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P.KHIOMAT MAKLUMAT AKAOEMIK

UNIMAS

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INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM AND WORKSHOP

ON TROPICAL PEATLAND (KUCHING 2008)

Peatland Development:

Wise Use and Impact Management

19-22 August 2008

Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia

ABSTRACTS

Organised by

Universiti Malaysia Sarawak

Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute

In collaboration with

CARBOPEAT

International Peat Society

Under the auspices 01

Ministry of Planning and Resource Management, Sarawak

Supported by

Sarawak Convention Bureau

SA~K CONVENTION BU REAU_M'-t ...

International Symposium and Workshop on Tropical PeatJand (Kuching 2008), 19-22 August

Editors:

Fatimah Abang

Ismail Jusoh

Edmund Sim Ui Hang

Andrew Wong Han Hoy

Hairul Azman Roslan

Faculty of Resource Science and Technology


94300 Kota Samarahan

Sarawak, Malaysia

Printed by Lee Miing Press Sdn Bhd

Kuching, Sarawak

ii

Abstracts

CONTENTS

PLENARY PAPERS

More than Thirty Years of Research on Tropical Peatland: Are We Now Wise Enough to Ensure Their Future?

lack Rieley 1 Meeting the Challenges of Integrated Planning and Sustainahle Development in Tropical Lowland Peatlands

Edward Maltby 2 Restoration Ecology of Tropical Peatlands: Opportunities and Challenges

Susan Page and Laura Graham 2 Sustainable Development of Peatland for Oil Palm

Gurmit Singh 3

ECOLOGY AND BIODIVERSITY

Keynote Address: Flora And Fauna Of Tropical Peatland

Andrew Alek Tuen, Fatimah Abang and Cheksum Supiah Tawan 4

Diversity of Methane-Related Microorganisms in Peatlands Abdul Hadi and Kuzuyuki Inubushi 5

An Enumeration Of One Hectare Of Peat Swamp Forest At Bukit Lima Nature Reserve, Sibu, Sarawak

Meekiong, K. *, I.B. Ipor, CS. Tawan, Hidir, M. & Sekudan, T. 6

Flora Diversity, Changes and Succession from Agriculture Development on Peatland Salma, I., A Azuan and H. Masrom 7

Distribution of Microorganisms in Peat Soil under Agriculture Suhaimi, M., AK.R. Emmyra/edziawati and AB. Ismail 8

Effects of Peatland Development on Spatio-temporal Patterns of Selected Arthropod Families Mohd Norowi, H., l. lamaluddin and AB. Ismail 8

Assessment of Avifauna Composition at Paya Indah Wetland Peat Swamp Forest, Peninsular Malaysia

Muhammad Nawaz Rajpar and Mohamed Zakaria Husin 9 Fragmentation and Biodiversity Loss of Peat Swamp Forest in Northern Borneo During Recent EI-Nifio Events

Mui-How Phua, Mohd Abdullah Abdul Ghani, Kamlisa Uni Kamlun, Satoshi Tsuyuki and Ola/Conrad 10

Developing Genomic Resources for the Conservation and Management of Tropical Peatland Biodiversity

Charles H. Canon 11

Potential Commercial Application of Microbes Isolated from Tropical Peatland M .S. Umi Kalsom, AB. Ismail and AK.R. Emmyra/edziawati 11

Searching for Meaningful DNA Markers of Endangered Species Using Next-gen Sequencing: A Case Study of Ramin (Gonystylus bancanus)

Chai-Shian Kua and Charles H. Cannon 12

Fertilizer Requirements for Physiological and Qualitative Traits of Brassica Species U.A Buriro, F.C Oad and AU. Salarzai 13

Ethnobotanical Resources in Peatland Forests in Roban District, Betong Division, Sarawak, Malaysia

Gabriel Tonga Noweg and Peter Songan 14

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International Symposium and Workshop on Tropical Peatland (Kuching 2008), 19-22 August

LAND USE (CONSERVATION, FORESTRY, AGRICULTURE, MINING AND SETTLEMENT)

Keynote Address: Towards Wise Use of Tropical Peatland: From Agriculture Perspective

AB. Ismail 15

Integrated Approach in Managing Peat Swamp Forest for Conservation and Sustainable Use Abdul Rahim Nik, Shamsudin Ibrahim and Khali Aziz Hamzah

Land Use Change in Tropical Peatlands and Current Uncertainties in Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Harri Vasander and Jyrki Jauhiainen Effect of Drainage and landuse on Soil CO

2 Flux in Deep Tropical Peat Swamps of Borneo

Lulie Melling, Fumiaki Takakai, Yo Toma, Tomoaki Morishita, Untung Darung, Kah Joo Goh and Ryusuke Atano

Development of Agriculture and Industrial Forestry on Tropical Peatland: Minimizing the Impacts and Maximizing Sustainability

Bostang Radjagukguk and Nyahu Rumbang Developing a REDD Scheme for Post 2012: The Kalimantan Forests and Climate Partnership

Grahame Applegate Response of Maize Fodder to Soil and Foliar Applied Zinc

Gandahi, AW., M.R. Wagan, I. Rajper and N.B. Sial Evaluation of a New Promising Line of Rice Variety MR 253 to Control Brown Spot Disease and Bronzing in Organic Clay Muck (OCM) Soil

Muhd Naim, F.A.R., Muhamad, H., Othman, o. and Saad, A. Nematode Infestation on Commercial Pineapple Cultivation on Tropical Peatland

H. Nik Masdek, AB. Ismail and M. Zulkef/i

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AWARENESS, POLICIES, LEGAL AND INSTITUTIONAL FRAIMEWORK

Framework for Risk Assessment of Local Loss of Biodiversity and General Risk of Species Extinction Due to Forest Conversion and Climate Change in Borneo's Aquatic Peat Swamp Ecosystems

Volker C. Hammen, Glenn Marion and Josef Settele 24

SOILS AND HYDROLOGY

Keynote Address: Coastal Development in Tropical Peatlands: A Challenge or a Curse - Are Experiences in the Netherlands Useful in the Tropics?

H.P. Ritzema 25

Requirements for and Operational Aspects of Water Management in Tropicall Peatlands J.H.M. W6sten, H.P. Ritzema and1.0. Rieley

Profiling the Oxidation and Humic Substances of Tropical Peat Murtedza Mohamed

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Abstracts

Impact of M icrovariability on Classification and Management of Peatlands in Asia E. PadmanabhanJ H. Eswaran and P. Reich 28

Drainages Have Caused the Early Damage of Peat SoH in Tropical Zone (Case Study at the Oil Palm Plantation in Jambi-lndonesia)

Aswandi Idris and Mohd Zuhdi 29 Differential Effect of Water Table Drop in the Manipulation Experiment on CH

4 and CO

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Fluxes in t he Alaskan Arctic at the Barrow Environmental Observatory Zona D. & Oechel w.e. 30

Canal Blocking Strategies To Restore Hydrology In Degraded Tropical Peatlands In The Former Mega Rice Project In Central Kalimantan, Indonesia

31Henk Ritzema, Suwido Limin, Kitso KSN and Jyrki Jauhiainen Laboratory Evaluation on the Compressibility Characteristics of Tropical Peat Soils

32Wong Leong Sing, Roslan Hashim and Faisal Haji Ali Zinc Status in Ten Soil Series under Rice Tract of Malaysia

Hafeez B., Khanif Y.M, Samsuri A W, Radziah o. and Saleem M 33 Soil and Water Characteristics of Burned Peat Swamp Forest Underlain by Acid Sulfate Soils at Vo Doi National Park in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam

Nguyen My Hoa, Tran Ba Linh, Phon Thanh Bang and Vo Thi Guong 34 A Model Study of Stabilization of Peat Soil Using Cement, Bentonte and Sand by SoilColumn Technique in Laboratory and Its Effect in Strength

Md. Shahidullslam and Roslan Hashim 35 Pontian Peat: Road Embarkment Failure Simulations

Chee-Ming Chan and Zaihasra Abu Talib 36 Decomposition of Different Crop Residues in Peat

Hafsah, H.N., Husni, M H. A, Radziah, o. and Wan Sulaiman, WHo 37 Decomposition of Woody Biomass in Tropical Peatland

A Mohammad, MS. Umi Kalsom, AB. Ismail and M.J. Mohamad Hanif 38

UVELIHOOD: SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVES

Keynote Address: Alternative Income-earning Strategies for Local Communities that Support the Wise Use of Tropical Peatland

Sarah Jewitt 39

Sustainable Livelihoods on Peatland with Particular Reference to Smallholder Sago Farming in the Mukah Watershed

40Tie Yiu Liong, Wan Sulaiman Wan Harun and Murtedza Mohamed Land Use and Community Perceptions Toward Planned Development of Peatland Areas in Kabong and Roban Districts of Betong Division, Sarawak, Malaysia

41Gabriel Tonga Noweg and Peter Songan

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REHABILITATION AND RESTORATION OF DEGRADED PEATLAND

Effect of VAM Fungus Inoculation on Hence Growth Combretocarpus rotundatus (Miq) Burhanudin

Post-Fire Peat Forest Regeneration and Recovery Du/ima Ja/i

Mycorrhizae Inoculations for Seedlings of Tropical Peat Swamp Forest Trees: A Necessary Restoration Tool?

Laura L. B. Graham, Maman Turjaman, Sampang Gaman, Sue Page and Suwido Limin Indigenous Mycorrhizal Fungi Promoted Early Growth of Tropical Tree Seedlings in Degraded Tropical Peat Swamp Forests

Maman Turjaman, Irnayuli R. Sitepu, Erdy Santoso and Keitaro Tawaraya Monitoring Rehabilitation Area Along Krueng Aceh (Aceh River) by Using Wireless Sensor Network (WSN)

Nasri Ibrahim An In-situ Remediation Technological Approach for Contaminated Site

Zainal Zakaria

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CARBON STORAGE, CLIMATE CHANGE AND AIR QUALITY

Keynote Address: Spatial Policy and the Issue of Carbon Emission in Peatlands

Herbert Diemont, Henk Ritzema, Raymond Schrijver, Jan Verhagen, Caspar Verwer and Henk Wosten 48

Periodic Trend of Live Fuel Moisture in Peat Swamp Forest: Preliminary Results Ahmad Ainuddin Nuruddin and Mohd. Khairul Abdullah

Carbon Markets and Avoided Deforestation: Opportunities and Challenges in Indonesia Christopher Theriot

Carbon Contents in Freshwater Peatland Forest of Danau Sentarum National Park Gusti Z. Anshari

Soil Carbon Loss under Different Land Clearing Techniques and Agriculture Systems Tropical Peatland

M. Zulkef/i, L.K.C. Liza Nuriati, A.B. Ismail and J. Jamaluddin

on

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POSTER PRESENTATIONS ECOLOGY AND BIODIVERSITY

Wild Flowering Plants in Some Regions of Shabiat Misurata Salah M. Eldanna

Abundance of Medicinal Plants Species Found at Burned and Unburned Areas of Klias Peat Swamp Forest, Beaufort, Sabah

Andy Russel Mojiol, Audrey Adelia Eliseus, Anna Merlyn Aloysius, Gloria Muring Ganang, Walter Lintangah and Narbert Nasly

Growth Performance ofThree Indigenous Tree Species (Cratoxy/um arborescens (Vahl) Blume, Alstonia spathulata Blume and Stemonurus scorpioides Becc.) Planted at Burned Area in Klias Peat Swamp Forest, Beaufort, Sabah

Andy Russel Mojiol, Narbert Nasly, Gloria M uring Ganang, Anna Merlyn Aloysius and Audrey Adelia Eliseus

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Abstracts

Insects Associated with the Decomposition Process of Carcass in Peat Swamp Forest Nor Aliza Abdul Rahim and Madinah Adrus

Faunistic Composition of Odonata (Insecta) in a Peat Swamp Forest, Kota Samarahan, Sarawak

Kimberly Ador and Fatimah Abang

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LAND USE (CONSERVATION, FORESTRY, AGRICULTURE, MINING AND SETTLEMENT)

Evaluation of Urea-N Sources on Chilli Grown on Peat AH. Lim and P. Vimala

Detection of Ganoderma of Oil Palm in the Central Region of Sarawak Rizuan, S.M ., Meekiong, K. and M. Sepiah

An Assessment Of The Impact Of Technology On Josapine Pineapple Grown On Peat Soil A H. Mohd Johaary and A Abu Kasim

Using of Worldview-l Satellite Image for the Delineation of Land Covers Related to Peat Soil Occurrence in U Minh Ha Nationa ~ Park, Vietnam

Vo Quang Minh, Huynh Thi Thu Huong and Vo Thi Guong Vanishing Tripa

Susilo Sudarman Growth Characteristics of Stenochlaena palustris (Burm) Bedd. Following the Occurance of Fire in Secondary Area of Peat Soil in Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia

Bulan, P., Geffry, u.J., Wan Sulaiman, W H., Ipor I., Tawan, C. and Meekiong, K.

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SOILS AND HYDROLOGY

The Effect of Lime on Dissolved Organic Carbon Fluxes of Two Alfisols in North of Iran Mossadeghi Mona, Lakzian Amir and Haghnia Gholam-Hossein

Peats Soil Stabilization and Construction of Light Weight Foundation on Stabilized Peat Soil: An Experimental Study and Numerical Modeling

Sa/awi, M .I., Maarouf, AL., Kolay, P.K., Linda, S.L.B.T., Kamal, A and Aminur, M.R. Losses of Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC) from Natural and Degraded Tropical Peatlands in Central Ka limantan, Borneo, Indonesia

Sam Moore, Vincent Gauci, William Gosling, Susan Page and Chris Evans

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CARBON STORAGE, CLIMATE CHANGE AND AIR QUALITY

How Much carbon is Stored in Tropical Peatlands? Christopher J. Banks and Susan E. Page

CARBOPEAT: Carbon-Climate-Human Interactions in Tropical Peatlands (Vulnerabilities, Risks and Mitigation Measures)

Christopher J. Banks and Susan E. Page

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LENA Y PAP

MORE THAN THIRTY YEARS OF RESEARCH ON TROPICAL PEATLAND: ARE WE NOW WI'SE ENOUGH TO ENSURE THEIR FUTURE?

Jack Rieley

School of Geography, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, United Kingdom E-mail: [email protected]

ABSTRACT Studies of tropical peat and peatland have always been linked closely with development of this ecosystem. Conversion of peatland to agricultural use began in Indonesia and Malaysia ,in colonial times when a range of basic studies was carried out by the British and Dutch. Little emphasis was placed upon the study of peatlands during the first quarter century of the Republic of Indonesia but, in the early 1970s, interest recommenced because of the need to increase domestic food production especially rice padi in coastal areas. As a result, multidisciplinary studies of solis, ecology, agronomy, engineering and social economy were carried out, mostly in the coastal peat areas of Riau and Central and West Kalimantan . Reasonable success was obtained, espedally from the 1960s to 1980s, in growing a large range of crops on shallow peat soils although many problems were also encountered . In the latter part of the 20 th Century population increases and demands for economic growth and social prosperity put pressure on Governments in Southeast Asia to develop areas of thick peat, the last lowland wilderness areas, for agriculture, especially to increase rice production for internal consumption and plantation crops for palm oil and paper production, mainly for export.

The priorities for development were advanced without adequate assessment ofthe physical and chemical characteristics of tropical peat, knowledge of the biodiversity and ecology ofthe peat swamp ecosystem or an understanding of its natural resource functions and environmental and socio-economic importance. The situation changed ,in the 1990s when several multidisciplinary research-based projects commenced involving European, Japanese, Indonesian and Malaysian scientists. There is now available a large and varied database from which to develop strategies for sustainable development and 'wise use' of tropical peatlands and the current need is to integrate th is information into policy instruments.

The future requirement is to develop management systems and tools for implementing and monitoring sustainable management of tropical peatlands to ensure their 'wise use' and protect their very large store of carbon. It is essential to adopt a positive approach to land development by considering all options and involving stakeholders to reduce poverty and increase socioeconomic potential that does not involve destruction of the naturat ecosystem. It may be more profitable to 'conserve' t ropical peat and capitalise on its 'natural' values. Some innovative ideas for uti lising natural tropical peatlands for income generation linked to wildlife conservation will be discussed.

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mailto:[email protected]

Abstracts

MEETING THE CHALLENGES OF INTEGRATED PLANNING AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN TROPICAL LOWLAND PEATLAN DS

Edward Maltby

Institute for Sustainable Water, Integrated lVIanagement & Ecosystem Research (SWIMMER), University of Liverpool, Nicholson Building, Liverpool, L69 3GP

ABSTRACT Loss and degradation of tropical lowland peatlands continues despite increasing knowledge and awareness of their importance as intact ecosystems. Their value extends across a range of scales from local communities to wider societal benefits at national, regional and even global levels. An assessment is made of these vallues expressed in terms of ecosystem services to provide a rationale for their more sustainable management. The constraints to implementation of an integrated planning and sustainable development strategy are examined. Finally, recommendations are proposed by which more appropriate use of these highly sensitive ecosystems can be secured ,in the future. These include the development of tools which highlight the significance of tropical peatlands to human well-being and priority issues such as poverty alleviation and dealing with climate change.

RESTORATION ECOLOGY OF TROPICAL PEATLANDS: OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES

Susan Page and laura Graham Department of Geography, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester, UK, UEl 7RH Tel: +44 (0)116 252 3318; Email : [email protected]

ABSTRACT Studies of restoration ecology are well established for northern peatlands, but at an early stage for t ropical peatlands. Extensive peatland areas in Southeast Asia have been degraded through deforestation, drainage and fi re, leading to on- and off-site environmental and socio-economic impacts of local to global significance. These impacts embrace the loss of biodiversity, including populations of endemic, rare and endangered species; the loss of a range of economicallyvaluable timber and non-timber forest products derived from peat swamp forest; disruption of peatland hydrological functions; degradation of the peat carbon store through oxidation and fire; and Joss of livelihoods for local communities. In order to address these Impacts, restoration of dep3ded tropical peatlands is now viewed by scientists and policy-makers alike as a matter of considerable concern and there is an urgent requirement for landscape-scale measures to assist ecosystem recovery. This paper reviews and illustrates, using information from Kalimantan, Indonesia, t he current state of knowledge pertaining to vegetation succession on degraded peatlands and options for vegetation rehabilitation. It considers some of the opportunities that large-scale restoration efforts could offer in terms of recovering natural resource functions and t hus reinstating the environmental and economic services that these provide. The paper cautions, however, that ecosystem restoration is dependent upon a number of factors, including both scientific and technical expertise and feasibility, and the wishes and support of local communities. Realistic restoration objectives must also take into account the cha llenges posed by potential future changes in climate.

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International Symposium and Workshop on Tropical Peatland (Kuching 2008), 19~22 August

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF PEArLAND FOR OIL PALM

Gurmit Singh

United Plantations Berhad, 36009 Teluk Intan, Perak, Malaysia

ABSTRACT Peat soils possess poor physical and chemical properties that need amelioration for successful cultivation of tree crops like oil palm. The soft ground conditions associated with the low bull< density, causes palms to lean and lodge, and is also a constraint to movement of man and machine. Mechani,cal compaction of the planting rows and harvesters paths using swamp-track hydraulic excavators improves the condition and results in better growth and yield. Hoads and drains are expensive to construct and maintain, but with proper planning their density can be reduced. III Sarawak, where the cost of these infrastructures is particular high, water transport using the main drains as waterways could be an alternative.

On shallow peat, planting is done at the normal density of 136-148 palms per hectare, but on deep peat a higher density of 160 palms per hectare is preferred. Where the peat has been compacted, palms are pl'anted at ground level; otherwise the hole-in-hole system is used .

The success of the plantings depends to a large extent on the fertiliser inputs and on proper water management. Copper is fundamental to growth and, more recently, zinc has been found to be just as important. Deficiencies of these elements lead to the conditions known as mid-crown chlorosis and peat yellows respectively. Both these micronutrients are applied at planting, and further dressings are given at the end of the first, second and third year. Thereafter, application is based on leaf levels. Heavy dressings of potash is required, which is supplied as bunch ash and muriate of potash. Nitrogen and phosphate is also needed in moderate amounts during the early years, but their requirement generally decreases with age. Liming is also done to correct acidity.

Efforts are made to maintain water in the drains at around the 50-75 cm level. This ,is achieved through weirs installed across the collection drains, at one for every 40 hectares or so. Tennites and Ganoderma basal stem rot can be a. problem. Preventive measures are necessary to minimize losses. Blanket weeding, which can lead to exposure and irreversible drying of the surface peat layer, is discouraged. Apart from the palm circles, soft weeds and ferns are encouraged in the avenues.

With the deteriorating labour supply situation, emphasis is given to mechanization of the various in-field operations. To reduce ground pressure, vehicles are fitted with high floatation tyres or double wheels.

With the proper management and unkeep, yields comparable to good mineral soils can be obtained. Early growth and nurturing is, in this respect, important and efforts should be made to ensure that the palms in the formative years are maintained in a good vigorous condition.

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ECOLOGY AND BIO IVE

FLORA AND FAUNA OF TROPICAL PEATLAND

Andrew Alek Tuen l , Fatimah Abang2 and Cheksum Supiah Tawan2

1 Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation 2 Faculty of Resource Science and Technology, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak

ABSTRACT Tropical peatland covers approximately 40 million hectares of the humid tropics. About 25 million and three million hectares are found in Indonesia and Malaysia respectively, where it occupies extensive areas of the coastal and sub-coastall regions with peat varying in depth from 1 to 20 meters. The soil is water logged, acidic and poor in plant nutrient. This has important consequences on the flora and fauna communities that typifies the peatland ecosystem and deter humans from developing peatland for agricultural purposes for a long time. But this have now changed; the once inhospitable environment of peatland have been overcome by technology and sustained pressures for people and crops.

The peat swamp forest is not known for its high fl ora diversity but rather for the presence of certain species that have adapted to the water logged, acidc and nutrient poor soil of peatland. A pristine peat swamp forest can have up to six distinct plant communities starting with mixed swamp forest species at the periphery to characteristic Alan forest types towards the centre of the peatland. Each Alan forest type is characterized by the dominance of a particular plant community which form even and unbroken canopy 30-60 meters above the ground. The dominance of commercially valuable timber species such as ramin (Gonystylus bancanus) and Alan (shorea albida) is one of the reason why peat swamp forest are among the earliest forest types to be commercially logged in Sarawak

In Borneo endemic tree species such as Dryobalanops rappa, S. albida, 5. inaequilateris and 5. uliginosa have been recorded in peat swamp forest. Some plants from the family Araceae have been recorded only in the peat swamp in Peninsular Malaysia, for example Cryptocoryne griffithii in Rompin peat swamp, C. schulzei in Kahang swamp, Johore and C. minima in Pondok Tanjong, Perak. Pitcher plants such as Nepenthes gracilis, N. bicalcarata, N. ampularia and N. rafflesiana are common in peat swamp forest and endemic to this ecosystem.

The waterlogged and acidic soil of peatland does not favour soil dwelling organism so the normal fauna associated w ith leaf litter and soils are generally absent. The dominant insect groups in the peat swamp forest, ants (Formicidae) and termites (lsoptera), are generally found above ground on plants. The majority of fishes belong to the family Cyprinidae, Anabatidae and Siluridae and some species that are thought to be rare, for example Clarias leiacanthus, Channa lucius, Rasbora trilineata, Betta akarensis, have been found in abundance in peat swamp. The highly sought after Arowana (scJeropages formosus) are also found in the brackish water of the peat swamp forest.

Only 12 species of frog representing 8.5% of Bornean frogs have been recorded in a peat swamp forest and none of these are endemic to peat swamp. Frogs are particularly sensitive to the high acidity of peat water because they spend half of their life cycle in aquatic environment and have thin skin. Out of the 21 species of reptiles reported in a peat swamp forest of Kota Samarahan, 13 are strictly arboreal while another 5 are terrestrial and only one aquatic. Aga in this suggests the unsuitability of acidic condition of the peat water for many fauna species.

The continuous canopy of undisturbed peat swamp forest is an important highway for arboreal mammals, especially primates. In 1855 the great naturalist AR Wallace remarked that

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such unbroken and even canopy was probably the main reason for the presence of orangutans in the peat swamp forest of Simunjan in contrast to its absence from the nipah dominated forest of

the lower Sarawak River. As a result of many decades of human activities, such continuous canopy is almost non-existent now. Nevertheless the peat swamp forest still harbour many species of

rare and endangered primates such as orangutan, colobines, gibbons, langurs and macaques.

From the conservation standpoint the most significant species in a peat swamp is perhaps the Clouded Leopard, Malaysian Tapir, Sumatran rhino and Asian elephant. Some 239 species of

birds have been recorded in peat swamp forests in Malaysia. Some such as Storm stork (Ciconia stormi), wrinkled hornb ill (Aceros corrugatus), Cinnamon-headed pigeon (Treron fulvicollis) and hook-billed bulbul (Setornis criniger) are now virtual'ly confined to peat swamp forest .

Faunal survey of peatland has only been done in the last 30 years while expl'oitation of the peat swamp forest for timber has been going on for more than 60 years. Thus we know less about the fauna of peat swamp than of its trees. In the last few years large tracts of peat swamp forest has been rapidly converted into agriculture, mainly oil palm. The rate at which this conversion takes place is alarming from the conservation point of view because flora and fauna survey activities have not been able to keep up. We run the risk of loosing plant and animal species before we can even began to appreciate its worth.

DIVERSITY OF METHANE-RELATED MICROORGANISMS IN PEATLANDS

Abdul HadP* and Kuzuyuki InubushF

l Div. of Soil Science, Lambung Mangkurat University, JI. A. Yani Km 37 Bajar baru, Iindonesia; 2Graduate Schoo! of Science and Technology, Chiba University, 648 Matsudo, Chiba, Japan; *Corresponding author

ABSTRACT

Inventory efforts have been done to determine the magnitude of methane (CH4

) emissions f rom peatland and found that the CH emissions are considerably low in the naturally forested

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conditions and considerably high when the land is converted to paddy field. Few studies have been done to determine the CH

4-related microorganisms in peat paddy fields, though they are

the driving force for t he high CH4

emissions from these fields. Peat soils taken from Japan and Indonesia were filled into pots and subjected to water level adjustment and soil ameliorant

application. The diversity of methanogenic- and methanotropic-bacteria was determined using

PCR-OGGE method, in addition to conventionally Most Probable Number (MPN) method. Methanogenic bacter ia occupied either peat, rice straw or rice root with population 100-1000

times hi8her in amendec:l rice strawthan in the peat. The MPN count of methanogenic bacteti. ere the dfW aftt!f' transplanting Of rice on peat. Intermittent drainage reduced the activity

of methanogens and methanotrophs, but did not reduce the numbers of both bacteria. Three

species of methanogens were found in peat, irrespective to soil ameliorant applied. Both type I and type II methanotrophs were found in peat soils, irrespective to soil ameliorant applied.

It could be concluded that the population and species diversity have not changed upon the

application of the CH4

mitigation technique.

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Abstracts

AN ENUMERATION OF ONE HECTARE OF PEAT SWAMP FOREST AT ,sUKIT LIMA NATURE RESERVE, SIBU, SARAWAK

Meekiong, K. *, LB. Ipor, C.S. Tawan, Hidir, M. & Sekudan, T.

Department of Plant Science and Environmental Ecology Faculty of Resource Science and Technology Universiti Malaysia Sarawak 94300 Kota Samarahan Sarawak *E-mail: [email protected]

ABSTRACT One hectare of peat swamp forest at Bukit Lima Nature Reserve (BLNR) was enumerated for all trees with a diameter breast height (DBH) of ~ 5 cm. A total of 1211 trees belonging to 122 species, 76 genera and 49 families were recorded. Fagaceae was the most abundant family (44.1%) followed by Dipterocarpaceae (20.0%). Lithocarpus (21.8%), Dryobalanops (10.7%), Chepalomappa (9.9%) and Shorea (7.3%) were the most abundant genera. In term of importance value (Iv), Lithocarpus dasystachyus (Miq.) Rehd. with Iv == 23.9 is the most dominant species, followed by Dryobalanops rappa Becc. with Iv =15.6. The regeneration capability ofthe genera as assessed in term of the number of seedlings are dominated by Lithocarpus, Xanthophyllum, Litsea and Xerospermum. The common underground herbaceous plants are ferns species (Asplenium longgisimum, Nephrolepis biserrata and Stenochlaena palustris) and Piper spp.

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FLORA DIVERSITY, CHANGES AND SUCCESSION FROM AGRICULTURE

DEVELOPMENT ON PEATlAND

Salma, 1.*, A. Azuan and H. Masrom

MARDI, G.P.O. Box 12301, 50774 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia *E-mail: [email protected]

ABSTRACT A survey of plant species was carried out along trails in a 70 ha plot of peat swamp forest at MARDI Peat Research Station, Sessang, Sarawak, before the trees were cleared for agricultural development. Following forest clearing, plant species that regenerated one year later were studied in a plot (100 x 100 m) each under felli ng-burning, felling-stacking and felling-chippingstacking clea ring technique for three consecutive years. The cleared area was then planted with agricultural crops and succession of weed species in the four crop ecosystems, i.e. sweet potato, papaya, jackfruit and oil palm, were determined. The depth of water table under sweet potato and papaya was about 30-50 cm while under jackfruit and oil pa lm was 50-80 cm. Data recording was taken at an interval of about 5-6 mont hs. Data were analyzed using BIODIV version 5.2.

Before t he felling of the trees, the peat swamp forest was represented by Macaranga trilobacommunity as well as M. gigantea, M. pruinosa and M. puncticulata which formed the dominant species. A tota l of 146 species represented by 91 genera and 46 families was recorded. The most diverse families in species number were Annonaceae, Euphobiaceae, Lauraceae and Moraceae. About one year after clearing of the forest, the total number of plant species regenerated in all the three clea ring techn iques was found to be 93 belonging to 74 genera and 48 families. About 30% of the species recorded before clearing of the forest was found to regenerate in the area and about 37% of the species regenerated can be found in t he three areas of clearing techniques.

After the land was planted with agriculture crops, a total of 118 species representing 51 families and 97 genera were recorded in the four crop ecosystems. Of the total 97 genera, 87 were represented by a single species and 30 species were common to all crop ecosystems. The most species-rich families were Rubiaceae, (11), Compositae (9), Euphobiaceae (9), Cyperaceae (8) and Graminae (8). These weed species consist of 15 trees, 24 shrubs, 34 herbs, 19 climbers, 10 ferns and 8 each of grasses and sedges.

The oil palm ecosystem showed t he most species-rich with a tota l of 87, followed by papaya (75), sweet potato (74) and jackf ruit (64). Conversely, Shannon diversity index for jackfrult is the highest (H'= 2.56), followed by sweet potato (H'= 2.39), papaya (H'= 2.33) and oil palm (H'= 1.62). Simpson's dominance index however is highest in oil palm (C=0.455) and lowest in jackfruit (C=0.179). In spite of the regular application of weedicides, 30 weed species remained viable throughout the two and half year period under the four agro-systems. An association between the ecosystem and the dominant weeds in terms of frequency and distribution showed that in sweet potato and papaya ecosystems Fimbristylis paucif/ora, Hedyotis corymbosa and Cyprus ratundus were dominant, while in jackfruit ecosystem the weeds were Asystasia intrusa, Cyperus rotundus and Sebastiana chamaelea, and in oil palm ecosystem the dominant species were Nephralepis biserrata, Dianella ensifolia and Costus speciosus. Melastoma malabathricum wa s found to be dominant in all agro-systems, probably due to its greater ability to adapt to various ecosystems.

7

Abstracts

DISTRIBUTION OF MICROORGANISMS IN PEAT SOil UNDER AGRICULTURE

Suhaimi, M.*, A.K.R. Emmyrafedziawati and A.B. Ismail

MARDI, G.P.G. Box 12301,50774 Kuala Lumpur *E-mail: [email protected]

ABSTRACT A systematic assessment of microorganisms of peat soils undergoing different degrees of development was carried out. The assessment was conducted on the microbial population, their proportions, bacteria to fungi and bacteria to actinomycete. The population was investigated based on the major groups of aerobic heterotrophic bacteria, fungi and actinomycete, enumerated on their respective selective media. Comparisons were made between soHs of MARDI! Station Sessang and MARDI Station Jalan Kebun. The proportions of the major microbial groups were compared between Sessang soils, which were left undisturbed, under natural re-growth and cultivated under papaya and pineapple and Jalan Kebun. Soils of Jalan Kebun has been used extensively under vegetables and during sampling, it was culbvated wirth chili. Peat soils sampled from different areas and degree of exposure to agricultural activities exhibit different characteristics in population numbers and proportions_Soils that have been felled but left to allow vegetative growth returned to its or.iginal biological state. Soils that are undergoing early agricultural activities exhibit active biological activities. Intensely cultivated peat soils exposed to agriculture for long periods had potentially low population numbers and proportions.

EFFECTS OF PEATlAND DEVELOPMENT ON SPATIO-TEMPORAl PATTERNS OF SELECTED ARTHROPOD ,FAM'ILIES

Mohd Norowi, H.*, J. Jamaluddin and A.B. Ismail

MARDI, G.P.C. Box 12301, 50774 Kuala Lumpur *E-mail: [email protected]

ABSTRACT Agricultu re development in peatland ecosystem may cause a number of adverse environmental impacts including, reclamation of wetlands, pollution of freshwaters, decreasing the habitat availability for wildlife and consequently adversely affecting biodiversity. It is important to construct agri-environment indicators to monitor progress towards sustainable development of peatland ecosystem. Arthropod families are widely used as indicators to access the impact of human activities in agroecosystem. A study was carried out in MARDI Research Station at Sessang, Sarawak, to monitor changes in the spatial and temporal patterns of ground beetles, tiger beetles, ants and spiders in response to agricultural activities imposed in conversion of peatland ecosystem to agroecosystem. The populations of these selected arthropod groups were monitored with pitfall traps. Preliminary results indicate that tiger beetles and ants showed responsive changes to imposed agricultural activities. Ground beetles and spiders on the hand did not show responsive change. Between tiger beetles and ants, tiger beetle may be better agri-environment indicators as it showed responsive change to landuse and spatial configuration of the area.

Keywords: Peatland, landuse, indicator, arthropod, spatial pattern

8



ASSESSM ENT OF AVIFAUNA COMPOSITION AT PAYA INDAH WETLAND PEAT SWAMP FORESTS, SELANGOR, PENINSULAR MALAYSIA

Muhammad Nawaz Rajpar1 and Mohamed Zakaria Husin2

Faculty of Forestry, University Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia E-mail : [email protected]. 2 mza karia@putra .upm.edu.m

ABSTRACT Peat swamp forests are refuge areas for wide array of wildlife species such as birds, mammals and reptiles. The main objectives of this study were to eva luate the species composition, species distribution, species relative abundance and trophic structures of different bird species at Paya Indah Wetland peat swamp forests, Peninsular Malaysia. The composition of avian species at Paya Indah wetlands was surveyed using mist-netting method. Mist-netting was carried out for 48 days dur,ing November 2007 to March, 2008. A total of 648 individuals of 55 species that represented 28 familes were captured. The results indicated t hat dominant species were Pycnonotus goiavier (19.6%), Ploceus philippinus (11.1%), Geope/ia striata (10.9%), Copsychus saularis (5.2%)' Halcyon smyrnensis (5%) and Ixobrychus sinensis (4.4%). Some of the rare species were Locustella certhiola (0.15%), M ucicapa dauurica (0.15%), Porzana pusilla (0.15%), Accipiter virgatus (0.15%), Coturnix chinensis (0.15%), Gallinula chloropus (0.15%), Pluvialis fulva (0.15%), Porzana fusca (0.15%). In terms of distribution most bird species occur abundantly in the southern and western parts of the wetland due to rich in floral composition that offers heterogenous habitats, food, breeding and roosting sites for wide array of bird species. Trophic structure revealed the Insectivore which comprises of terrestrial, arborea ll foliage gleaning, bark gleaning and sallying insectivore were the most dominant group of birds (41.82%) as compared to Carnivore/Insectivore (16.36%), Frugivore/Gramnivore (16.36%), Insectivore/Frugivore (9.1%), Nectivore/lnsectivore-/Frugivore (9.1%), Carnivore (5.45%) and Omnivore (1.81%). These results signified that Paya Indah Wetland peat swamp forests are highly important habitat for avian species.

Keywords: Peat swamp f orests, avifauna, refuge, wetland, mist-netting

9


Abstracts

FRAGMENTATION AND BIODIVERSITY LOSS OF PEAT SWAMP FOREST IN

NORTHERN BORNEO DURING RECENT EL-NINO EVENTS

Mui-How Phua1, Mohd Abdullah Abdul Ghani1, Kamlisa Uni Kamlun1, Satoshi Tsuyuki2 and Olaf

Conrad3

ISchool of International Tropical Forestry, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Locked bag 2073, 88999

Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia, Tel: +6088320118 Fax: +6088320876,

E-mail: [email protected];

2Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo

ku, Tokyo, Japan 113-8657;

31nstitute of Geography, University of Hamburg, Bundesstr. 55, D-20146 Hamburg, Germany

Tel: +49 40 42838 7289, Fax: +4940428384981, E-mail: [email protected]

ABSTRACT

Klias Peninsula, located at the Southwest of Sabah, consists of an extensive peat swamp

ecosystem in the Northern end of Borneo I'sland. Bes'ide of deforestation, forest-to-agricultural

land conversion and recurrent fires in 1998 and 2003 EI-Nino events have resulted fragmentation

and affected the biodiversity of the peat swamp forest. We examined the fragmentation of the

peat swamp forests at a landscape scale using three multitemporal satellite images covering

the prior and post EI-Nino event. Between 1985 and 1999, the interior areas have significantly

decreased due to the 1998 fires. The main pattern offragmentation between 1999 and 2003 was

removal of small forest patches by land clearing for agriculture. To demonstrate the importance

of peat swamp forest, we compared the biodiversity the fire-affected areas to that of the peat

swamp forest. Shannon-wiener index shows that the biodiversity of the intact forest is significantly

higher than the burned areas. Surprisingly, the 1998-burned areas have shown similar index

values indicating certain degree of high richness with species dominance. Margalef index also

shows that the intact forest has high species richness compared to the burned areas. However,

the selective logging history has resulted dominance of Dryba/anops rappa in the intact forest

and this was shown in the evenness and dominance indices. In contrast, the 2003-burned areas

were poor in species richness where the plants are mostly herbaceous.

Keywords: Fragmentation, biodiversity index, peat swamp forest, Klias

10



DEVELOPING GENOMIC RESOURCES FOR THE CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT OF TROPICAL PEATLAND BIODIVERSITY

Charles H. Cannon

Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Meglun, 666303 Yunnan, China

ABSTRACT The rate of natural peatland conversion and degradation requires the rapid development of powerful molecular tools to effectively respond to urgent conservation and management issues. Traditional approaches to quantifying and assessing genetic diversity in natural populations can often require substantial investment in the development of informative markers, both in time and money. These markers are often limited in their ability to provide the critical resolution and flexibility necessary to fulfill the many potential uses of molecular data. Here, I summarize the emerging power and ease of next-gen sequencing for generating a revolutionary new perspective on genomic diversity and variation in the poorly known species found in tropical peatlands. Using results from a case study of ramin (Gonystylus bancanus), I highlight the many exciting i'nsights possible given genomic level information and how this insight can be used to better conserve and manage this endangered species. With this case study, I would l ike to strongly encourage other molecular geneticists to bypass less powerful and equally expensive techniques in favor of these new cutting-edge technologies. Whi,le the bioinformatic skills required are substantial, the benefits of a collaborative effort would be far greater.

POTENTIAL COMIMERCIAL APPLICATION OF MICROBES ISOLATED FROM TROPICAL PEATLAND

M.S. Umi Kalsom*, A.B. Ismail and A.K.R. Emmyrafedziawati

MARDI, GPO Box 12301, 50774 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia *E-mail: [email protected]

ABSTRACT The diversity of woody plant species in an ecosystem normally allows for the occurrence of an equally diverse wood-decay fungi species. Studies at MARDI Peat Research Station at Sessang, Sarawak, Malaysia, indicated that land clearing had resulted in about 2,280 m3/ha offorest wood debris, occupying 13-17% of the cleared area. The genus Polyporus was among the common macro-fungi inhabiting decomposed wood in the station. Other species of macro-fungi collected from the decomposing wood were Pycnoporus sanguineus, Stereum hirsutum, Trametes e/egans, Trametes menzeisii, Polyporus grammocephalus, Polyporus dictyopus, Polyporus tennicu/us, Polyporus arcu/arius, Daedalea aurora, Rigidorus microporus, Ganoderma austra/e, Cori%psis polyzona, Earlielfa scabrosa, Microporus a/finis, Micraporus xanthopus, Antrodiella liebmanii and Phellinus noxius. Two white rot fungi identified as P. sanguineus and T. e/egans exhibited decolorization capacity when tested on agar plates containing azo dyes (synthetic colorants used in textile industries) namely Congo Red, Orange II, Orange G and Ponceau 2R. The major enzymes activities detected in the culture supernatant from P. sanguineus and T. elegans were laccases and lignin peroxidase. Laccases produced by these fungi are potential for the treatment of industria l waste effluents where large amounts of unbound dyes are discharged in effluents especially by textile industries.

11

Abstracts

SEARCHING FOR MEANINGFUL DNA MARKERS OF ENDANGERED SPECIES USING NEXT-GEN SEQUENCING: A CASE STU DY OF RAMIN (Gonystylus bancanus)

Chai-Shian Kua and Charles H. Cannon

Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Meglun, 666303 Yunnan, China

ABSTRACT DNA markers have been used successfully to trace the origin of illegal natural trade products such as ivory (Wasser et a/., 2006) and shark fin (Magnussen et a/., 2006). In an attempt to understand the population and genetic structure of Ramin (Gonysty/us bancanus), we sequenced and analyzed the genomes of this endangered tropica l timber tree from 4 populations, using one of the new next gen sequencing platforms - IIlumina Solexa Genome Analyzer. Recent development in the next generation sequencing technologies, such as massive parallelization and the elimination of bacterial cloning, has dramaticalliy reduced t he cost and increased the throughput of genomic level DNA sequencing. More than 1.5 G of sequence data was generated from Ramin DNA samples collected at 4 different locations in the peat swamps of coastal Southeast Asia (Johor, Terengganu and Pahang in Malaysia, and east coast of Sumatra in Indonesia). Ramin, a tropical fine grain hardwood, is prized for its easy working qualities. Over-exploitation of Ramin has led to its listing under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (IUCN2006). Analyzing the sequence data in silico, we have constructed draft chloroplast gel10mes and numerous contigs from the nuclear and mitochondrial genomes. Preliminary analyses have revealed several potentiaUy informative "genetic signatures" unique to populations.

12


FERTILIZER REQUIREMENTS FOR PHYSIOLOGICAL AND QUALITATIVE TRAITS

OF Brassica SPECIES

U.A. Buriro*, F.e. Oad and A.U. Salarzai

Department of Agronomy, Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam-70060, Pakistan *E-mail: [email protected]

ABSTRACT The problem associated with the oil of rape and mustard is the presence of high erucic acid and glucosinolate content, which has an adverse impact on human health. Canola is an elite creation of nature and science with low eurcic acid and glucosinate content. Canola is potential oil seed crop and limited information available on physiological and qualitative characteristics. In this context the selected species viz. Shiralee (Brassica napus L.', Rainbow (Brassica napus L.) and Gaj (Brassica campestris L.) were planted under different fertility regimes (60-0-0,60-30-0,60-30-75, 90- 30-75, 90-60-75, 90-60-100, 120-60-75, 120-60-100 and 150-90-100 NPK kg ha-1 during 20012002 and repeated in 2002-2003. The chemical analysis of the soil showed that soil was sandy clay loam in texture, calcareous in nature (CaC0 10.20%), alkaline in reaction (pH 8.09), non

3

saline (EC 0.17 dSm-1), low in organic matter (0.86%) and nitrogen (0.046%), medium in available phosphorus (5.17ppm) and high in potassium (110.50 ppm). The physiological parameters (leaf area index LAI, total dry matter TDM, leaf area duration LAD, crop growth rate CGR, net assimilation rate NAR and chlorophyll 'a' and 'b' content) and qualitative traits (oil content and yield, protein, glucosinolate and erucic acid content) were significantly affected by different NPK levels and varieties in both the years. Seed oil content decreased significantly with increasing rate of NPK fertilizer, which reflected inverse relationship between NPK and oil content, whereas, glucosinolate and erucic acid content increased significantly with increasing rate of NPK levels where Cv. Gaj (Brassica campestris L.) out yielded Shiralee and !Rainbow (Brassica napus L.), respectively in both the years. All the physiological parameters of brassica species responded well and recorded maximum leaf area index LAI, leaf area duration LAD, total dry matter TDM, crop growth rate CGR, chlorophyll 'a' and 'b', seed protein and glucosinolates content under higher rates of fertilizers (150-90-100 NPK kg ha-1) whereas, maximum oil yield was recorded higher under adequate fertilizer dose of 90-60-75 NPK kg ha-1 The reduced dose of fertilizer (60-0-0 NPK kg hal) enhanced the net assimilation rate NAR, oil content and erucic acid in the brassica crop. From the two years study it is concluded that canola cv. Rainbow efficiently performed better under the application of 90-60-75 100 NPK kg ha-1 for oil yield and this fertility level is recommended for achievt.. maximum Iyield for agr~ecollOgical conditions of Tandojam, Pakistan.

13

http:CaC010.20mailto:[email protected]

Abstracts

ETHNOBOTANICAL RESOURCES IN PEATLAND FORESTS IN ROBAN DISTRICT, BETONG DIVISION, SARAWAK, IMALAYSIA

Gabriel Tonga Noweg1 and Peter Songan2

Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Malaysia E-mail: [email protected]@calm.unimas.my

ABSTRACT Non-timber products account for a substantial contribution to community livelihood in many parts of Sarawak. Rural communities depend on these resources for their personal or subsistence use. Lately, however, these ethnobotanical resources are increasingly collected, not just for personal use but also for the market. A study was conducted in several' village and longhouse communities in the peatland areas of Roban District, Sarawak to access the pattern of utilization and of these resources. Also assessed was the diversity of these resources in different forest conditions. Systematic plot surveys were also conducted in different forest conditions to study the richness of these resources. The study results indicate the main uses ofthese resources are for food, medicinal purposes and for handicrafts. Involvement of villagers in the collection of these resources are also influenced by socio-demographic factors such as income level. Attitude and perceptions toward management and conservation of these resources are heavily influenced by factors such as education level and the current level of awareness. In terms of resource richness, secondary forests and abandoned farmlands had higher diversity of ethnobotanical resources compared to an undisturbed forest. Keywords: non-timber forest products, plant diversity, ethnobotanical resources, medicinal plants, wild vegetables, attitudes, perceptions, tropical peatland, conservation

14

mailto:[email protected]@calm.unimas.my

LAND USE (CONS aTION, FO

AGRICULTURE, MINING AND SE

TOWARDS WISE USE OF TROPICAL PEATLAND: FROM AGRICULTURE PERSPECTIVE

A.B. Ismail

Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) GPO Box 12301, 50774 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia E-mail: [email protected]

ABTRACT There are 2.6 million ha of peatlands in Malaysia, accounting for about 8% of the total land area and located in low-lying, poorly drained depressions or basins in the coastal areas. A significant area of the peatlands have been exploited for logging or redaimed for agriculture, and on much smaller scales for settlement, mining and infrastructure development. For agriculture purposes, the peatlands are suitable for a narrow range of crops, mainly those with shallow-rooting and fibrous root systems. Although production and management technologies have been developed for growing crops, their economic potentials are limited by the volatile market and modest prices, especially after consideration of the high costs of development. Presently, only oil palm and pineapple are successfully planted at large commercial scales. Vegetables are planted in small plots with intensive management. Fruits are generally found in limited areas, especially under small scale mixed cropping. Cassava, sweet potato and ginger are potential crops, but their commercial productions are Ilimited by mechanization problems. Sago and pasture are good alternatives crops, especially with regard to the environment, but require more research.

Socio-economic impacts from agricultural activities on peatlands have been very positive, but not without controversy. The major issues are related to high costs of infrastructure development and crop care, high risk of failure, less sustainable crop production, and environmental degradation. In addition, there are international remarks, warnings or even threats that agriculture development on peatland, especially oil palm plantations, expedites global warming and loss of unique biodiversity. There are, however, many aspects of farm and agronomic practices that can be improved. Selection of area for agriculture development could minimize the potential loss of biodiversity. Crop selection and proper water table management are important for sustainable production and environmental conservation, while carbon loss can be reduced by proper selection of land clearing technique and utilization of crop biomass waste.

A decision to develop the country's -peatland for any purpose is political in nature, as land is a state matter and almost all the undeveloped peatlands are still un-alienated. Even though peatland is best left undisturbed, no one can reallY argue on the need to develop It if the need is real and executed in a sustainable manner. One has to consider whether or not it is environmentally compatible and cost effective in the long term. Such emphasis is needed for government poliCies, strategies and guidelines. At the international level, these considerations are critical to provide a proper direction and strategy for the country to deal with the current issues of carbon emission, such as bio-fuel from oil palm plantations on peatland. For agricultural development, these should be able to regulate various aspects of peatland reclamation. Among the major issues that are needed to be focused on are justification for the development, conservation of biodiversity, maintenance of hydrological balance, minimize land fragmentation, improve farm sustainability, minimize risk of peat fire and minimize carbon loss.

15

Abstracts

INTEGRATED APPROACH IN MANAGING PEAT SWAMP FOREST FOR CONSERVATION AND SUSTAINABLE USE

Abdul Rahim Nik, Shamsudin Ibrahim* and Khali Aziz Hamzah

Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM), Kepong 52109 Selangor, Malaysia E-mail : *[email protected]

ABSTRACT Peat swamp forests are just one example of the wetland forest found in the tropical rainforests of Malaysia. Adapted to tolerate high water levels, these wetlands habitats exhibit special hydrological and ecological characteristics and give shelter to unique plant and animal life. The South-East Pahang Peat Swamp Forests in Pahang or commonly referred to as SEPPSF is the largest block of undisturbed mixed peat swamp forests remaining in Peninsular Ma'laysia. This is one of the demonstration sites for the Project initiated by the Government of Ma:laysia, together with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) in mid-2002 to promote the conservation and sustainable use of tropical peat swamp forests in Malaysia. The main aim of the Project is to develop and implement plan which encourage processes to ensure the conservation and sustainable use of these unique wetland ecosystems. The Integrated Management Plan (IMP) forms its main output and articulates the aspects and actions which are critical to the long-term survival of these ecosystems. As p rescribed in the IMP the management of the PSF will be undertaken based on an integrated approach which focus on the sustainable management of timber resources; conservation of the biological diversity; the maintenance and enhancement of the physical function (ecological integrity) of the area with special emphasis on achieving connectivity between the forest reserves and conserving the hydrology ofthe area to prevent PSF degradation and loss of vegetation cover. This paper highlights the integrated approach adopted in managing PSF fO Ii both conservation and sustainable use.

16


LAND USE CHANGE IN TROPICAL PEATLANDS AND CURRENT UNCERTAINTIES IN GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS

Harri Vasander and Jyrki Jauhiainen

University of Helsinki, Department of Forest Ecology, P.O. Box 27, 00014 University of Helsinki, Finland

ABSTRAct Tropical peat swamp forest forms one of the most efficient carbon-sequestering ecosystems and important carbon stores. Some peatlands, even in natural condition, are in steady-state and no longer accumulating peat. Large areas of tropical peat have been drained, resulting in an abrupt and permanent shift in the ecosystem carbon balance from sink to source.

This work focuses on principal human impacts on tropical peatland carbon stores and their contribution to climate change processes. This will review data on greenhouse gas exchange between tropical peat and the atmosphere, and treshold factors influencing the processes in various land use types.

As there is high rate of peatland use change and expected changes in the regional climate in SE Asian peatland areas, projections of future carbon emissions from tropical peatlands under different land use scenarios is needed. This must lead to development of best peatland management practices that can reduce carbon loss now and in the future.

Keywords: Carbon dioxide, drainage, GHG fluxes, methane, land use, water table level

17

Abstracts

EFFECT OF DRAINAGE AND LAN'DUSE ON SOIL CO FLUX IN DEEP TROPICAL PEAT2

SWAMPS OF BORNEO

Lulie Mellingt, Fumiaki Takakai23, Yo Toma2, Tomoaki Morishita2.4, Untung Darunlf, Kah Joo

Goh6, and Ryusuke Hatan027

IDepartment of Agriculture Sarawak, Jalan Badruddin, 93400, Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia;

2Graduate School of Agriculture and 7Field Science Center for Northern Biosphere, Hokkaido

University, Sapporo 060-8589, Japan;

3Laboratory of Soil Science, Akita Prefectural University, Akita 010-0195, Japan;

4Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Tsukuba 305-8687, Japan;

SFaculty of Agriculture, University of Palangka Raya, Palangka Raya 73112, Central Kalimantan,

Indonesia;

6Applied Agriecological Research Sdn Bhd, 47000, Selangor, Malaysia

ABSTRACT

Tropical peatland is one of the more important ecosystems in the world. It is also one ofthe largest

reservoirs of terrestrial biosphere carbon due to thousands of years of carbon accumulation

with minimal decomposition due to its anaerobic, nutrient-poor and acidic conditions. However

this carbon is increasingly released to the atmosphere due to drainage and its landuse. It has

been conjectured that deforested and drained tropical peatlands in South East Asia are globally

a significant source of CO2 emissions and a major hindrance to meeting the aim of stabil.izing

greenhouse gas emissions. Within the last decade, vast areas of tropical peat swamp forests

have been converted for agriculture development. Drainage is a prerequisite for any agricultllre

development on tropical peatland. Oil palm plantations on tropical peatlands are currently

cultivated successfully but it is highly debated whether the CO2 emissions related to land

conversion and its development have been considered sustainable due to the contribution to

global warming and climate change. There have been contradictory findings which had led to the

confusion on CO emission status of tropical peatlands especially on the effects associated with

2

initial drainage and landuse.ln tropical peatland, different landuse requires different drainage and water retention regimes. Scientists have been aware of the link between the effect of drainage and landuse on soil CO flux for some time, but the understanding of the complex relationship

2

is still insufficient. Thus t his work quantifies t he effects of drainage and landuse on soil CO flux2

in the deep t ropical peat swamps of Borneo. The landuse included the comparative studies on forest and tree crops, annual crops and recently cleared peat swamps.

18

http:landuse.ln


DEVELOPMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND INDUSTRIAL FORESTRY ON TROPICAL

PEATLAND: MINIMIZING THE IMPACTS AND MAXIMIZING SUSTAINABILITY

Bostang Radjagukguk* and Nyahu Rumbang

Faculty of Agriculture, Gadjah Mada University, Bulaksumur Yogyakarta 55281, Indonesia E-mail: *[email protected]

ABSTRACT Tropical peatland covers just over 38 million hectares of global land area (i.e. 9% of global peatland area) of which 52.4% are found in Indonesia, and 6.4% are found in Malaysia. These peatlands are considered to be of great importance for the expansion of cropland and industrial forest land, especially in these two countries, and indeed a sizeable proportion (6% in Indonesia and 21% in Malaysia) has been put into cultivation.

The reclamation, or conversion, of tropical peatland for agriculture and industrial forestry necessitates drainage and land clearing, which, apart from causing loss of biodiversity, will inevitably produce drastic changes in the physical, chemical and biological properties of the peat soil, introducing constraints for cultivation. In addition, subsequent cultivation practices will also have an influence on the soil properties. The major impacts of land reclamation on the surrounding ecosystems are caused by low quality of drainage water flowing out of the reclaimed area, by alteration of local and regional hydrology due to construction of drainage canals, and by uncontrolled burning which releases huge amounts of CO and particulates to the atmosphere.

2

In the early development of cultivation by local farmers on these peatlands only traditional technologies were utilized. More recently, new technologies have been developed and applied in an effort to achieve more sustainable systems. These technologies consist of agronomic management, soil and water management, and environmental impact management components.

19


Abstracts

DEVELOPING A REDO SCHEME FOR POST 2012: THE KALIMANTAN FORESTS

AND CLIMATE PARTNERSHIP

Grahame Applegate

Senior Technical Forests and Climate Specialist, AusAID, Jakarta

ABSTRACT Australia is assisting Indonesia to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through implementing REDO demonstration activities in Indonesia under the Indonesia- Australia Forest Carbon Partnership agreement. The program titled the Kalimantan Forests and Climate Partnership will establish a framework for developing methods and systems for avoiding deforestation of peat forests (swamp forests) and restoration of degraded peatland. This will be done through incentive-based approaches that can help pave the way for large scale financing of avoided deforestation and provide input into the UNFCCC negotiations for a post 2012 agenda. The work to be undertaken in order to achieve these goals will indude the identification ofthe social issues (including gender and ethnicity) and methods for determining operational. solutions to determining land use rights, undertaking information sharing and outreach, providing institutional and technical support, capacity building and determining opportunity costs required for avoiding deforestation of peat forests and peatland restoration. The program will also design incentives, payment mechanisms and processes for REDO which are designed to operate and to link national, provincial, district and village :Ievel payments to performance based outcomes as well as developing incentive-based approaches for avoiding deforestation and reducing forest degradation Other major activities will include identifying the enabling conditions and information needs for supporting environmental governance and institutional requirements for improved district, and provincial land use p lanning and implementation (management and enforcement) of those plans with all agencies involved. The program willi also develop, based on expert consultations and implement appropriate systems for GHG measurements and accounting at project and national level (covering data for baselines, satellite images, ground-truthing and establishment of inventories) taking account of additionality, leakage, permanence and adequate governance conditions. This component will link into a national carbon accounting system planned by the Government of Indonesia.

20

International SympOsium and Workshop on Tropical Peatland (Kuching 2008). 19-22 August

RESPONSE OF MAIZE FODDER TO SOIL AND FOLIAR APPLIED ZINC

Gandahi. A.W.*. M.R. Wagan, I. Rajper and N.B. Sial

Sindh Agriculture University Tandojam-70060-Pakistan *E-mail: [email protected]

ABSTRACT In order to observe the response offoliar and soil application of zinc on growth and fodder yield of maize, a field experiment was conducted at Latif experimental farm, Sindh Agriculture University Tando Jam, Pakistan.The experiment was laid out according to RCBD with four replications and five treatments, ie., T1 = control,T

2 =3% Zn foliar at early whorl, T3=3% Zn foliar split applied during

early and mid whorl,T = 3% Zn foliar split applied during early mid and late whorl, T5 = 10 Kg Zn ha-1soil appl ication. All

4

treatments received NPK @ 130-70-40 kg ha-1 respectively. The maize variety Akbar was sown in the plots (Smx3m=1S2). The experimental soil was silty clay loam in texture, non-saline, moderatel,y alkaline and calcareous, medium in organic matter, low in total nitrogen, medium in available phosphorus, high in potassium and low in zinc. The results of the experiments revealed positive response of zinc fertilizer methods and levels on growth and fodder yield of maize variety Akbar. The 3% zinc applied at early mid and late whorl growth stages produced taller p'lants, thicker stems, more green leaves, less dry leaves and high green fodder and dry matter y.ield. The more accumulation of zinc in plant straw was also noted in the treatments applied with 3% zinc foliar at all growth stages where as, soil contents of maize was enhanced in the plots whi,ch received 10 kg Zn ha-1. From the present investigation it is concluded that zinc has significant influence on plant growth and yield parameters of maize and it is suggested that zinc cheated @ 3% foliar ha-1should be applied in 3 equal splits at early mid and late whorl growth stages along with recommended NPK for getting maximum fodder yield of maize.

21


Abstracts

EVALUATION OF A NEW PROMISING LINE OF RICE VARIIETY MR 253 TO CONTROL BROWN SPOT DISEASE AND BRONZING liN ORGANIC CLAY MUCK (OCM) SOIL

Muhammad Naim, F.A.R.1*, Muhamad, H.\ Othman, 0.2and Saad, A.2

IMARDI Research Station, .lIn. Parit 1, Sg. Sireh, 45500 Tg. Karang, Selangor ~

Tel: +603 32698055, Fax: +603 32693029, *E-mail : [email protected]; 2MARDI Research Station, Locked Bag 203, 13200 Kepala Batas, Penang Tel.: +604 5751632, Fax: +604 5751725

ABSTRACT It was found that brown spot disease and bronzing can cause reduction in the quality and yield of rice and its seeds in organic day muck (OCM) soil especially in BI'ock F, Sawah Sempadan, Projek Barat Laut Selangor (PBLS) where it can reach up to 50% damage to the plant. This situation correlates with the condition of soil which contains lack of nutrient, soil acidity or soil toxicity and physiological disorder compared to pathological disease. 25 varieties of rice were screened for two seasons and 5 varieties were found to'lerable to brown spot disease and bronzing. From the 5 varieties, MR 253 was chosen to be the most potential one. An upscaling project was conducted in the main season of 2007 using variety MR 253 and MR 219 to control brown spot disease and bronzing in OCM soil'. The parameters collected include yi.eld and disease index. Disease index was calculated at 70 and 100 days after sowing. The result of this study showed that the yield (CCT) for MR 253 was about 22.4% higher than MR 219 of which MR 253 was 4311 kg/ha and MR 219 was 3522 kg/ha. Meanwhile, the disease index of brown spot disease and bronzing showed that there was no significant difference between the varieties. However, variety MR 253 is proven suitable for OCM soil because it has a lower disease index and produce more yield.

22



NEMATODE INFESTATION ON COMMERCIAL PINEAPPLE CULTIVATION ON TROPICAL PEATLAND

H. Nik Masdek* I A.B. Ismail and M. Zulkefli

MARDI, G.P.D. Box 12301, 50774 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia *E-mail: [email protected]

ABSTRACT Exploratory studies of the pest and disease incidence and severity conducted on several large commercial farms showed the incidence of bacterial heart rot, mealy bug infestation, number of stunted plants and number of plants with reddish leaf averages only below 5%. Evaluation of the small-size farms showed similar results. Evalluation ofthe nematode popul'ation from the roots of pineapple from the large commercial farms showed a high population of Paratylenchus sp. and low population of Aphelenchoides sp. and Pratylenchus sp. Root and soil samples taken from the smallholder's farms did not show any presence of plant parasitic nematodes. Detail studies of the nematode popul'ation in the soil and roots of the pineapple plants at various growth stages from several affected commercia l farms showed the population of Paratylenchus sp. to be high. It is concluded that pineapple yield decline on peat soil was highly associated with the nematode Paratylenchus sp.

Chemical control studies did not seem to reduce the nematode population. Oean fallow for nine months was better than natural fallow in reducing nematode popu,lation. Evaluation of the pineapple germplasms showed that 41 varieties/accessions were associated with the nematodes in the soil and roots, 25 varieties/accessions showed association with the nematode in the soil! but not in the roots and 17 varieties/access,ions did not show any association with the nematode in the soil and roots. Gandul is highly susceptiblle to Paratylenchus sp. based on Paratylenchus sp. population.

23

AWARENESS, PO LEGA

INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK

FRAMEWORK FOR RISK ASSESSMENT OF LOCAL LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY AND GENERAL RISK OF SPECIES EXTINCTION DUE TO FOREST CONVERSION AND CLIMATE CHANGE IN BORNEO'S AQUATIC PEAT SWAMP ECOSYSTEMS

Volker C. Hammen\ Glenn Marion2 and Josef Sette leI

1 UFZ, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Department of Community Ecology, Theodor-Lieser-Str. 4, D-06120 Halle (Saale), Germany, Tel: +49 345 5585318, Fax: +49 345 558 5329, E-mail: [email protected]; 2Biomathematics & Statistics Scotland, The University of Edinburgh, James Clerk Maxwell Building, The King's Buildings Edinburgh EH93JZ, UK

ABSTRACT Deforestation, followed by forest conversioll into plantations, and subsequent large-scale habitat loss poses a severe threat to Borneo's ecosystems and its species. With present deforestation rates it is easy to forecast an almost complete deforestation and conversion of lowland tropical rainforests in Borneo by the year 2050. The conversion of these areas mainly into oil palm plantations permanently changes habitats for most of the species present,ly living in these rain forests, by loosing trees as key stone species and forest cover, and changes in the physical environment, including the peat swamps with its fresh water species adapted to low pH values of 3 by drainage. For most of the known species in the rain forest as well as in the aquatic environment their distribution is not known.

We adapted the ALARM (http://www.alarmproject.net) risk assessment toolkit into a qualitative, and where possible, quantitative framework for potentially assessing extinction risk based on expert knowledge of the species. The ALARM risk assessment itself is a further development of the gllobal risk assessment used in the Mi'llennium Ecosystem Assessment and designed to assess multiple rilsks for all European biogeographical regions. This adaptation allows assessing risks of local loss of species or general extinction depending on overall habitat loss.

The aims are assessing individual species risks when possible, as well as risks grouped together by taxonomic or functional traits, or r isks for an entire ecosystem. This assessment provides a progress for t he Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, by defining risks for a specific land-use change, and for two specific biomes in one region, that can act as a prototype for regional risk assessments due to various changes and for different ecosystems.

Keywords: Deforestation, conversion, land-use change, risk assessment, extinction

24

http:http://www.alarmproject.netmailto:[email protected]

COASTAL DEVELOPMENT IN PEATLANDS:

A CHALLENGE OR A CURSE - ARE EXPERIENCES FROM THE NETHERLANDS

USEFUL IN THE TROPICS?

H.P. Ritzema

Alterra-llRI, Wageningen University and Research Centre, Wageningen, The Netherlands E-mail: [email protected]

ABSTRACT The Malaysian Governm'ent has identified the coastal zones of Sarawak as a major region for development. Drainage is needed to make these waterlogged peat swamps suitable for agriculture or other land uses. As soon as the peat swamps are drained the process of irreversible subsidence commences. This subsidence is a well-known and hard-to-overcome constraint to the development and use of tropical peatlands, threatening the long-term sustainability. The dilemma is how to strike a balance between two conrasting needs, namely, intensive drainage in order to optimize land use and less intensive drainage to avoid irreversible damage to these fragile ecosystems. Subsidence can be reduced by using alternative water management and construction practices. For agricultural land use control structures can improve water management and at the same time reduce subsidence. High water levels and increasing runoff from built-up areas require additional storage. Innovative solutions, e.g. floating roads, buildings and structures, buildings on piles, etc., are required to reduce and counterbalance the never-ending subsidence. Higher water !Ievels and more space for water will fundamentally change the way our peat;lands are being managed. It should be remembered, however, that subsidence cannot be completely arrested; it is the price one has to pay for utilising lowland peat swamps. Spatial planning need to be based on these Iiong-term subsidence processes. Appropriate conservation, adaptation and mitigation actions need to take place in the context of sustainable development. Groundwater models can help to assess the long-term effects of different land uses and visualization can help to make better decisions. Universities and research institutions in Malaysia (and Indonesia) are keen to develop a sound knowledge base on the sustainable management of tropical peatlands. Cooperation between the Netherlands and Malaysia is most relevant with respect to the coastal development in Sarawak. Both in Sarawak and in The Netherlands coastal areas are dominated by densely populated peatlands with the challenge of climate change, including sea level rise.

Keywords: tropical peatland, sustainable development, hydrology, land use

2S


Abstracts

REQUIREMENTS FOR AND OPERATIONAL ASPECTS OF WATER

MANAGEMENT IN TROPICAL PEATLANDS

J.H.M. Wostenl,2.4, H.P. Ritzema 1,3,S and J.O. Rieley6

lAlterra, Wageningen University and Research Centre, P.O. Box 47,6700 AA Wageningen,

The Netherlands, Tel: 2+31317486478 and 3+31317 486607, E-mail: [email protected],

[email protected];

6School of Geography, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, United Kingdom,

Tel: +44 194920920, E-mail: [email protected]

ABSTRACT

Large areas of globally important tropical peatland in Southeast Asia are under threat from land

clearance, degradation and fire, jeopardizing their natural functions as reservoirs of biodiversity,

carbon stores and hydrological buffers. If the initially waterlogged peat swamps are drained to

grow agricultural or plantation crops this leads unavoidably to irreversible loss of peat through

subsidence. Under these circumstances the challenge is to strike a balance between on the one

hand a sufficient high water table depth reducing subsidence and thus CO2emissions, and on the

other hand a sufficient low water table depth allowing crop growth. Adequate water management

is a key issue both in protecting designated peatlands as well as in their agricultural use.

In dealing with water management issues of tropical peatlands three major land uses are distinguished:

Natural peatswamp forest with constant high water levels Agricultural areas often overdrained and in need of controlled water management Plantation crops with controlled water management

Each of the major land uses has specific water management requirements in terms of low or high water levels being constant or variable. As a consequence, each type of land use also needs a specific operational water management in terms of number and size of dams to meet the requirements. The paper presents examples of requirements and operational aspects for each of the three land uses.

Keywords: land cover change, peatland degradation, hydrology, subsidence, oil palm plantation

26

mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


PROFILING THE OXIDATION AND HUMIC SUBSTANCES OF TROPICAL PEAT

Murtedza Mohamed


ABSTRACT A study was carried out to determine the oxidative loss and changes in selected physical and chemical parameters of organic soils in relation to the level of the underlying water table. The study was based on an ex-situ Iysimeter experimental set-up whereby replicates of homogenised peat soils were maintained over varying water tables for 18 months. The peat soil samples were analysed for bulk density, moisture content, total ash content, pH, redox potential, electrical conductivity, rubbed fibre content, total organic carbon, FTIR spectroscopy, pyrophosphate index, and humic acids. The analytical results indicated, among others, a 23% loss of organic substrates from the soil column above 90 cm water table over 6 months of exposure, compared to only 21 % loss for the soil column above 30 cm water table over a period of 18 months. The results of pyrophosphate index and the correlation between rubbed fibre content and optical density showed that the degree of decomposition and humificatlon were significant for the soil columns under low water tables. An investigation had also been carried out to determine the chemical characteristics of humic substances (HS) occurring in the peat soil samples. A comparison with the literature data for HS occurr,ing elsewhere showed that the tropical peat being studied has higher carboxylic and phenolic contents, is richer in carbohydrate moiety and also is more oxygenated. The UV-Vis analyses gave a relatively high E4/E6 ratio, implying the prominence of aliphatic components. The relatively lower range of Mw further suggested the dominance of smaller-sized humic molecules.

27

Abstracts

IMPACT OF MICROVARIABILITY ON CLASSIFICATION AND MANAGEMENT OF

PEATLANDS IN ASIA

E. Padmanabhanl, H. Eswaran2and P. Reich2

lCurtin University of Technology, Sarawak, Malaysia, E-mail: eswaran.padmanabhan@curtin. edu.my; 2USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Washington DC

ABSTRACT Globally, wetlands occupy about 18.96 x 106 km2, of which 2% is made up of organic soils. In Asia, about 2.2 million km2(~ 1.0%) of the land surface comprises peat or Histosols. The current global approach to agriculture places considerable emphasis on environmental qualit y, conservation of biodiversity and preservation of ecosystem while striving to achieve sustainablle production in agroecosystems. In Asia, land use on the peatlands is low-input subsistence-based systems. In a few countries, such as Malaysia and Indonesia, rurbber and oil-palm are cultivated on a p'lantation scale. Subsistence-based agricultural systems, understandably, would not be able to provide the level of input required for sustainable management of peat lands. The knowledge base for such systems is highly traditional in nature and is therefore vulnerable to the uncontrolled changes that occur in the evolution ofthe agro-ecosystem. Commercial-based agricultural systems appear to thrive in areas dominated by shallow peat. This system is technology-based, has a greater control over changes that may occur within the system but is perhaps still not in harmony with nature. Ignorance ofthe fUllctions and value of such areas has lead to many forms of degradation. Therefore, sustainable development of the peat soils requires not only a holistic approach to the management but also dictates the need for a paradigm shift in resource characterization, research trends and land use policies. The paper elaborates on the paradigm shift in sustainable land management system and advocates a ho lilstic approach wherein agronomic factors, environmental considerations as we ill as the much de-emphasized socioeconomic aspects, are all integrated into new research approaches. Research strategies needed to ensure sustainable agricultural deve lopment of organic soils include the urgent need for innovative measures to characterize the resource, evaluating and monitoring soil quality, assessing the potential of peat lands to release methane and other greenhouse gases upon drainage, and assessing the integrity of the ecosystem. Issues pertaining to productivity, assisting in the design of rational

-, policies for development, promoting preservation of heritage, inculcating the ownership concept ~ and developing better methods to gauge the economic viability of such projects are additional

important factors that ensure sustainability. The most important factor differentiating peatlands from their mineral counterparts is microvariability; this, specifically in t he context of small farms

had not been addressed adequately and requires innovative approaches and technologies. Conventional soil surveys must be augmented with more innovative techniques as cu rrent methods suffer from various kinds of limitations.

28

mailto:eswaran.padmanabhan@curtin


DRAINAGES HAVE CAUSED THE EARLY DAMAGE OF PEAT SOIL

IN TROPICAL ZONE (CASE STUDY AT OIL PALM PLANTATION IN JAMBI

INDONESIA)

Aswandi Idris and Mohd Zuhdi

Soil Science Department, Agriculture Faculty and Research Centre for Watershed ManagementRCWM Jambi University, Sumatera-Indonesia

ABSTRACT The natural formation process of peat soil is slow and cannot be quickened. However, the speed of decomposition process of peat could be accelerated under certain circumstances, for example, in extreme drainage and burnt conditions. Dra1inage practices in peat,lands are aimed at reducing water table in order to provide cultivation farms suitable for crops. The drawdown of this water leve1 has caused the peat surface layer to undergo easier oxidation. This process is also followed by compaction caused by surface degradation (subsidence). At this condition, peat soil becomes susceptible to fire risk that may result in the acceleration of peat face degradation. The existence of canal development and river rationalization projects in peat land simply generates big impact in changing the balance of water I'evel. Hence, during dry season, peat willi experience abundant draini'ng which then causes peat colloid to become combustible. The raging of fire on peat land with aqueous vapor will yield the plenty of smoke. The development of drainage in the lowland area (boundary) will also have an effect on area of dome, because it can degrade water level in the dome area. Currently, the regulation of current peat land reclamation only pays attention to the thickness of peat as criterion . Therefore, this regulation requires further review if it is used to consider whether or not reclamation is to be carried out in the peat region.

Keywords: peats, water-level, drainage and fire

29

Abstracts

DIFFERENTIAL EFFECT OF WATER TABLE DROP IN THE MANIPULATION

EXPERIMENT ON CH AND CO FLUXES IN THiE ALASKAN ARCTIC AT THE 4 2

BARROW ENVIRONMENTAL OBSERVATORY

Zona D. and Oechel W.e.

Global Change Research Group, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA

ABSTRACT The Arctic tundra contains more than 191.8 Pg C as soil organic matter. Iincreasingly, this carbon is, or is at risk of, being released to the atmosphere as CO and/or CH Predictions of future rates

2 4

of release CO and CH nux, following changes in temperature, moisture, and other variables2 4

associated with climate change, are uncertain. To predict with confidence future CO and CH2 4

releases to the atmosphere, it is necessary to understand the controls on net CO and CH fluxes.2 4

The patterns and controls on net ecosystem CO and CH fluxes are complex and non-linear. 2 4

Warming and drying of the tundra can result in increased net CO emissions from the Arctic to2

the atmosphere. According to our study, water table does not have a consistent impact on methane and

carbon dioxide fluxes, and in certain conditions, lower water table is related to higher methane efflux and doesn't affect carbon dioxide fluxes. This unexpected result is contrary to most of the past stud'ies that showed increased soil respiration and CO release with decrease in water

2

table and increased aeration status of the soil. A possible explanation could be connected to the characteristics of the vegetation in our study site. Even with a water table drop below surface mosses are able to hold the water and mai,ntain an anaerobic environment. In other words, the two sites with substantial different soil moisture and water table depth are both characterized by largely anaerobic soils. As a consequence soil respiration is restricted to the shallower soil layers and it is not influenced by the difference in thaw depth or water table between the two sites. In our study site mosses are major components of the vegetation representing more than 80% of the biomass.

The differential response ofthe water table drop on CO and CH fluxes is probably due to the2 4

differential importance of shallower aerobic versus deeper anaerobic soil layers on the emission of the two gases. Methanogensis probably occurs in deeper s

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