     |
Sungai Air Hitam Laut - The river that carries the black water to the sea
Fuel for forest fires?
Promoting the river basin and ecosystem approach for sustainable management of Southeast Asian lowland peatswamp forestsThe importance of peat
Berbak National Park in Sumatra, Indonesia covers an area of 162,700 ha and is composed of mainly peat swamp forest (90%) and freshwater swamp forest (10%). Peat deposits in the park are up to 10-12 m deep with an average of 3 to 5 meters. Peat swamp forests play important functional roles in the regulation of hydrology. The extensive peat domes of Berbak region have a function for flood control, flow regulation, water supply and the prevention of saline water intrusion. These functions are crucial when maintaining the integrity of the surrounding ecosystem.
Over 30% of all carbon on land and 10% of the global freshwater volume is stored in peatlands. Peatswamps support a large and diverse range of plant species, which in turn provide habitats for many birds, mammals, reptiles and insects. Berbak National Park is one of the most important wetland ecosystems for the conservation of biodiversity in Southeast Asia and was designated in 1991 as Indonesia’s first Ramsar Site because of its important function in bird migration.
 |
 Berbak on Sumatra Island  Berbak National Park |
| Biodiversity of Berbak National Park 224 Bird species • Kingfisher, Hornbill, White winged wood duck > 30 Mammal species • Sumatran Tiger, Clouded Leopard 93 Fish Species • Catfishes > 260 Vegetation species • 150 tree species and 23 palm species Source: Silvius et al.; Lambert; Claridge; Giessen |
 Burnt peatswamp forest in the vicinity of the Air Hitam Laut river basin (Photo: Faizal Parish) |
Human impact
Yet the peatswamps in Berbak National Park are threatened by uncontrolled and unsustainable exploitation. A threat to the environment is the land conversion and logging in the upper catchment of the Air Hitam Laut river (“the river that carries the black water to the sea”), the park main river in the east. This resulted in an increased water run-off and a decrease in groundwater level leading to droughts in the peatswamp forest. Coastal agricultural areas (mainly coconut plantations) at the mouth of the river basin are also affected. They are highly dependent on the freshwater buffer provided by the National Park to prevent salt-water intrusion.
Dry peatsoils are particularly prone to fires. Burning leads to a rapid lowering of the peat surface (subsidence), causing problems of waterlogging. Additionally peat swamps being huge carbon sinks, they release CO2 in the atmosphere when burnt. This contributes to climate change and global warming. Correlated to the “El Niño” of 1997, there were severe droughts in the peatland forests of Berbak National Park having extensive forest fires as a consequence.
Approximately 15,000 ha of forest (10% of the total area) in the Park itself and 8.800 ha of forest at the mid-upper catchment of the Air Hitam Laut river basin got burnt. Bogor Agricultural University estimated that these fires led to an emission of 29 million tonnes of CO2 from the above ground biomass, in addition to losses from the peat soils. The fires are expected to be related to illegal activities (logging, fishing and collection of non-timber products) by local communities.
 Timber-products illegally collected in the Park |
 Transportation of illegal logs |
 Latex extracted from the Jelutung (Dyers constulata) tree |
 Kumpeh River |
Photos: Faizal Parish
Peatswamps and river basin management
Under the project Promoting the river basin and ecosystem approach for sustainable management of Southeast Asian lowland peatswamp forests a study will be done to assess the nature and impact of human activities on the functioning of the greater Berbak ecosystem. Beside socio-economic information, hydrological and ecological data will be collected in the Air Hitam Laut river basin and the Berbak peatswamp.
A hydrological and ecological model will be developed to support policy and decision making at river basin level. This model will provide improved understanding of the hydrological and ecological functioning of South-east Asian lowland peatswamp forests. It will contribute to an enhanced baseline for policy and decision making in relation to the integrated management of peatswamp river basins in the tropics, and in particular the Air Hitam Laut river basin.
Major focus will also be given to the internalisation of river basin and ecosystem-based management at the level of the Indonesian Government and Jambi province authorities. This will be achieved through close co-operation with relevant government agencies and departments and information exchange. Involvement of all local stakeholders in scenario development and analysis, including the evaluation of institutional development requirements, is deemed essential. A rehabilitation programme will be set up in the park and the upper catchment of the river basin. Basic and project specific training, study tours, awareness and public information activities at community, district and provincial level will hopefully contribute to the sustainability of the project.
|
Partners |
Ms. Ingrid Gevers
International Agricultural Centre (IAC)
P.O. Box 88, 6700 AB, Wageningen,
The Netherlands
+ 31 317 495378
+ 31 317 495395
ingrid.gevers@wur.nl
localhostFor more information on peatlands:
