Change detection analysis of oil palm plantations in Pekan District, Pahang, Malaysia
2023
Ahmad, M.J. | Ismail, R. | Karmarulzarman, N.H. | Azman, E.A.
Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) is the most important agricultural crop in the State of Pahang, Malaysia, with more than 782 thousand hectares cultivated across the state. An estimated RM3.24 billion of oil palm-based oleochemical products were exported from Pahang in 2022, becoming the second largest export commodity after steel products. Despite the positive contribution of oil palm to the socio-economic well-being of farmers and national economic growth, the cultivation of oil palm always has negative effects on the environment and ecosystem services. The primary purpose of this study is to measure the impacts of oil plantations on the environment. The study particularly looks at the impact of oil palm activities on peat swamp forest areas and was observed using SPOT satellite imagery. The pre-processing and processing of satellite images, including panchromatic sharpening, automatic rectification, image subset, land classification, and change detection, are performed using CATALYST software. Authors found that oil palm activities in Pekan District contributed to peat conversion and degradation, mainly by large-scale planters. Certain hectares of peat swamp forest were also converted to infrastructural development (agricultural roads and drainage systems) to support the oil palm activities. Strong efforts and workable strategies are required to manage and minimize the negative impacts of oil plantations.
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