Impacts of oil palm plantations on butterfly diversity (case study: PT BLP, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia)

The success of oil palm plantations as an important indicator of national economic development is well recognized. Conversely, land cover changes due to the expansions of oil palm plantations have been accused of being a cause of reduced species biodiversity, such as of butterfly. Therefore, a study was conducted in August 2017 in PT BLP, Central Kalimantan, to verify such allegations. Data were collected on various land cover types simultaneously, using a combination time search and transect method. Landsat imagery was used to established and analyze the historical data of land covers prior to the establishment of the plantations. Impacts of the oil palm plantations on butterfly diversity were determined by comparing the current butterflies found on each plantation site, with those found on the adjacent land cover types that resembled the previous land cover types (baseline area). Results of the study showed that 49.9% of the plantation sites were previously dominated by secondary forests, 44.2% were dominated by bare land and 3.5% were dominated by shrubs. The total number of species and richness index in the oil palm plantation (S = 27; Dmg = 5.29) were higher than the baseline area (S = 5; Dmg = 1.92). It can be concluded from this study that oil palm plantations have a positive impact on increasing butterfly diversity, which resulted in gaining 22 species and not losing any butterfly species.