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Cross-boundary subsidy cascades from oil palm degrade distant tropical forests

Author

Listed:
  • Matthew Scott Luskin

    (Policy, and Management, University of California
    Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, P.O. Box 37012
    Nanyang Technological University)

  • Justin S. Brashares

    (Policy, and Management, University of California)

  • Kalan Ickes

    (132 Long Hall, Clemson University)

  • I-Fang Sun

    (National Dong Hwa University)

  • Christine Fletcher

    (Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM))

  • S. Joseph Wright

    (Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute)

  • Matthew D. Potts

    (Policy, and Management, University of California)

Abstract

Native species that forage in farmland may increase their local abundances thereby affecting adjacent ecosystems within their landscape. We used two decades of ecological data from a protected primary rainforest in Malaysia to illutrate how subsidies from neighboring oil palm plantations triggered powerful secondary ‘cascading’ effects on natural habitats located >1.3 km away. We found (i) oil palm fruit drove 100-fold increases in crop-raiding native wild boar (Sus scrofa), (ii) wild boar used thousands of understory plants to construct birthing nests in the pristine forest interior, and (iii) nest building caused a 62% decline in forest tree sapling density over the 24-year study period. The long-term, landscape-scale indirect effects from agriculture suggest its full ecological footprint may be larger in extent than is currently recognized. Cross-boundary subsidy cascades may be widespread in both terrestrial and marine ecosystems and present significant conservation challenges.

Suggested Citation

  • Matthew Scott Luskin & Justin S. Brashares & Kalan Ickes & I-Fang Sun & Christine Fletcher & S. Joseph Wright & Matthew D. Potts, 2017. "Cross-boundary subsidy cascades from oil palm degrade distant tropical forests," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 8(1), pages 1-7, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:8:y:2017:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-017-01920-7
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-01920-7
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    Cited by:

    1. Samuel Xin Tham Lee & Zachary Amir & Jonathan H. Moore & Kaitlyn M. Gaynor & Matthew Scott Luskin, 2024. "Effects of human disturbances on wildlife behaviour and consequences for predator-prey overlap in Southeast Asia," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-12, December.
    2. Rulli, Maria Cristina & Casirati, Stefano & Dell’Angelo, Jampel & Davis, Kyle Frankel & Passera, Corrado & D’Odorico, Paolo, 2019. "Interdependencies and telecoupling of oil palm expansion at the expense of Indonesian rainforest," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 499-512.

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