Loss of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in Indo-Malayan peat swamp forests

Yule, Catherine M.

doi:10.1007/s10531-008-9510-5

Cited by 257 publications

(140 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…Conversion of peat swamp forests to other land uses is associated with habitat loss and fragmentation affecting a range of endemic animal and plants species Posa et al 2011;Yule 2010). Given that many lowland forests on mineral soils have been converted to other land uses, in particular to oil palm plantations (e.g.…”

Section: Loss Of Forest In Protected Areasmentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards sustainable management of Indonesian tropical peatlands

Uda

Hein

Sumarga

2017

Wetlands Ecol Manage

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Large areas of Indonesian peatlands have been converted for agricultural and plantation forest purposes. This requires draining with associated CO 2 emissions and fire risks. In order to identify alternative management regimes for peatlands, it is important to understand the sustainability of different peatland uses as well as the economic benefits peatlands supply under different land uses. This study explores the key sustainability issues in Indonesian peatlands, the ecosystem services supplied by peatlands, and potential responses to promote more sustainable peatland use. A literature review and spatial analysis were conducted. Based on predominantly government data, we estimate the amount of Indonesian peatlands that has been converted between 2000 and 2014. We quantify increases in oil palm and plantation forest crop production in this period, and we analyse key sustainability issues, i.e. peat fires and smoke-haze, soil subsidence and flood risk, CO 2 emissions, loss of habitat (in protected areas), and social conflicts that influence sustainability of Indonesian peatlands management. Among others we show that CO 2 emissions from peatlands in Indonesia can be estimated at between 350 and 400 million ton CO 2 per year, and that encroachment of oil palm and plantation forestry (acacia, rubber) has taken place on 28% of protected areas. However, as we examine, the uncertainties involved are substantial. Based on our findings, we distil several implications for the management of the peatlands.

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Section: Loss Of Forest In Protected Areasmentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards sustainable management of Indonesian tropical peatlands

Uda

Hein

Sumarga

2017

Wetlands Ecol Manage

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“…This scale was developed following extensive experience by the authors working in Indo-Malaysian peatlands (e.g., Voglmayr and Yule, 2006;Wells and Yule, 2008;Yule and Gomez, 2009;Yule, 2010;Lim, 2012;Lim et al, 2014;Ong et al, 2014Ong et al, , 2015. Logging, drainage, and fire cause different impacts but they are interrelated in that initial drainage typically precedes logging, and unless a PSF is drained and cleared, fire is extremely rare and is limited in extent.…”

Section: Study Sitesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Indo-Malaysian tropical peat swamp forests (PSF) flourish on phenolic rich, waterlogged, acidic, nutrient poor layers of peat up to 25 m deep (Yule, 2010;Page et al, 2011). They contain one of the largest global pools of terrestrial organic carbon (11-14% of global soil carbon: Page et al, 2011), mostly (up to 76%) in the form of lignin-the major constituent of wood (Andriesse, 1988).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…By 2010 about 84% of SE Asian peatlands (originally 25 million ha) had been drained (Hooijer et al, 2010). Drainage reverses the conditions that lead to peat accretion, resulting in oxidation which stimulates microbial respiration (causing decomposition of peat), compaction, subsidence, and drying of peat (Andriesse, 1988;Anshari et al, 2010;Yule, 2010;Nuri et al, 2011;Mezbahuddin et al, 2014). Phenolic compounds such as lignin in the peat become degraded due to exposure to air which further promotes peat decomposition (Feist and Hon, 1984).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Degradation of Tropical Malaysian Peatlands Decreases Levels of Phenolics in Soil and in Leaves of Macaranga pruinosa

Yule

Lim

2016

Front. Earth Sci.

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Indo-Malaysian tropical peat swamp forests (PSF) sequester enormous stores of carbon in the form of phenolic compounds, particularly lignin as well as tannins. These phenolic compounds are crucial for ecosystem functioning in PSF through their inter-related roles in peat formation and plant defenses. Disturbance of PSF causes destruction of the peat substrate, but the specific impact of disturbance on phenolic compounds in peat and its associated vegetation has not previously been examined. A scale was developed to score peatland degradation based on the three major human impacts that affect tropical PSF-logging, drainage, and fire. The objectives of this study were to compare the amount of phenolic compounds in Macaranga pruinosa, a common PSF tree, and in the peat substrate along a gradient of peatland degradation from pristine peat swamp forest to cleared, drained, and burnt peatlands. We examined phenolic compounds in M. pruinosa and in peat and found that levels of total phenolic compounds and total tannins decrease in the leaves of M.pruinosa and also in the surface peat layers with an increase in peatland degradation. We conclude that waterlogged conditions preserve the concentration of phenolic compounds in peat, and that even PSF that has been previously logged but which has recovered a full canopy cover will have high levels of total phenolic content (TPC) in peat. High levels of TPC in peat and in the flora are vital for the inhibition of decomposition of organic matter and this is crucial for the accretion of peat and the sequestration of carbon. Thus regional PSF flourish despite the phenolic rich, toxic, waterlogged, nutrient poor, conditions, and reversal of such conditions is a sign of degradation.Keywords: tropical peat swamp forests, phenolic compounds, lignin, tannin, peatland drainage, Macaranga pruinosa INTRODUCTIONIndo-Malaysian tropical peat swamp forests (PSF) flourish on phenolic rich, waterlogged, acidic, nutrient poor layers of peat up to 25 m deep (Yule, 2010;Page et al., 2011). They contain one of the largest global pools of terrestrial organic carbon (11-14% of global soil carbon: Page et al., 2011), mostly (up to 76%) in the form of lignin-the major constituent of wood (Andriesse, 1988). Lignin is a polyphenolic compound which builds up under waterlogged peat swamp Abbreviations: PSF, Peat swamp forest; TPC, Total phenolic content; TTC, Total tannin content.Yule et al. Phenolic Compounds in Tropical Peatlandsconditions because it is extremely resistant to degradation except by aerobic fungi, termites, and some bacteria. Peat soil is also high in other phenolic compounds such as tannins which give the peat water its characteristic black color. Phenolic compounds are crucial for ecosystem functioning in PSF through their interrelated roles in peat formation and plant defenses.Phenolic compounds are extremely diverse (several thousand have been identified) and they occur universally in plants (Lattanzio et al., 2012). They are particularly varied in vascular plants where they form s...

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“…In addition, drained and degraded peatlands burn on a regular basis, causing air pollution and smog at distances of hundreds of kilometers (He et al 2010). The degradation of peatlands has important consequences for biodiversity, with most of the last refugia for, for instance, orangutans found in the remaining peat forests (Yule 2010, Posa et al 2011. Finally, a range of social issues have been reported in relation to the largescale conversion of peat areas to plantations; major issues include the loss of access to land for various uses and uneven distribution of economic benefits (Obidzinski et al 2012, Schrier-Uijl et al 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydrological and economic effects of oil palm cultivation in Indonesian peatlands

Sumarga¹,

Hein²,

Hooijer³

et al. 2016

E&S

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ABSTRACT. Oil palm has increasingly been established on peatlands throughout Indonesia. One of the concerns is that the drainage required for cultivating oil palm in peatlands leads to soil subsidence, potentially increasing future flood risks. This study analyzes the hydrological and economic effects of oil palm production in a peat landscape in Central Kalimantan. We examine two land use scenarios, one involving conversion of the complete landscape including a large peat area to oil palm plantations, and another involving mixed land use including oil palm plantations, jelutung (jungle rubber; (Dyera spp.) plantations, and natural forest. The hydrological effect was analyzed through flood risk modeling using a high-resolution digital elevation model. For the economic analysis, we analyzed four ecosystem services: oil palm production, jelutung production, carbon sequestration, and orangutan habitat. This study shows that after 100 years, in the oil palm scenario, about 67% of peat in the study area will be subject to regular flooding. The flood-prone area will be unsuitable for oil palm and other crops requiring drained soils. The oil palm scenario is the most profitable only in the short term and when the externalities of oil palm production, i.e., the costs of CO 2 emissions, are not considered. In the examined scenarios, the social costs of carbon emissions exceed the private benefits from oil palm plantations in peat. Depending upon the local hydrology, income from jelutung, which can sustainably be grown in undrained conditions and does not lead to soil subsidence, outweighs that from oil palm after several decades. These findings illustrate the trade-offs faced at present in Indonesian peatland management and point to economic advantages of an approach that involves expansion of oil palm on mineral lands while conserving natural peat forests and using degraded peat for crops that do not require drainage.

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Loss of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in Indo-Malayan peat swamp forests

Cited by 257 publications

References 42 publications

Towards sustainable management of Indonesian tropical peatlands

Towards sustainable management of Indonesian tropical peatlands

Degradation of Tropical Malaysian Peatlands Decreases Levels of Phenolics in Soil and in Leaves of Macaranga pruinosa

Hydrological and economic effects of oil palm cultivation in Indonesian peatlands

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