Impact of Oil Palm Plantation Expansion on Avian Species Diversity in Banggai District, Central Sulawesi

Abstract

The growth of oil palm plantations, which converts land use patterns to monocultures, is believed to impact the diversity of animal species, particularly birds. Bird species diversity is one of the important indicators for assessing environmental quality and requires more attention. Various studies have shown that the development of oil palm plantations can reduce bird diversity, although on the other hand, with the development of oil palm plants, bird diversity can increase. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the number of species, richness, uniformity, and diversity of bird species in different types of land cover. This study was conducted from March to May 2024. The study was carried out in oil palm plantations in Banggai District, Central Sulawesi. The research locations included both mature and young oil palm plantations, as well as areas with high conservation value (HCV). Bird species diversity was assessed through direct observations along transects that were 1 km in length, or adapted to the field conditions, and 100 meters wide. The data analysis focused on the species richness, diversity, and evenness indices. The findings revealed a total of 55 bird species present in the oil palm plantations. The mature oil palm areas had the highest number of bird species, with 41 species, while the young oil palm areas had the lowest, with 34 species. The highest species richness index was recorded in the mature oil palm areas, with a value of (Dmg = 8.02), and the lowest in the young oil palm areas, with (Dmg = 6.36). The evenness index in the study areas was relatively uniform, ranging from 0.8 to 0.9, which is close to 1. This suggests that managing oil palm plantations in a way that preserves the original forest land cover can help maintain bird species diversity.