Nurul L. Winarni, Simon L. Mitchell, Bhisma G. Anugra, Nicolas J. Deere, Khaleb Yordan, Boas Immanuel, Zuliyanto Zakaria, Muhajir A.W. Gaib, Jatna Supriatna, Matthew J. Struebig
Coconut farming contributes to the livelihoods of millions of people in tropical countries but is less frequently considered as a threat to biodiversity compared to other palm commodities such as oil palm. The expansion of coconut farming alongside other smallholder agriculture in Sulawesi, Indonesia, is of potential concern as the region is a centre of species endemism. We studied bird diversity and community structure in forests, coconut palm plantations and mixed farmland in Gorontalo Province, northern Sulawesi. Forest and non-forest sites supported similar numbers of species overall, but compared to agricultural areas, forest sites had communities that were more diverse and more even (i.e. different species were present at similar abundances). We found far fewer endemic species in agricultural areas compared to forests, and the communities in palm plantations and mixed farmland sites were dominated by generalist birds, with few indicator taxa. Nevertheless, there was a higher number of endemic species in coconut palm plantations than in mixed farmland sites. These findings mirror patterns of biotic homogenization documented elsewhere in the Wallacea centre of endemism, and imply that coconut palm plantations have comparable biodiversity value to other farmland systems. Increased protection of lowland forests and improved management of coconut farms could be important for supporting the conservation of the endemic birds of Sulawesi in the long term, but this warrants further study. © The Author(s), 2023.
Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Indonesia, Kampus UI Depok, Depok, 16424, Indonesia; Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom; Research Center for Climate Change, Universitas Indonesia, Depok, Indonesia; Jakarta Birders, Jakarta Timur, Indonesia; Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Negeri Gorontalo, Provinsi Gorontalo, Indonesia; IUCN Species Survival Commission Asian Songbird Trade Specialist Group, Hornbill Specialist Group, Galliformes Specialist Group, United States
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