Effects of water quality on waterbird diversity in converted oil palm plantations
Oil palm extension is a major driver for habitat loss in the tropics. Yet, while a number of studies have focussed on the consequences for terrestrial biodiversity, the impacts on waterbirds habitats and their associated fauna are less well described. Little information is available to guide the...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2017
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| Online Access: | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/70914/1/FH%202017%2015%20-%20IR.pdf http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/70914/ |
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| Summary: | Oil palm extension is a major driver for habitat loss in the tropics. Yet, while a
number of studies have focussed on the consequences for terrestrial
biodiversity, the impacts on waterbirds habitats and their associated fauna
are less well described. Little information is available to guide the
management of waterbirds and their habitat in oil palm production
landscapes, particularly on those converted from natural wetlands such as
mangrove and peat swamp forests. This study aims to determine the
conservation value of flood-control drainage channels for waterbirds in oil
palm plantations. This study also
measured the water quality indicators (water temperature, pH, dissolved
oxygen (DO), total dissolved solids (TDS), salinity, water depth, conductivity,
turbidity) and habitat characteristics (vegetation cover and channel width)to
determine the relationships between waterbird species richness, water
quality and habitat characteristics. Birds were surveyed along twenty five line
transects within the peat swamp-converted and mangroves-converted oil
palm smallholdings. Water quality parameter was measured in the middle of
each line transects. Data was collected in seven smallholdings between
March and December 2013. This study was recorded a total of 1111
waterbirds from eight resident species. Both mangrove forest-converted
smallholdings and peat swamp-converted smallholdings had similar
waterbirds diversity. Waterbirds species richness increased with increasing
DO and decreased with water depth, temperature and conductivity. This
association may be because of the suitability of the flood-control channels for
aquatic invertebrates and fish, both of which are consumed by waterbirds
and depend on sufficient levels of DO in the water to survive. The most parsimonious predictive model (minimum AIC = 476.48) explained
52.39% of the variation in the species richness. The data suggest that even
man-made aquatic habitats, such as flood control channels, can be important
for some conserving waterbirds in oil palm smallholdings. However, given the
relatively small gains in terms of increased waterbird species richness in
channels, the most successful strategy for conserving waterbirds still require
the protection of intact wetlands that supported by better management of
drainage channels in oil palm smallholdings. |
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