There is a general perception that oil palm plantations, owing to they being monocultures, are “devoid of life’. Studies however have indicated otherwise. In a typical coastal oil palm estate, a total of 268 species of flora and fauna have been recorded.

Although most of these species are common to the agricultural environment, relatively rare species like the leopard cat Felis bengalensis could be found. Bird species are also unexpectedly high, wit 61 of the 87 species being breeding residents.

Notwithstanding the inherent biodiversity of the oil palm plantation environment, palm industry strives to encourage biodiversity in its plantations through the following conservation and enhancement activities:

Conservation

1. Carrying out zero burning. By this practice, besides contributing to a cleaner environment, soil organic matter, physical properties and fertility are also enhanced. Such practices further conserve if not improve soil biodiversity.
2. Ensuring maximum conservation of soils by carrying out appropriate land preparation techniques for road establishment, terracing, and construction of silt-pits and bunds.
3. Planting of leguminous cover crops and Vetiver and Guatemalagrass to enhance soil fertility and further check soil erosion.
4. Maintenance of natural vegetation riparian border along rivers.
5. Maintenance of permanent green belts at strategic locations. This includes the steep areas with more than 25º slope and other areas marginal for oil palm planting, e.g., wetlands and swamps.
6. Maintenance of water catchment areas and water bodies.

Enhancement

1. Crop diversification. These included the planting of agroforestry species in forested reserves, steep or lateritic land and land near catchment areas. Where suitable, commercial species like teak (Tectonia grandis), Sentang (Azadirachta excelsa) and bamboo (Bambusa spp) are planted around and within cultivated fields. Medicinal and culinary herbal plants are also in the process of being domesticated for planting in estates.
2. Soil biodiversity is enhanced by establishment of creeping leguminous covers such as Mucuna bracteata, Pueraria phaseoliodes and Calopogonium caeruleum through soil conservation and enhancement of beneficial rhizobium interactions.
3. Practice of inoculating all nursery seedlings with arbuscular mychorrizal fungi (AMF) for the purpose of enhancing vigour and growth of plants and increasing tolerance to infection by Ganoderma basal stem rot when planted out in the field. AMF inoculated seedlings are expected to increase levels of the beneficial AMF organisms in the soil.
4. The planting of beneficial plants like Euphorbia heterophylla, Cassia cobanensis, Antigonon leptopus and Turnera subulata  are being aggressively pursued. Besides enhancing safe and natural suppression of leaf pests in oil palm, flora biodiversity is also increased.
5. Emphasis on biological control. Wherever appropriate, use of host specific entomopathogens like Cordyceps, Metarhizium and virus is implemented. These will be complemented with release of mass-bred predators for natural control of leaf pests like nettle caterpillars.
6. The use of the barn owl as the primary means of rat control in oil palm. By this, use of chemical rodenticides has been reduced by 70-100% in many oil palm plantations.

By adoption of the above multi-faceted approach, greater availability of flora and fauna have been encouraged in estates in a sustainable manner.