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However when compared to natural ecosystems, oil palm plantations have much
lower erosion control potential (Dislich et al. 2017; Buschman et al. 2012). In some
cases eroded soil can enter water bodies further deteriorating local water quality
(Obidzinski et al. 2012) or can result in the loss of soil organic carbon further contributing to the loss of climate mitigation services (Guillaume et al. 2015).
10.2.2.7 Cultural Services
For local communities and indigenous people, cultural services frequently form an
important element of their culture and can be threatened by land use change, e.g.,
through habitat destruction and the displacement of traditional crops (MA 2005a).
It has been suggested that biofuel-induced deforestation can affect indigenous people disproportionately. For example, almost half of Indonesia’s population depends
on ecosystem goods and services from forests with approximately 40 million of
these people being indigenous and having been already affected (Tauli-Corpuz and
Tamang 2007).
Cultural ecosystem services are a particularly understudied topic within the literature related to palm oil impacts. While these are some cultural benefits related to
spiritual values in areas that oil palm grows naturally, the evidence suggests overwhelmingly negative impacts on cultural ecosystem services in areas that oil palm
is grown intensively and has replaced forest (Dislich et al. 2017).
10.2.3 Impacts on Biodiversity
Biofuel production (particularly feedstock cultivation) can have multiple negative
impacts to biodiversity (Gasparatos et al. 2017). Biodiversity is not an ecosystem
service per se but “…the foundation of ecosystem services to which human wellbeing is intimately linked” (MA 2005: 18). According to the MA, there are six main
direct drivers associated with biodiversity decline: habitat destruction, overexploitation, invasive species, disease, pollution, and climate change (MA 2005a). Palm oil
biodiesel production/use can be strongly linked to at least three of these drivers, i.e.,
habitat destruction, pollution, and climate change with habitat destruction being
considered as the most important. Overall several systematic reviews have highlighted the overall negative biodiversity outcomes of the conversion of natural habitats to oil palm plantations (Dislich et al. 2017; Savilaakso et al. 2014).
Oil palm cultivation in large-scale monocultures is by definition inhospitable to
biodiversity. Oil palm plantations contain much fewer species than primary forests
(e.g., Fitzherbert et al. 2008; Danielsen et al. 2009; Foster et al. 2011). Additionally
several studies have found that the majority of the forest species was lost and
replaced by smaller numbers of non-forest species with the subsequent animal communities being dominated by a few generalist species of low conservation value
R. Moreno-Peñaranda et al.
However when compared to natural ecosystems, oil palm plantations have much
lower erosion control potential (Dislich et al. 2017; Buschman et al. 2012). In some
cases eroded soil can enter water bodies further deteriorating local water quality
(Obidzinski et al. 2012) or can result in the loss of soil organic carbon further contributing to the loss of climate mitigation services (Guillaume et al. 2015).
10.2.2.7 Cultural Services
For local communities and indigenous people, cultural services frequently form an
important element of their culture and can be threatened by land use change, e.g.,
through habitat destruction and the displacement of traditional crops (MA 2005a).
It has been suggested that biofuel-induced deforestation can affect indigenous people disproportionately. For example, almost half of Indonesia’s population depends
on ecosystem goods and services from forests with approximately 40 million of
these people being indigenous and having been already affected (Tauli-Corpuz and
Tamang 2007).
Cultural ecosystem services are a particularly understudied topic within the literature related to palm oil impacts. While these are some cultural benefits related to
spiritual values in areas that oil palm grows naturally, the evidence suggests overwhelmingly negative impacts on cultural ecosystem services in areas that oil palm
is grown intensively and has replaced forest (Dislich et al. 2017).
10.2.3 Impacts on Biodiversity
Biofuel production (particularly feedstock cultivation) can have multiple negative
impacts to biodiversity (Gasparatos et al. 2017). Biodiversity is not an ecosystem
service per se but “…the foundation of ecosystem services to which human wellbeing is intimately linked” (MA 2005: 18). According to the MA, there are six main
direct drivers associated with biodiversity decline: habitat destruction, overexploitation, invasive species, disease, pollution, and climate change (MA 2005a). Palm oil
biodiesel production/use can be strongly linked to at least three of these drivers, i.e.,
habitat destruction, pollution, and climate change with habitat destruction being
considered as the most important. Overall several systematic reviews have highlighted the overall negative biodiversity outcomes of the conversion of natural habitats to oil palm plantations (Dislich et al. 2017; Savilaakso et al. 2014).
Oil palm cultivation in large-scale monocultures is by definition inhospitable to
biodiversity. Oil palm plantations contain much fewer species than primary forests
(e.g., Fitzherbert et al. 2008; Danielsen et al. 2009; Foster et al. 2011). Additionally
several studies have found that the majority of the forest species was lost and
replaced by smaller numbers of non-forest species with the subsequent animal communities being dominated by a few generalist species of low conservation value
R. Moreno-Peñaranda et al.