria meyricki Shashank and Ramamurthy (Lepidoptera: Depressariidae): an emerging defoliator of oil palm, Elaeis guineenis Jacq. In India

Oil palm leaf webworm, Acria meyricki Shashank and Ramamurthy (Lepidoptera: Depressariidae) is emerging as serious defoliator of oil palm, Elaeis guineensis Jacq. in India. It damages oil palm of all ages, from nursery to adult palms. A study was conducted in the laboratory to understand the biology and morphometrics of A. meyricki. Abundance and population dynamics of leaf webworm and its parasitoids were studied in oil plantations in Andhra Pradesh, India. Pest density (number of larvae / leaf) and parasitism rates of parasitoids were quantified. Influences of weather factors viz., maximum and minimum temperature, morning and evening relative humidity and rainfall on the abundance of leaf webworm and its parasitoids were assessed. A female moth laid about 101.60 eggs in its life time. The caterpillars developed through six to seven instars. Total life cycle completed in 32.9 days (egg to adult). Leaf webworm preferred to defoliate the older and intermediate leaves of the palms. Early stage caterpillars of feed on green parenchymatous tissues of the leaflets from under surface leaving a thin parchment like upper epidermis undamaged, while, the later stages defoliate the leaves. In severe cases, leaflets appear widely eroded, thus curling, bending and drying consequently to the pest infestation. The activity of the pest in oil palm plantations was limited to cooler months of the year i.e. October to March. Pearson Co-efficient of correlation analysis showed that minimum and maximum temperatures had significant negative effect on the development of pest population (larval density). Three parasitoids viz., Dolichogenidea (=Apanteles) hyposidrae (Wilkinson), Elasmus brevicornis Gahan and Brachymeria albotibialis (Ashmead) were identified during the study and their role in the pest population changes is discussed. Correlation analysis indicated that the parasitoids, D. hyposidrae and B. albotibialis were significantly and positively correlated with abundance of host larvae and pupae respectively. Results of feeding tests indicated that oil palm was the best host known of all species tested, with higher rate of larval pupation and adult emergence and the lower duration of time to pupation and adult emergence, which was followed by cocoa. The practical implications of this knowledge are discussed.

Circular Sustainability Optimisation Model for Diverse Oil Crops Feedstock System via Element Targeting Approach

Need of oil crops for bio-diesel production has been increasing due to its sustainable characteristic as compared to fossil fuel. Nonetheless, effort to ensure sustainable practise along bio-diesel production is essential to prevent back-fire from sustainable development. Each oil crop production and plantation activities are unique, leading to various in sustainability profile. In such context, systematic process optimisation for oil crop utilisation and selection is critical to ensure highest overall sustainable performance in the diverse oil crop system. This research adapts concept of element targeting in multi biomass selection to determine best diverse oil crop utilisation strategic. Various sustainable indexes are considered such as land used, carbon footprint, deforestation, water usage and fertiliser usage are considered. Cost calculation including transportation and production cost is incorporated in the study, while concept of circular economy is incorporated into the model by considering circular carbon element within the system. Demonstration case study is discussed to evaluate the performance of the model. The result shows that rapeseed oil is favourable in highest sustainability case, soybean provide lower cost and sunflower promote less carbon release.

Study of Characteristics of The Conflict Between The Sumatera Elephant (Elephas maximus Sumatranus) with Communities around Tesso Nilo National Park, Riau

Human-elephant conflict is one of main issues in wildlife conservation. The trigger of human-elephant conflict is forest convertion in Tesso Nilo National Park. A study about characteristic of human elephant conflict has been conducted from March until April 2016 in some area of the park including Lubuk Kembang Bunga and Air Hitam villages, Riau Province, Indonesia. This study aimed to describe the characteristics of dispute area have been and land use in the park. A survey and interview have been conducted to 30 local inhibitans. Lubuk Kembang Bunga and Air hitam villageswere located near by the elephant forest habitat (0-10 km) with elevation 0f 200-100 m above the sea level. The area mostly flat and close to rivers. The elephant attack palm oil and rubber plantation. Historical change of land use at Tesso Nilo National Park from 2004 to 2016 has proved to damaged the elephant habitat, while the elephants come to the plantation where they had ranged in the past time.

Land reclamation and artificial islands: Walking the tightrope between development and conservation

Coastal developments worldwide have put entire shoreline ecosystems at risk. Recently, land reclamation has been extended to the construction of whole new islands; a phenomenon that is particularly common in Asia and the Middle East and is recognised as a global conservation issue. Using Penang Island, Malaysia as a case study, we illustrate the relationship between rapid population growth and the simultaneous increase in urbanisation, land reclamation and extent of artificial shorelines; and decrease in the quality and extent of natural coastal habitats. Our goal was to provide an up-to-date assessment of the state of coastal habitats around Penang, identify knowledge gaps and identify locations that may be potentially suitable for eco-engineering. Comparisons of historical and current topographic maps revealed that land formerly consisting of coastal swamp and forest, mangrove forests, sandy beaches, and rubber and oil plantations have been lost to large-scale land reclamation and urbanisation. Between 1960 and 2015, there were increases in urbanised area, reclaimed land, and artificial shoreline extent. The total extent of mangrove forests has remained relatively stable but this balance is characterised by significant losses on the east coast coupled with increases on the west coast. Coastal development on the island is still on-going with plans for the construction of five artificial islands and another two coastal reclamation projects are either underway or scheduled for the near future. If the plans for future land reclamations are fully realized, 32.3 km2 of the 321.8 km2 island (10%) will be reclaimed land and the associated negative effects on the island’s natural coastal habitats will be inevitable. This study highlights sections of the coast of Penang Island in need of effective monitoring, conservation and management and explores the possibility of incorporating ecological engineering into development projects, either prospectively or retrospectively, to create more environmentally-friendly urban environments and to promote educational, amenity and economic activities. With coastal development taking place on a global scale, opportunities to balance development needs with conservation strategies abound and should be integrated into present and subsequent projects to protect these coastal ecosystems for future generations.

Cadaver Wrapping and Arrival Performance of Adult Flies in an Oil Palm Plantation in Northern Peninsular Malaysia

There is accumulating evidence that criminals wrap dead bodies in an attempt to conceal evidence. To anticipate the forensic implications of this phenomenon, we examined whether flies that are naturally associated with cadavers exhibit a delay in attendance or differ in species composition and abundance patterns because of the presence of wrapping material. Wrapped and exposed carcasses of dead monkeys placed in an oil plantation in Kedah, Malaysia, were visited over 50 d. On daily visits to each of the six carcasses, visiting adult flies were sampled using hand nets. Flies of 12 families were encountered. Calliphoridae (Chrysomya rufifacies Macquart and C. megacephala (F.) was the most prevalent family, followed by Sphaeroceridae. Some families tended to be more abundant in WRCs (i.e., Calliphoridae, Muscidae, and Phoridae), whereas others (i.e., Piophilidae, Sepsidae, and Psychodidae) were more prevalent in exposed carcasses. Wrapping delayed the arrival of all fly species encountered, with delays varying from 1 to 13 d depending on species. Wrapping did not affect species composition of flies, but prolong the occurrence of some species. The results of the current study emphasize the need to take into consideration the presence of a wrap when estimating postmortem interval.

Cadaver Wrapping and Arrival Performance of Adult Flies in an Oil Palm Plantation in Northern Peninsular Malaysia

There is accumulating evidence that criminals wrap dead bodies in an attempt to conceal evidence. To anticipate the forensic implications of this phenomenon, we examined whether flies that are naturally associated with cadavers exhibit a delay in attendance or differ in species composition and abundance patterns because of the presence of wrapping material. Wrapped and exposed carcasses of dead monkeys placed in an oil plantation in Kedah, Malaysia, were visited over 50 d. On daily visits to each of the six carcasses, visiting adult flies were sampled using hand nets. Flies of 12 families were encountered. Calliphoridae (Chrysomya rufifacies Macquart and C. megacephala (F.) was the most prevalent family, followed by Sphaeroceridae. Some families tended to be more abundant in WRCs (i.e., Calliphoridae, Muscidae, and Phoridae), whereas others (i.e., Piophilidae, Sepsidae, and Psychodidae) were more prevalent in exposed carcasses. Wrapping delayed the arrival of all fly species encountered, with delays varying from 1 to 13 d depending on species. Wrapping did not affect species composition of flies, but prolong the occurrence of some species. The results of the current study emphasize the need to take into consideration the presence of a wrap when estimating postmortem interval.

Still Striving for Modesty: Land, Spirits, and Rubber Production in Kajang, Indonesia

Questions of atavism have long confounded policy makers and nation builders. This is certainly the case in the vast and diverse Indonesian archipelago. Indigenous adat (customs and traditions) revivalism is a complex politicised process involving multifarious groups searching for rights and recognition. The Konjo-speaking inhabitants of Kajang Dalam are among the Indonesian communities being selectively portrayed as exemplars of premodern society. Kajang Dalam (the ‘inner circle’ of Kajang) is located in Bulukumba district, on the south-east peninsula of South Sulawesi province. Adat in this territory are aligned with the mystical belief system of the spirit cult of the Amma Toa. A variety of external actors have attempted to build a case against the palm oil and rubber plantation estates of PT PP London Sumatra Indonesia Tbk by invoking the name of Kajang Dalam.

Comparison of oil concentration and oil quality from Santalum spicatum and S. album plantations, 8–25 years old, with those from mature S. spicatum natural stands

Summary During February to November 2004, core samples were taken from 41 trees growing in three Santalum spicatum plantations in the Wheatbelt (W–W3: age 8–11 y); one S. spicatum plantation (aged 20–25 y) from Curtin University; one Santalum album plantation (aged 15 y) also from Curtin University; and two mature natural stands of S. spicatum (aged >50 y). Each tree was cored at 150 mm and 700 mm above ground to compare heartwood percentage; oil concentration; and α-santalol, β-santalol and t, t-farnesol contents within the oil. Oils were extracted from the whole core samples (heartwood + sapwood) using ethanol, and the chemical composition was determined using a gas chromatography flame ionisation detector (GC-FID) and a mass-selective detector (GC-MS). Santalum spicatum from the three Wheatbelt plantations had significantly lower proportions of heartwood (28–48%) than those from Curtin University (61–69%) and the natural stands (64–79%), at 150 mm and 700 mm above the ground. Santalum album at age 15 y had 57–59% heartwood at both sampling heights. The mean total extractable oil concentrations from S. spicatum plantations growing at Curtin University. W1 and W2 (2.2–3.6%), were similar to those from mature natural stands (2.3–3.1%), at both 150 mm and 700 mm. The mean oil concentration from W3 (0.7–0.8%), however, was significantly less than the mean oil concentration from mature S. spicatum. The S. album plantation had a mean oil concentration of 1.3–2.3%. Within the oil, W1 and Curtin University plantations had α-santalol (5.5–27.3%) and β-santalol (2.1–10.5%) contents similar to or greater than those in the natural stands (3.1–8.0% α-santalol; 1.3–3.0% α-santalol), at both sampling heights. W2 had poor oil quality with only 0.1–2.4% α-santalol and 0–0.6% α-santalol. As expected, the S. album had significantly more α- and α-santalol within the oil than S. spicatum. Mean t, t-farnesol content within the oil from W2 and W3 (28.3–38.7%) was significantly greater than within the oil from the mature S. spicatum (10.0–16.2%), at both sampling heights. Santalum album had the lowest t, t-farnesol content of only 0.1%.

Twilight in Burma: Reconquest and Crisis

THERE is no iron curtain in the Tropical Far East. No curtain is needed, for the scene is sufficiently obscured by the smoke of civil strife: Annamese against the French, Indonesians against the Dutch, a communist rising in Malaya; and in Burma also, despite, or, as some would say, because of the withdrawal of British rule, there is no less confusion. Only in Siam is there precarious peace. What does it all mean? Even here in Burma it is difficult to pierce the twilight. Is it the shade of nightfall or the hour before the dawn? What is happening, and what is going to happen? What, if anything, is one to do about it? As these lines are written, Burmans are celebrating the end of Buddhist Lent with lanterns and Chinese crackers; they seem cheerful enough. Need one do anything? And not many miles out of Rangoon, insurgents have just cut off the water supply, and we are dependent on an older reservoir that before the war was thought insufficient for a smaller population. Must something be done? Will the world outside Burma be content to forego indefinitely the rice and oil and timber that Burma formerly supplied? Surely someone should be able to do something. But no one can do much good without a knowledge of the facts, and it may be useful therefore to try and penetrate the smoke screen obscuring them. It was early in May i945 that the British reoccupied Rangoon. There was a vast difference between the land to which they returned and that from which they had been driven three years earlier. Then it had been rich in things that measure the material wealth of nations: rice land yielding an abundant harvest to feed the starving myriads of India; a flourishing timber industry based on extensive teak forests; oil fields, mines and plantations giving a fat return to the fortunate shareholders, with a margin for new capital equipment foreshadowing still larger profits. All this was wholly the product of about a hundred