The distribution and characteristics of peat lands in Central and South Bangka Regencies, Bangka Belitung Islands Province

Abstract

The use of peatland for agriculture is limited due to climate change and environmental damage issues. The Peatland mapping on Bangka Island was carried out by the Indonesian Center for Agricultural Land Resources Research and Development (ICALRD) in 2019 covering an area of 23,388 ha. The purpose of this research was to map and study the characteristics of peat soils. The method used is The Guidelines for Soil Survey and Mapping, 1:50,000 Scale and Indonesian National Standard (SNI) 8473: 2018. The results showed the largest peat distribution occurred in Central Bangka Regency (13,673 ha) and smaller area in South Bangka Regency (5,030 ha). Peatlands in Central Bangka and South Bangka Regency consist of tidal topogenous peat soils and freshwater topogenous peat soils. The decomposition rate of peat consists of Organosol Saprik and Organosol Hemik, reaction of sapric and hemic peat is acidic to very acidic, cation exchange capacity is high to very high, and base saturation is very low. The average carbon stocks in peat lands in South Bangka and Central Bangka Regencies are 582.79 t ha−1 and 428.60 t ha−1, respectively. The results can be utilized by all users, especially in the framework of sustainable agricultural development.