The pantropical biodiversity footprint of oil palm

Abstract Oil palm is one of the main drivers of tropical deforestation, yet there is a lack of spatial evidence of species‐specific habitat loss driven by oil palm plantations. Using an unprecedented high‐resolution global oil palm map, we assessed all the vertebrate species whose habitats overlapped with oil palm plantations globally. We find that 4.5% of forest‐dependent species lost more than 1% of their potential habitats to oil palm. Indonesia exhibited the highest total biodiversity footprint for mammals, birds, and reptiles, while Malaysia ranked highest for amphibians. São Tomé and Príncipe and Sri Lanka presented high biodiversity footprints per hectare. Biodiversity footprints were led by industrial plantations that account for large habitat loss proportions and present significantly higher footprint intensity than smallholder plantations for mammals and amphibians. Our findings demonstrate the pantropical biodiversity footprint of oil palm plantations and call for measures to ensure oil palm sustainable production beyond Southeast Asia.