Am JOPR-2020-0119.R1Amended - Proof - Hi

Journal of Oil Palm Research
For
Review
Protection and Conservation of Central Forest Spine
Linkages as One Way of Enhancing Sustainable Management
of Oil Palm Plantations
Journal: Journal of Oil Palm Research
Manuscript ID JOPR-2020-0119.R1
Manuscript Type: Short Communications
Only
Keywords: Biodiversity Conservation, Forest connectivity, Wildlife Protection
https://mc04.manuscriptcentral.com/jopres
Page 1 of 16 Journal of Oil Palm Research
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Protection and Conservation of Central Forest Spine Linkages as One Way of
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6 Enhancing Sustainable Management of Oil Palm Plantations
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12 ABSTRACT
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15 A comprehensive two-part Central Forest Spine (CFS) Master Plan was published by
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the Malaysian Federal Government in 2011 to improve forest connectivity in Peninsular
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20 Malaysia. The CFS Initiative aims to establish a viable or connected conservation area
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22 comprising both forest and non-forest areas that will be maintained as the green lung of
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24 the network of environmentally sensitive areas in Peninsular Malaysia. Long-term efforts
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include connecting the disjointed forests and habitats through reforestation, land
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29 gazetting and building of safe wildlife crossings. This is crucial in order to create
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31 ecological connectivity for Peninsular Malaysia and to ensure the survival of certain
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species. In order to support CFS landscape connectivity, relevant stakeholders and
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36 plantation owners should manage conservation to promote best management practices,
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38 mitigation measures and education on human-wildlife conflict as well as sustainable
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conservation planning to protect forest patches and execute forest landscapes
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43 restoration. The conservation efforts may contribute towards the National CFS initiative
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45 while improving the sustainability practice of the Malaysian palm oil oil palm industry.
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48 Keywords: CFS; conservation; biodiversity; sustainability; forest connectivity; wildlife
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protection
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Journal of Oil Palm Research Page 2 of 16
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INTRODUCTION
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7 Forest ecosystem plays an important role in providing essentials and services to
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9 both human and wildlife. For example, forests act as carbon sequester, nutrient cycling,
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11 water regulation, soil protection and climate regulation, as species habitat and their
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13 a s movement route for them w i l d l i f e to obtain food among many others. Unfortunately,
supplies
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16 and resources g i v e n to these important services given have declined tremendously through
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18 the loss and degradation of forests across the world. It is estimated that forests still
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20 cover about 30% of the total world land area but their amount drops at a really fast pace
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23 each year. According to The World Bank, between the years 1990-2006, more than 1.3
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25 million square kilometers of forests has been removed due to all kinds of human
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27 interventions on land use – such as urbanization growth, grazing of livestock, road
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30 construction, infrastructure and agricultural activities among many others.
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33 A similar trend was also observed in Malaysia whereby in the 1950s, Malaysia
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35 had approximately 9.5 million hectare of forested area. However, over the last few
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37 decades, a significant amount of forest has been cleared for land development, leaving
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40 patches of disconnected habitat. As one of the top 12th twelve mega-diverse biodiversity
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42 countries in the world, Malaysia is often being put under the spotlight as one of the top
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44 countries which reduces a large amount of forests each year. Figure 1 shows the
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fragmentation of natural forest cover in Peninsular Malaysia between 1954-2000.
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The Malaysian government recognized the importance of preserving the forest to
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52 ensure continuous ecosystem function and services. As environmental awareness and
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54 knowledge about the value of ecosystem function and services improve in Malaysia, all
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kinds of initiatives were conducted made to support biodiversity and
environment
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6 conservation. Thus, to address the issue on forest fragmentation across
Peninsular
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8 Malaysia which causes widespread environmental degradation, the government called
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10 for a national effort to reinstate the connectivity of these forests under the Central Forest
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Spine (CFS) establishment in 2009.
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16 With the availability of CFS Master Plan (CFS MP) published by the government,
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18 it is acknowledged that community awareness is important to ensure that the ecological
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20 linkages to the forests could be continuously maintained, protected and conserved. This
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23 document could be used as a reference or guide by the relevant agencies and
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25 organisations towards t h e planning and implementation of this initiative.
Connecting the
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27 isolated forests will be i s important to improve and secure mutual co-existence
between
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30 development and conservation.
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33 CENTRAL FOREST SPINE
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36 CFS is referred to as a four major forest network in the heart of Peninsular
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38 Malaysia that needs to be connected by green linkages. The CFS MP, was formulated
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following the first National Physical Plan 1 (NPP1) in 2005, which essentially became
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43 the backbone of the environmentally-sensitive areas identified by NPP1 and eventually
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45 formed a vital component of the revised NPP into National Physical Plan 2. Serving as
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47 a blueprint for spatial planning in Peninsular Malaysia, CFS aspires a i m to
conserve and
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improve forest connectivity in Malaysia to avoid irreversible and costly losses in
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52 ecosystem services and biodiversity.
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CFS spreads across eight states in Peninsular Malaysia namely Kedah, Perak,
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6 Kelantan, Terengganu, Johor, Pahang, Selangor and Negeri Sembilan and consists of
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8 eight major forest complexes, including Kedah Singgora Forest Complex, Bintang Hijau
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10 Forest Complex, Main Range Forest Complex, Greater Taman Negara Complex,
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Benom Forest Complex, Cini-Bera Forest Complex, South East Pahang Forest
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15 Complex and Endau Rompin-Sedili Forest Complex as shown in Figure 2. Under the
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17 CFS MP, the four major CFS network will be connected to form approximately more
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than 5.0 million hectares of forest complex.
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25 The CFS MP outlines two types of ecological corridors, i.e. primary and
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27 secondary linkages, in which each corridor would be established either through
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30 unbroken stretches of forested habitats connecting forest islands (contiguous corridor)
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32 or through stepping stones such as patches of suitable habitats (Figure 3). This could
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34 be achieved through reforestation, viaducts and overpasses. These ecological corridors
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will be crucial to establish forest connectivity to support long term survival of biodiversity
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39 since it may be used to facilitate the movement of species across the fragmented
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41 patches. Normally, the primary linkages are linear corridors therefore it can support the
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43 movement of large mammals. Secondary linkages on the other hand are intended to
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46 support primary linkages in cases where it is unfeasible to create primary linkages due
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48 to constraints, for instance, there are too large areas of non-forested land or distances
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50 between forests are too long, or perhaps the forest is located near to high human
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population and activities. However, it will still be important to establish some level of
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55 connectivity between forests and therefore secondary linkages approach would be
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suitable. These secondary linkages are meant to be used by small animals, birds and
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6 insects. It is aimed targeted that a total of 37 linkages, consisting of 17 primary
linkages and 20
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8 secondary linkages to be will connected to the forests network under this CFS MP.
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WHY CONSERVE CFS
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16 The CFS is home to all kinds of flora and fauna, including endangered and
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18 critically endangered species such as Asian elephants (Elephas maximus), Malayan
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20 tigers (Panthera tigris ssp. Jacksoni) and Sumatran rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus
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23 sumatrensis) (IUCN, 2020). Most wildlife rely on interconnected forests to sustain their
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25 livelihood. When these forests are cut down or become isolated into smaller patches,
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27 this has not only led to the loss of their habitat, but also caused genetic erosion as
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30 unique genes are being trapped in the respective fragmented forests. Due to the low
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32 population of many endangered species, a limited gene pool may hinder their survival.
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34 Wildlife will also have limited movement and suffer have problems to find food.
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37 Another bigger problem that occurs when it comes to habitat loss due to
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40 forest fragmentation is the human-wildlife conflict (HWC), whereby both human and
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42 wildlife are present in the same area and have to compete unwillingly with one another
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44 for the same limited resources (Ahmad Zafir & Magintan 2016). Due to encroachment,
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wildlife stray into human populatedion areas and destroy crops, and homes, and
livestock and
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49 to a certain extent, resulting in injury and death to humans. This in turn, made people
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51 become terrified and thus t h i s t e r r o r , in most cases, is being overcome through
culling
54 of wildlife to
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56 identified as one of the key elements towards conservation priorities.
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53 mitigate HWC. HWC is a major issue in wildlife conservation and therefore has been
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56 identified as one of the key elements towards conservation priorities.
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Additionally, habitat loss has not only resulted in HWC but also causes the
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6 forests and isolated areas to become more accessible to poachers, increase of road
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8 killings cases, illegal trading (of what?) etc. The extent of these species population has been
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10 greatly affected and therefore, to overcome these issues, a couple of action plans, i.e.
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National Elephant Conflict Action Plan (NECAP) and National Tiger Conflict Action Plan
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15 (NTCAP) were developed and published by the Department of Wildlife and National
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17 Parks (DWNP) Peninsular Malaysia together with non-governmental organisations
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(NGOs) to be integrated into the CFS MP. Both the NECAP and NTCAP documents
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22 emphasize on holistic strategies for preservation and protection of elephants and tigers,
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24 respectively in Peninsular Malaysia. Implementation of these action plans will
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complement the main idea of CFS programme, which is to enhance habitat connectivity
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29 for wildlife protection. It is expected that the co-existence between human and wildlife
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31 and the survival of elephants and tigers in the Malaysian landscape could be ensured.
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34 As forests contribute largely to the ecosystem balance of the environment, it is
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crucial that natural forests and forest connectivity remain intact, particularly within the
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39 CFS of Peninsular Malaysia. Under the Malaysian government’s CFS initiative,
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41 implementation of ecological corridors will contribute to the re-establishment or
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43 enhancement of forests network to protect water catchments, prevent landslides and
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46 floods and to conserve biodiversity (Maniam and Singaravelloo, 2015). Linking the network
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48 of forests will encourage other smaller wildlife to be spread out in all the forested areas.
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50 Some types of plants too, in the form of seeds would be deposited whenever they are
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being carried by animals while roaming in the forest. Implementation of the CFS MP will
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55 help to foster better coverage of forest and hence, enable flora and fauna in the country
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to continue to survive for future generations. The seriousness and commitment of the
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6 Malaysian Government on green initiative such as CFS could also be seen through the
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8 inclusion of targets and action plan for CFS initiative under the National Policy on
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10 Biological Diversity 2016-2025 (NPBD).
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OIL PALM INDUSTRY AND CFS
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17 Similar to many other countries, Malaysia also has the vision to become a high
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19 income nation and in order to achieve this vision, various stages of economic reform
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21 from agriculture to mining and services sectors have been developed in Malaysia.
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However, the need for land conversion to support the development of the industry and
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26 service sectors and to compete with forest protection has affected land use
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28 management in the country. Significant amounts of land were converted for all kinds
of
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30 sectors including agriculture such as oil palm. Oil palm contributes significantly to the
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33 national economy, in which the planted area has increased 100-fold from 55,000
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35 hectares in 1970 to 5.85 million hectares in 2018 (Kushairi et al., 2019). Unfortunately,
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37 the development of oil palm in Malaysia too, has inevitably created pressure on natural
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40 resources. Oil palm cultivation has been criticised for unsustainable practices
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42 presumably caused by the destruction of rainforests, resulting in destruction of wildlife
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44 habitats and biodiversity loss.
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47 Sustainable development is essential for the remaining forest areas which often
overlap
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with the oil palm production area. Responsible management of oil palm as an important
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54 preserving biodiversity, and it could also contribute in securing palm oil trade at the
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52 commodity is needed to prove that the industry is committed and responsible towards
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54 preserving biodiversity, and it could also contribute in securing palm oil trade at the
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global market.
As such, the key to mitigate the adverse effects of fragmentation lies in

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6 safeguarding existing connectivity between large forest complexes and restoring
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8 degraded linkages through the incorporation of CFS MP. However, tTo date, it is
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10 understood that implementation has remained a challenge due to a lack of funding and
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local stakeholder engagement and participation. To realise the master plan,
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15 engagement and partnership between plantation owners with the respective Ministries,
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17 government agencies, research institutes and NGOs are seen as important to
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effectively tackle issues on the ground and to identify feasible implementation solutions.
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23 Through the establishment of viable long-term conservation projects directly
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25 between plantation owners and the relevant organisations and agencies, it is believed that
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27 sustainable solutions to conserve and restore key CFS linkages could be created, thus
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30 directly contributing to the realisation of the Malaysian CFS initiative. Habitat or land
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32 restoration strategy also presents a unique opportunity to increase carbon storage and
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34 sequestration, replenish soil quality, improve water quality, restore ecosystem health, mitigate HWC
and
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improve land use management by creating eco-tones or relevant buffer zones.
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39 Therefore, in the long-term, the partnership can grow and support sustainable
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41 management practices within plantations.
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44 COMMITMENT IN OIL PALM INDUSTRY
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47 Taken together, the partnership between Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) and
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Tropical Rainforest Conservation & Research Centre (TRCRC) is timely and significant
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52 to identify key plantation areas overlapping with CFS linkages in Peninsular Malaysia for
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planned improvement of habitat connectivity through strategic forest and riparian area
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6 restoration.
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9 The ultimate goal of the MPOB-TRCRC partnership is to join forces for the
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11 improvement of forest and wildlife habitat connectivity in increasingly common oil palm
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and mixed landscapes through the strategic restoration of forest and riparian areas. To
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16 ensure successful implementation, a multi-stakeholder approach will be employed to
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18 ensure concerns of all relevant parties are accounted for. While the first-phase of the
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20 partnership has focused on technical baselining for key areas in Perak, Kelantan and
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23 Terengganu, the next phase will focus on engaging landowners and local experts to
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25 begin discussions toward restoring strategic areas within plantations. In tandem, this
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27 partnership will encourage more ecologically-friendly oil palm plantations and better
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30 land stewardship to improve the environmental sustainability of the nation’s palm oil
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32 industry.
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35 In general, the MPOB-TRCRC partnership works closely with plantation owners
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37 following a general framework (Figure 4) to develop drive the project towards
execution and
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40 implementation.
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43 CFS linkages are important to create ecological connectivity for Peninsular
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45 Malaysia while t o ensureing biodiversity protection and a sustainable environment.
To work
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47 towards the national initiative to improve CFS connectivity, smart partnership between
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plantation owners with MPOB and TRCRC could will be one of the effective ways for
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them
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54 opportunity for all partners to work together on how to develop strategies to support
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52 to manage their land more responsibly to reduce impacts on biodiversity. It will be an
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54 opportunity for all partners to work together on how to develop strategies to support
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sustainable management and improve connectivity within the oil palm landscape.
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6 Recommendations to integrate biodiversity conservation and best management
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8 practices could be developed together.
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11 Accomplishment from this innovative partnership will eventually move towards
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13 l e a d t o t h e cultivation and management of oil palm in a sustainable manner. This may also lead
to
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16 favorable circumstances, in which biodiversity conservation efforts undertaken by oil
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18 palm companies could be promoted and showcased. Commitment of the Malaysian
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20 palm oil industry to address issues on biodiversity loss will prove that the industry is
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23 responsible for ensuring environmental friendly and sustainable practices as well as in tandem with
the
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25 need for economic development at the same time. Ultimately, this commitment could
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27 w i l l help to improve global perception about palm oil. This and eventually w i l l lead to long
term
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30 security and economic growth of the palm oil supply chain due to brand values and
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32 consumer trust.
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35 CONCLUSION
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38 CFS conservation is an imperative national initiative, however, it is to be noted that
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40 the its implementation might be more challenging thant it might seem appear to be on paper.
This
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43 initiative may also require the involvement of multi stakeholders, state government and
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45 relevant authorities to make it into a realitysation. Without th e cooperation with of these relevant
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47 institutions, communication and coordination with the respective stakeholders and
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54 this initiative. This will also become an opportunity for the oil palm industry to showcase
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plantation owners will be timely and difficult. Considering the positive impact that could
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52 be obtained from this CFS initiative, let us all work together to strive for the success of
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54 this initiative. This will also become an opportunity for the oil palm industry to showcase
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their commitment and take action to partner in environmental conservation through
partnership, as well as
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6 improving sustainable practices and achieving biodiversity targets. Eventually, this could
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8 will lead to long term security of the palm oil supply chain due to brand values
and
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10 consumer trust, which in turn ideally, would result in economic growth of the oil palm
industry.
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REFERENCES
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15
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17 Ahmad Zafir, A W and Magintan, D (2016). Historical review of human elephant conflict
18 in Peninsular Malaysia. Journal of Wildlife and Parks, 31: 1-19.
19
20
21 Federal Department of Town and Country Planning Peninsular Malaysia (2009). Final
22
23 Report CFS I: Master Plan for Ecological Linkages.
24 http://conservationcorridor.org/cpb/Peninsular_Malaysia_Regional_Planning_Division_2
25
26 009.pdf, accessed on 25 March 2020.
27
28
29 Federal Department of Town and Country Planning Peninsular Malaysia (2010).
30 National Physical Plan 2. https://www.academia.edu/8576257/NPP_-
31
32 _National_Physical_Plan, accessed on 25 March 2020.
33
34
35 Federal Department of Town and Country Planning Peninsular Malaysia (2018). Final
36 Report Central Forest Spine.
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38 https://www.townplan.gov.my/index.php/agensi/penerbitanplanmalaysia/rancanganwilay
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40 ah/1916-central-forest-spine-cfs-bab-3/file, accessed on 26 August 2019.
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42 Kushairi, A; Meilina, O-A; Balu, N; Elina, H; Mohd Noor Izuddin, Z B; Razmah, G;
43
44 Vijaya, S; Shamala, S and Ahmad Parveez, G K (2019). Oil Palm Economic
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46 Performance in Malaysia and R&D Progress in 2018. Journal of Oil Palm Research,
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31(2): 165-194.
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50 Maniam, A and Singaravelloo, K (2015). Impediments to Linking Forest Islands to
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52 Central Forest Spine in Johor, Malaysia. International Journal of Social Science and
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Humanity, 5(1):22-28.
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The World Bank. “Five forest figures for the International Day of Forests” by The World
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5 Bank Group. https://blogs.worldbank.org/opendata/five-forest-figures-international-day-
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7 forests, accessed on 1 April 2020.
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Figure 1. Fragmentation of Natural Forest Cover in Peninsular Malaysia, 1954 - 2000
20 (Source: National Physical Plan 2, Federal Department of Town and Country Planning, now
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known as PLANMalaysia)
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For
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Review
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Figure 2. The Central Forest Spine of Peninsular Malaysia as illustrated in the Central Forest
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33 Spine Master Plan. (Source: Federal Department of Town and Country Planning Peninsular
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35 Malaysia, now known as PLANMalaysia).
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20 Figure 3. Two types of ecological corridors described in the CFS MP: Primary and Secondary
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22 Linkages.
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7 GENERAL FRAMEWORK
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Partnership Development
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For
16  Engagement with plantation owners
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18  Site visit and surveillance to identify suitable site
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20  Propose activities/identify key concerns for the site such as
Review
21 restoration strategy, best management practice, solutions to
22 human-wildlife conflict, knowledge sharing
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24  Follow up meeting with plantation owners and local partners
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26  Compilation of relevant info to produce management
27 implementation plan
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Only
31 Implementation
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33  Setup of satellite nurseries and building of infrastructure (if
34 necessary) / collaborate with existing on-site nursery
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36  Restoration implementation in critical areas of identified linkages
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 Meetings to monitor progress and identify possible solutions to
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39 challenges
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43 Long Term Management
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45  Management and support conservation in targeted sites
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 Training/capacity building of local team for long-term management
48 of restoration site
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 Plantation owner as local champion of forest restoration
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54 Figure 4. The general framework for partnership between plantation owners with MPOB and
55 TRCRC toward CFS Initiative: Establishing Habitat Connectivity.
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59

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Journal of Oil Palm Research

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Manuscript Type: Short Communications

As such, the key to mitigate the adverse effects of fragmentation lies in

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