Barn Owl Management

It takes a lot of time, money and energy to produce palm oil. You first need to plant oil palm seedlings, and nurture them for 3 to 4 years before they start to produce. Optimise soil, water and nutrient levels. Prune the trees, manage the undergrowth and remove sick trees. Check for leaf eating caterpillars and deal with them when there are too many. Finally the time has come to harvest the fruits. But as the Fresh Fruit Bunches wait for transportation to the mill, who shows up to collect? Rattus tiomanicus, also known as the Malayan field rat.

Problem
Research from Universiti Putra Malaysia estimates that rats can cause a loss of 5% of total oil production by damaging the trees and eating the fruits. Serious rat infestation can cost plantations owners more than USD 300 per hectare per year. Even humans are not safe as rats carry diseases such as Leptospirosis. One of the ways of controlling rat populations is by using poisoned bait. Though effective, poison has its price. Financially, but also ecologically as the poison moves up the food chain.

Solution
An article in the New Straits Times "Ruling the roost in estates" describes how Sime Darby, one of the world's largest producers of palm oil, has been dealing with rats. Since the 1980s, Sime Darby has enlisted Barn Owls to help catch the rats on its plantations. The owls are given a warm welcome with special nest boxes and plenty of food. An estimated 21.000 barn owls now inhabit peninsular Malaysia. According to Sime Darby's head of research and development “A barn owl eats an average of one rat per day. A family that comprises two adults and two baby birds could consume 1,200 rats per year.” Thus reducing rat control costs by 30 to 40 percent.

Barn Owl (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

To train your owl
Barn owls have become so important to palm oil plantations that research has been done to find out which pesticides can be used without harming the owls. The research itself not being very harmless to owls. When natural migration is not sufficient, owls are introduced by humans, as detailed in one Reuters article. Indonesian palm oil producer BW Plantation (BWPT) claims owls now save the firm about USD 300.000 per year. "We have an owl trainer who takes care of our owls, starting from the egg until they mature and are then released into the field," said Kelik Irwantono, corporate secretary at BWPT.

Palm Oil plantations are competing with tropical forests in Malaysia and Indonesia and often winning. Where forests have already disappeared, at least make sure that crop yields are maximised and Post-Harvest Loss is reduced. That way production can increase and provide income to millions of people, without further destroying high value conservation areas.