Illustration of a forest transitioning into an oil palm plantation, representing biodiversity loss.

Is Your Landscape Safe? Discovering the Oil Palm Threshold That Threatens Wildlife

Lena Voss in Climate & Environment August 2025 • 4 min read.

"New research reveals critical limits in oil palm cover that could drastically alter mammal communities—find out how to protect biodiversity in agricultural landscapes."

Human activities have reshaped landscapes worldwide, often at the expense of native habitats and biodiversity. The conversion of grasslands, forests, and wetlands into cultivated lands has emerged as a primary driver of biodiversity loss. Among these transformations, the expansion of oil palm plantations has raised significant concerns, particularly in regions like Southeast Asia, where vast tracts of native forest have been cleared to make way for this lucrative crop.

In Latin America, oil palm production is rapidly expanding, with Colombia at the forefront. While much of this expansion has occurred on previously transformed lands, the potential impacts on local biodiversity remain a critical question. Understanding how much land can be allocated to oil palm cultivation without jeopardizing local fauna is essential for conservation efforts.

Ecological communities are intricately linked to the landscapes they inhabit. Factors such as natural cover and habitat configuration play vital roles in the long-term survival of species within agricultural landscapes. Notably, species responses to land use change are not always linear; some species exhibit threshold responses, where drastic population declines occur once certain environmental conditions are surpassed. Identifying these thresholds is key to effective management and conservation planning in human-dominated landscapes.

Unveiling the Critical Threshold for Mammal Conservation

Illustration of a forest transitioning into an oil palm plantation, representing biodiversity loss.

A recent study delved into the Llanos region of Colombia to pinpoint potential thresholds in mammal species richness and community composition in response to increasing oil palm cover. Researchers deployed camera traps across 56 sites, each spanning approximately 220 hectares, to detect various species. Segmented regression and Threshold Indicator Taxa Analysis (TITAN) were employed to identify these critical thresholds.

The findings revealed a concerning trend: a negative linear relationship between the proportion of oil palm and species richness. However, the most striking revelation was a community threshold reached when oil palm cover ranged between 45% and 75%. At this point, mammalian species composition underwent drastic changes, with taxon-specific changes in abundance and occurrence frequency.

Negative Impact: Increasing oil palm cover negatively affects mammal species richness.
Community Shift: Significant compositional changes occur when oil palm cover reaches 45-75%.
Sensitive Species: Squirrels, agoutis, spiny rats, and common opossums are particularly vulnerable.
Tolerant Species: Giant anteaters, jaguarondis, white-tailed deer, and raccoons show higher tolerance to oil palm cover.

Further analysis revealed significant threshold relationships for 10 of the 15 examined species. Four species—squirrel, agouti, spiny rat, and common opossum—experienced a negative change at around 45% oil palm cover. Conversely, five species, including giant and lesser anteaters, jaguarondi, white-tailed deer, and raccoon, showed no evidence of critical thresholds. Using the identified community threshold as a baseline, the conservation status of four oil palm production zones in Colombia was evaluated. Shockingly, about 41% of the total area covered by oil palm in Colombia has crossed this threshold, underscoring the urgent need for forest restoration to avert a potential collapse of resident mammal communities.

Protecting Our Natural Heritage

These findings provide invaluable guidance for designing sustainable landscapes within oil palm production areas in Colombia, promoting the conservation of terrestrial mammals. By implementing strategies that maintain a balance between agricultural land and natural habitats, we can strive to protect our planet's biodiversity for future generations.

About this Article -

This article was crafted using a human-AI hybrid and collaborative approach. AI assisted our team with initial drafting, research insights, identifying key questions, and image generation. Our human editors guided topic selection, defined the angle, structured the content, ensured factual accuracy and relevance, refined the tone, and conducted thorough editing to deliver helpful, high-quality information.See our About page for more information.

This article is based on research published under:

DOI-LINK: 10.1016/j.biocon.2018.08.026, Alternate LINK

Title: Identifying Critical Limits In Oil Palm Cover For The Conservation Of Terrestrial Mammals In Colombia

Subject: Nature and Landscape Conservation

Journal: Biological Conservation

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Authors: Lain E. Pardo, Fabio De Oliveira Roque, Mason J. Campbell, Nicolás Younes, Will Edwards, William F. Laurance

Published: 2018-11-01

Everything You Need To Know

How does increasing oil palm coverage affect the variety of mammal species and their communities?

The research indicates that as oil palm cover increases, mammal species richness is negatively impacted. There's a notable community shift in mammal species composition when oil palm cover reaches between 45% and 75%. This means at this threshold, the types and number of mammal species change significantly, with some declining and others potentially increasing or remaining stable. This is vital to understand because it shows a critical point beyond which the mammal community structure is substantially altered. It's important to note that species respond differently; some are far more sensitive to the changes than others. Species like Squirrels, agoutis, spiny rats, and common opossums are particularly vulnerable.

Are all mammal species equally affected by the expansion of oil palm plantations, or are some more resilient?

The study identifies that certain mammal species exhibit tolerance to increased oil palm cover, while others do not. Giant anteaters, jaguarondis, white-tailed deer, and raccoons appear to tolerate higher levels of oil palm cultivation in the landscape without showing significant negative impacts, unlike Squirrels, agoutis, spiny rats, and common opossums which are greatly impacted. This difference in tolerance levels could be related to their diet, habitat preferences, or ability to adapt to altered landscapes. Understanding these differences is crucial for targeted conservation efforts.

What are Threshold Indicator Taxa Analysis (TITAN) and Segmented Regression, and why are they important for understanding the impact of oil palm cultivation?

Threshold Indicator Taxa Analysis (TITAN) and segmented regression are statistical methods used to identify critical thresholds in species responses to environmental gradients, such as increasing oil palm cover. TITAN helps pinpoint specific species that show significant changes in abundance or occurrence frequency at certain environmental levels, indicating potential threshold responses. Segmented regression helps in determining the points where the relationship between species richness and oil palm cover changes abruptly, indicating a threshold. These methods are important because they move beyond simple correlation, helping to reveal the points at which significant ecological changes occur.

What portion of Colombian oil palm production zones has exceeded the critical threshold for mammal conservation, and what are the potential consequences?

The study examined camera trap data from 56 sites in the Llanos region of Colombia, each spanning approximately 220 hectares. Through this data collection, the study found about 41% of the total area covered by oil palm in Colombia has crossed the critical threshold of between 45% and 75% oil palm cover. This means that in a large portion of oil palm-dominated landscapes, mammal communities are already experiencing significant alterations, potentially leading to a decline in overall biodiversity. This underscores the urgency for conservation and restoration efforts within these zones to prevent further biodiversity loss. A failure to act could result in collapse of mammal communities.

How can sustainable land management help balance oil palm production with the need to protect native mammal populations and their habitats?

Maintaining a balance involves integrating natural habitats within oil palm production areas. This could include creating corridors of natural vegetation, preserving riparian zones, and establishing protected areas within agricultural landscapes. Doing so promotes the conservation of terrestrial mammals by providing habitat and resources, allowing for movement and dispersal, and supporting ecological processes necessary for their survival. Sustainable land management is crucial for protecting biodiversity while allowing for economic activities like oil palm cultivation.