Diverse and larger tree islands promote native tree diversity in oil palm landscapes
Gustavo B. Paterno, Fabian Brambach, Nathaly R. Guerrero‐Ramírez, Delphine Clara Zemp, Aiza Fernanda Cantillo, Nicolò Camarretta, Carina Carneiro de Melo Moura, Oliver Gailing, Johannes Ballauff, Andrea Polle, Michael Schlund, Stefan Erasmi, Najeeb Al-Amin Iddris, Watit Khokthong, Leti Sundawati, Bambang Irawan, Dirk Hölscher, Holger Kreft
Abstract
In monoculture-dominated landscapes, recovering biodiversity is a priority, but effective restoration strategies have yet to be identified. In this study, we experimentally tested passive and active restoration strategies to recover taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional diversity of woody plants within 52 tree islands established in an oil palm landscape. Large tree islands and higher initial planted diversity catalyzed diversity recovery, particularly functional diversity at the landscape level. At the local scale, results demonstrated that greater initial planting diversity begets greater diversity of native recruits, overcoming limitations of natural recruitment in highly modified landscapes. Establishing large and diverse tree islands is crucial for safeguarding rare, endemic, and forest-associated species in oil palm landscapes.