Article Review (1): The Impacts of Oil Palm on Recent Deforestation and Biodiversity Loss

Abdul Haris Awang(MBA2016-04-1001)

Submitted to:Ir. Dr. Batumalay Kaliannan

Senior LecturerFaculty of Business,

Asia Metropolitan University19th Nov, 2016

MBA 6683 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

2016

Article Review (1)

Journal Information:Authors: Varsha Vijay, Stuart L. Pimm, Clinton N. Jenkins and Sharon J. Smith

Year published: 2016

Title: The Impacts of Oil Palm on Recent Deforestation and Biodiversity Loss

Journal: PLoS One

Volume: 11

Issue: 7

Pages: 1-19

Reviewed by:A. Haris Awang (MBA2016-04-1001)

19th Nov, 2016

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Abstract

The demand for palm oil, the most traded vegetable oil in the world, is projected to substantially

increase in the future. Almost all oil palm grows in areas that were once tropical forests. The

conversion from forests to plantations threatens biodiversity & increases greenhouse gas

emissions. Pressure from consumers today is pushing for deforestation-free palm oil. This article

is about a study to guide interventions by local authorities targeted at reducing tropical

deforestation due to oil palm by analyzing recent expansions and modelling likely futures ones.

In the study, samples areas within 20 countries are assessed using high-resolution imagery from

Google Earth and Landsat to find where oil palm plantations have recently replaced forests.

These trends are then compared to countrywide trends in FAO (Food & Agriculture Organization

of The United Nations) data for palm oil. Finally, an assessment is made on which forests have

high agricultural suitability for future oil palm development, which the authors refer to as

vulnerable forests. Critical areas for biodiversity that oil palm expansion threatens are also

identified. The study finds that the percentage of sampled oil palm plantations that were once

forests in 1989 to be 49% for Southeast Asia, 31% for South America, 2% for Mesoamerica

(Central America, Mexico and Caribbean) and 7% for Africa with Africa and South America

having the largest areas of vulnerable forests. The findings show that vulnerable forests in all

regions contain high concentrations of mammal and bird species at risk of extinction. The study

proposes that government regulations, enforcement and monitoring along with voluntary market

initiatives by the largest traders to hold promise for protecting biodiversity-rich ecosystems

affected by the expansion of oil palm plantations.

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The Problem

In the article, the problem is clearly mentioned by the authors as deforestation resulting from the

expansion of oil palm plantations in sampled 20 countries throughout the world. The problem is

practically important as it helps us to understand how it affects the environment.

The purpose of the study is to guide interventions by local authorities targeted at reducing

tropical deforestation due to oil palm by analyzing recent expansions and modelling likely

futures ones. The study also seeks to identify where oil palm has recently replaced tropical

forests as this may best anticipate where future deforestation may occur. Furthermore, it is also

to understand where future deforestation may cause the most harm to biodiversity.

The article also hypothesizes that species-rich and carbon-rich tropical forests suffer from the

expansion of oil palm plantations because of deforestation that threatens biodiversity and

increases greenhouse gas emissions. There is no ambiguity when it comes to key terms as

defined in the article. Where acronyms are used, the authors manage to define in the article itself

so readers do not have to look up from outside sources.

Review of Literature

Sources cited are pertinent to the study as they cover articles, books, journals and reports on food

and agriculture, palm oil industry, science and technology, zoological, economy and

environment from various sources from all over the world which are highly related and relevant.

The review is quite narrow as it focuses only on areas of interest related to the study. The article

is written citing 49 references with the majority of it coming from 2011 to as recent as 2016.

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There is no evidence of bias as the references originate from various independent sources. The

authors are also independent from the palm oil industry as they are either from Duke University

(US), Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas (Brazil), or Union of Concerned Scientists, (US).

Furthermore, the study is funded by the National Science Foundation and Ciência Sem Fronteiras

(Science without Borders) which had no role in study design, data collection and analysis,

decision to publish, or preparation of the article.

Design and Procedures

The methodology used in this environmental research is longitudinal time period study since

researchers conduct observations by analyzing past and present high-resolution images of the

same subjects over a period of time from 1989 to 2013. It is by nature, observational as

researchers do not interfere with their subjects, which in this case are the forests that are

subjected to conversion into oil palm plantations.

The study is original as it has a new approach relative to a previous study by Gibbs (2010).

Measurement tools used in the study are Google Earth and Landsat where high-resolution images

are analyzed to identify deforestation. The research procedures are structured into three main

steps. First, site analysis. Second, oil palm vulnerable forest assessment and third, biodiversity

assessment for vulnerable forest areas. From the article, there is no evidence of a pilot study

conducted.

Independent variables in the study are year, country and region while dependent variables are

percentage of forests in sampled plantations, percentage of deforestation in sampled plantations

and percentage of vulnerable forests in sampled countries.

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Multistage cluster sampling was performed by studying oil palm plantations in 20 countries in

four regions of interest: South America, Mesoamerica, Africa and Southeast Asia. In each

region, five countries with the largest values of FAO 2013 palm oil production were selected.

The pattern of individual oil palm trees was then identified from individual sample sites with oil

palm monoculture using high-resolution imagery available from Google Earth of sufficient

resolution. Sample sites were further verified using corroborating news articles, geo-tagged

photos, government and company records, or scholarly articles, whenever possible. The sampled

oil palm areas must cover at least 3% of the FAO 2013 total oil palm harvested area for each

sample country.

Data Analysis and Presentation

There’s no evident of statistical analysis such as regression, analysis of variance, or tools such as

SPSS used on the data collected as the study is carried out by analyzing historical images. Data is

analyzed by looking at the trend of percentages of forests, deforestation and vulnerable forest

over a time period.

The data in the study is quantitative as it is quantifiable and numerical in nature. For example,

independent variables are measured in terms of forest or deforestation percentage to uncover

patterns. The findings, though not uncovered through statistical analysis, support the hypothesis

and the purpose of the study that show that the species-rich and carbon-rich tropical forests

suffer from the expansion of oil palm plantations.

In the discussion section, the article also highlights weaknesses of the study. One of the

weaknesses is that it lacks the availability of historical high resolution imagery especially prior to

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1989. Another weakness is that satellite imagery data is limited compared to ground-based data

due to cloud cover issues and gaps in the Landsat TM.

Conclusion

The conclusions of the study which are to guide interventions and monitoring of forests and to

identify the vulnerability of forests with high biodiversity relate to the original purposes of the

study which are to guide interventions by local authorities and to identify forests with high

biodiversity which are vulnerable to deforestation. Most of the implications of the study are

discussed under the discussion section. The results and conclusions of the study will effect local

governments and traders of palm oil.

At the end of the study, the authors make a recommendation for the government regulations,

enforcement, and monitoring, combined with voluntary market initiatives by the palm oil largest

traders to hold promise for protecting biodiversity-rich ecosystems affected by the expansion of

oil palm plantations.

Overall Assessment

The study is very interesting as it affects not only people in the industry but the broader

community. The article addresses environmental issues resulting indirectly from consumer

increasing demand for oil palm products which can range from cosmetics, instant noodles,

shampoo, ice cream, detergent, margarine, cooking oil, toothpaste, chocolate, cookies, and

biodiesel to packaged bread.

When it comes to environmental studies, researchers must be free from political or business

influences. In this study, it can be seen that the funding comes from non-profit organizations

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concerned with environment. It is important to look at who is behind a research as it may have

skewed impacts on the findings. For example, a large oil company funding a study may find it

hard to accept if the study findings are not favorable to their business and therefore may alter or

suppress the findings according to their business interests and values. This is also a good topic

for future researches.

The study may also assist the government in the environmental policy making and also guide

industry players to be more environmental conscious. It also serves as a supplement and

reference for future researches toward deforestation-free oil palm industry.

As for the article, it may also have an impact to the conservation of the environment. However,

for a broader reception and public awareness, the article should also be summarized & published

in the main stream media. Public support is very crucial to put pressure on the industry so we can

have a better environment for future generations.

Overall, the article is well written, easy to understand, interesting, and make use of good

graphical representation of the data.

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