Habitat and landscape effects on fauna in oil palm plantations highlight implications for biodiversity, yield, and plantation management

The expansion of oil palm (OP) cultivation has contributed to biodiversity loss across Malaysia, prompting calls for sustainable practices that support ecological recovery. We assess how vegetation structure and proximity to natural and urban features influence vertebrate distribution within an OP plantation in Johor, Malaysia. Vertebrate assemblages were sampled over 96 h at 35 sites (25 within plantation blocks, 10 along service roads) using camera traps baited with fresh OP fruit, peanut butter oat balls, and tinned tuna. Assemblage variation was best explained by understory fern cover, bare ground cover, and proximity to roads and infrastructure. Sites with less bare ground and those farther from roads supported up to twice the faunal abundance. Long-tailed macaque were more abundant further from roads, whereas domestic dog and red junglefowl were more common near them. Rattus spp. were more abundant in areas with higher fern cover and greater distance from roads and urban land. No variables significantly described the variation in species richness. Fauna abundance was positively or neutrally associated with the weight of fresh fruit bunches (FFB) and yield per palm. Low-yield blocks correlated with higher bare ground, ferns, and climbers, while high-yield blocks had greater frond stack (40%) and herbaceous plant cover (45%), although effects on yield were neutral or negative. Our findings suggest that managing understory structure may support both biodiversity and yield, but further research is needed to identify optimal vegetation parameters. Additionally, road proximity negatively affects fauna, highlighting the need to consider infrastructure impacts in OP landscape management.