An analysis of biodiversity in oil palm monocultures and polycultures: Epigeal arthropod fauna in experimental plots in Costa Rica.

Agriculture is a human activity with a great impact on the biodiversity and quality of natural ecosystems. Agricultural systems can be more or less sustainable from an environmental, economic and social point of view. One of the sustainable approaches that covers these three aspects is agroecology, an integrative discipline which investigates agronomy, ecology, sociology and economics, hence plays a crucial role in achieving sustainability in cropping system management (Dalgaard, 2003). The challenge faced from the agroecological research includes the meeting of the production demand with the preservation of fragile ecosystems and the needs of the farmers, above all the most marginalized ones (Monzon, 2021; Altieri, 2002). The main concerns on which this work will focus are the loss of biodiversity and habitat related to palm oil production in Costa Rica through the improvement of the quality of the ecosystems and the life of the smallholders and the communities of which they are part. Specifically, the research study is part of the INOGO’s initiative project: Laboratorio Experimental de Palma Africana (LAPA) in the Osa and Golfito cantons where the majority of the costarican oil palm production is located.