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The most commonly encountered snake in oil palm plantations
was Ninia atrata.
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Rainforest in the
tropics is frequent cut to make way for the African oil palms, Elaeis guineensis. The plant is most
often grown for cooking oil but has recently attracted the attention of the
alternative energy industry as a source of biofuel. While the plant is native
to sub-Saharan Africa, it has now spread to tropical Asia and the Neotropics.
Lynch (2015) analyzes
the snake species found during student field trips to Colombian oil palm
plantations between 2006-2013. They visited 30 palm plantations varying in size
from 0.02-20,000 hectares. These include small privately held palm trees groves
as well as large commercial plantations. Success-rates varied with less success
in the dry season and greater success in the wet season. Thirty-five snake
species were found. Widespread lowland species (Boa constrictor, Clelia
clelia, Corallus hortulanus, Imantodes cenchoa, Leptophis ahaetulla, Ninia
atrata, Oxyrhopus petola, Tantilla melanocephala, and the species
pairs of Bothrops asper or B. atrox, Epicrates cenchria or E. maurus, and Leptodeira annulata or L.
septentrionalis). Seven other species (Chironius
carinatus, Erythrolamprus bizona,
Lampropeltis cf. triangulum, Mastigodryas
boddaertii, M. pleei, Sibon nebulata, and Typhlops reticulatus) occur across the
regions sampled but do not occupy all lowlands of Colombia. All of these except
Imantodes cenchoa, Lampropeltis cf. triangulum, and Sibon nebulata were captured in at least one plantation. Of the 35 species of
snakes captured in palm trees, fourteen were diurnal activity or crepuscular,
the remaining 21 species are exclusively nocturnal.
To date, there are no
reliable data on population sizes of any snake species in Colombia. In point of
fact, the impression of collectors is that densities are very low. This impressions
is contradicted by our work in palm plantations. Collecting in natural habitats
by other researchers has produced success rates equivalent or superior to our
work in palm trees.
The Colombian African
palm oil industry could be a major factor in conserving snakes. Snake mortality
from rural workers exceeds 100 million/year and no fewer than 50,000 snakes
die/year due to traffic. However, to be a partner in snake conservation will
require two changes in the industry: (1) all waste be fronds need to be piled
into mounds on the plantation and allowed to decompose slowly. This provides
refuges for snakes, easy access to prey, and reduces human encounters,
Secondly, stop converting parcels of secondary forest into more monoculture of
palms. Leaving patches of secondary forest and scrub increases microhabitats
and the prey base.
Citation
Lynch, J. D. (2015). The role of
plantations of the African palm (Elaeis guineensis
Jacq.) in the conservation of snakes in Colombia. Caldasia, 37(1), 169-182.