About this Research Topic
Southeast Asia is home to one of the oldest and most consistent rainforests in the world, with high endemic biodiversity and carbon storage, and the largest cover of carbon-rich tropical peat swamp forest.
However, these tropical forests are becoming increasingly disturbed by anthropogenic land-use changes, particularly the expansion of oil palm agriculture. Oil palm is native to West Africa and was first introduced to Southeast Asia as an ornamental plant that later expanded to commercial plantations.
Plantations have since disrupted local biodiversity, through loss of habitat, reduction in habitat complexity, habitat fragmentation, and facilitating invasive species.
The preparation of oil palm planting sites negatively impacts soil and particularly peat properties with increased heterotrophic CO2 emissions, resulting in increased carbon loss and accelerating climate change.
There are some indications that oil palm intercropping ameliorates the impact of oil palm plantations on both biodiversity and biogeochemical cycling in Southeast Asia, however, research is lacking on the environmental impacts of different oil palm cropping systems and management practices.
A greater understanding of the environmental impacts of forest conversion and different oil palm management practices would support improved management of oil palm plantations.
This research topic invites original research and critical reviews on the impacts of oil palm-related land-use change in Southeast Asia. The research areas of interest include, but are not limited to the following topics:
• Biodiversity loss or biogeochemical impacts associated with oil palm-related deforestation;
• Comparative studies on biodiversity or biogeochemical impacts and related ecosystem services of different oil palm cropping systems or management strategies;
• Environmental impacts of oil palm-related land-use change and conversion;
• Loss or gain of functional ecosystem services associated with oil palm land-use change, or different oil palm cropping systems.
However, these tropical forests are becoming increasingly disturbed by anthropogenic land-use changes, particularly the expansion of oil palm agriculture. Oil palm is native to West Africa and was first introduced to Southeast Asia as an ornamental plant that later expanded to commercial plantations.
Plantations have since disrupted local biodiversity, through loss of habitat, reduction in habitat complexity, habitat fragmentation, and facilitating invasive species.
The preparation of oil palm planting sites negatively impacts soil and particularly peat properties with increased heterotrophic CO2 emissions, resulting in increased carbon loss and accelerating climate change.
There are some indications that oil palm intercropping ameliorates the impact of oil palm plantations on both biodiversity and biogeochemical cycling in Southeast Asia, however, research is lacking on the environmental impacts of different oil palm cropping systems and management practices.
A greater understanding of the environmental impacts of forest conversion and different oil palm management practices would support improved management of oil palm plantations.
This research topic invites original research and critical reviews on the impacts of oil palm-related land-use change in Southeast Asia. The research areas of interest include, but are not limited to the following topics:
• Biodiversity loss or biogeochemical impacts associated with oil palm-related deforestation;
• Comparative studies on biodiversity or biogeochemical impacts and related ecosystem services of different oil palm cropping systems or management strategies;
• Environmental impacts of oil palm-related land-use change and conversion;
• Loss or gain of functional ecosystem services associated with oil palm land-use change, or different oil palm cropping systems.
Keywords: Oil Palm, Tropical Peatlands, Biogeochemical Cycles, Tropical Agro-ecology, Biodiversity Loss, Functional Diversity, Land-use Change, Palm Oil
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
