Concession Area Research Articles

Working Time, Productivity, and Cost of Felling in a Tropical Forest: A Case Study from Wijaya Sentosa’s Forest Concession Area, West Papua, Indonesia

Felling of natural forest trees in West Papua Province is carried out mechanically using a chainsaw by applying a selective cutting silviculture system. This study aimed to determine the elements of working time, productivity, and cost of felling as well as factors influencing felling activities using the chainsaw in the tropical natural forests in West Papua, Indonesia. The felled trees are dominated by the meranti wood species group with a minimum diameter of 45 cm. The average volume of the felled tree is about 4.205 m3/tree. The result showed that total felling time ranged from 15.3 to 18.3 min/tree with an average of 16.7 min/tree. The effective felling time was 11.8 min/tree (70.86%) and the delay time was 4.9 min/tree (29.14%). Felling time in making undercuts was on average 1.7 min/tree (9.98%), longer than back cuts time of 1.10 min/tree (6.39%). Total felling time was influenced by various variables: tree diameter, buttress height, and slope. Felling productivity was accounted for between 14.901 m3/h and 17.067 m3/h (15.778 m3/h on average). Felling costs ranged from 3.366 USD/h to 3.473 USD/h with an average of 3.407 USD/h or equivalent to 0.209 USD/m3 to 0.238 USD/m3 with an average of 0.225 USD/m3. To improve the effectiveness of felling time and productivity, this study suggests (1) upgrading the skills of the chainsaw operators through formal or in-house training in felling techniques, and (2) ensuring chainsaw operators bring a tree distribution map completed by field conditions information.

The dynamics of soil carbon in revegetated post-coal mining sites: A case study in Berau, East Kalimantan, Indonesia

Abstract. Hartati W, Sudarmadji T. 2022. The dynamics of soil carbon in revegetated post-coal mining sites: A case study in Berau, East Kalimantan, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 23: xxxx. Open pit mining practices cause the loss of vegetation cover as well as soil degradation. Post-mining land reclamation and revegetation are therefore enforced to recover the vegetation and soil quality. While several studies have revealed vegetation succession following post-mining revegetation, limited studies have focused on the carbon dynamics of the soil. This study aimed to investigate the dynamics of soil carbon stock due to mining operations and how it changed following revegetation. The research was carried out in the concession area of a coal mining company in Berau, East Kalimantan, which was divided into three sites: Sambarata Mining Operation (SMO) Site, Binungan Mining Operation (BMO) Site, and Lati Mining Operation (LMO) Site. At each site, eight research measurement plots (RMP) were established representing land with varying vegetational conditions, namely original land and post-mined lands with varying revegetation stages from open land to 12-year-old vegetation. The percentage of C content was calculated from 288 disturbed soil samples, while bulk density was analyzed from 144 whole soil samples using the Walkey & Black and gravimetric methods. We found that the C stock at the initial state after the mining operation was very low. Coal mining activities caused a loss of C in soil with an average value of 21.29%, or equal to 5.65 tons/ha. The biggest loss occurred at the SMO site (44.97%, or 13.04 tons/ha), while the smallest loss was found at the LMO site (2.24%, or 0.40 tons/ha). The carbon stock improved after revegetation, particularly in the SMO and LMO sites, and the rate of carbon stock enhancement in the soil differed across sites. The results also showed that soil carbon in the post-mining area of 10-30 cm was greater than that of the 0-10 cm layer. Along with the increasing age of plants, the vertical distribution of C stock shifted from the lower layer to the upper layer.

A comparison of soil characteristics from four land covers around a coal mining concession area in South Kalimantan

Understanding soil characteristics is important to determine the alternative strategies of land management, particularly those related to the scheme of soil and water conservation. This study investigated soil characteristics from four land covers around the coal mining concession area located in South Kalimantan. A soil survey was conducted using a purposive sampling method with three replicates in each land cover. Soil samples that were taken at depths of 0-10 cm, 11-20 cm, and 21-30 cm, were composited before being brought to the laboratory to quantify their characteristics, such as texture and organic carbon content. Data analysis was processed using a non-parametric test with a significant level of 5%. Comparison average of soil characteristics between land covers was evaluated using the Kruskal-Wallis test and followed by Nemenyi-test. Results found that soil characteristics from four land covers significantly differed in texture and organic carbon content. The highest sand fraction was noted in shrubs (67.23±0.86%), while the greatest silt fraction was recorded in plantation forests (29.71±2.84%). Compared to other land covers, the clay content in plantation forests and reclamation area was relatively equal by around 53-54%. On another side, The highest soil organic carbon was found in plantation forests with ranging of (4.44±0.14%) followed by natural forests (4.24±0.62%), shrubs (3.38±0.09%), and reclamation area (1.14±0.09%). These findings indicated there were high variations of soil characteristics from different land covers around the coal mining concession area. Therefore, it is recommended for managers to apply adaptive strategies in supporting soil conservation efforts based on the soil characteristics in each site.

PENYELENGGARAAN BELAJAR DARI RUMAH MASA COVID-19 DI LINGKUNGAN DESA TERPENCIL (DESA CIPANG KANAN) KABUPATEN ROKAN HULU

The decision to organize online learning was taken as an alternative to learning during the Covid-19 outbreak emergency so that each individual has a role in breaking the chain of global Covid-19 transmission that spreads to all corners of the world including Indonesia. With schools as one of the most urgent public spaces with the greatest potential to spread or to break the chain of transmission of Covid-19, therefore it is an alternative to carry out the learning process by implementing learning from home and also in concession area. The research data were obtained by interviewing and observing 30 junior high school teachers and Elementary school teachers in the Cipang Kanan village who were randomly selected. Conclusion The implementation of learning from home for Junior High School Levels and Elementary school Levels - Cipang Kanan Village, Rokan Hulu Regency did not reach the desired target due to various obstacles, namely learning applications, internet networks and devices, learning management, assessment, and supervision.

Socioeconomic and environmental consequences of a new law for regulating distributed generation in Brazil: A holistic assessment

Since 2012, prosumer compensation in Brazil has been based on net metering. However, a new law (Ordinary Law 14300/2022) was recently approved by the Brazilian Congress to decrease financial compensations for electricity injected into the grid. Studies on distributed generation system economic feasibility impacts in light of this new regulation are quite common. However, there is a research gap with respect to holistic assessments. This paper holistically analyzes the long-term consequences of this new law for regulating on-grid renewable distributed generation in Brazil. The methodology was mainly based on three models/techniques, i.e., the optimized tariff model (socioeconomic regulated electricity market model), the Bass diffusion model (time-series forecasting for integrated distributed generation), and life cycle assessment (an environmental impact analysis technique). These methodologies allow us to evaluate regulatory impacts on several aspects like the distributed generation business itself, market surpluses and welfare, regulated tariffs, social inequality, and the environment. These methodologies were applied to 35 Brazilian concession areas with available data. The results show that the new law successfully mitigates tariff increases and reduces social inequality, which are its main goals. By contrast, there are significant negative implications to the distributed generation business, market welfare, and the environment, since socioeconomic welfare losses at 2.12 billion (BRL/year) or 0.42 billion (USD/year), and emissions at 0.35 (Mt CO2eq/year) are estimated. Our assessment also shows that it would be slightly premature to implement this new law in most concession areas.

E&P Notes (August 2022)

E&P Notes (August 2022)

Impact of Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) Certification to Environmental Behavior of Palm Oil Plantation Companies

In order to realize sustainable palm oil plantations and to overcome negative impacts of it, Indonesian government has required Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) certification to palm oil plantation companies. After 10 years of implementation, it is important to know the impact of ISPO certification on environmental behavior of palm oil plantation companies, especially related to deforestation and land fires. Using qualitative method, this study investigates environmental behavior changes in seven palm oil plantation company related to deforestation, and land fires as results of ISPO certification and to analyze the cause of the changes. This study showed that the implementations of ISPO certification are able to change the company's environmental behavior to reduce forest conversion in concession areas and increase conservation areas as a fulfillment of ISPO principles and criteria. The change of those company’s environmental behavior caused by the pressure to issue ISPO regulation, the influence of the company's internal stakeholders in responding and understanding ISPO, and encouragement to get easy finance access from banks.

Block Model of Laterite Nickel Reserve in the Sorowako Village Research Area, South Sulawesi Province

The manufacture of laterite nickel deposit model blocks is one of the stages after exploration activities are carried out in an area that shows potential resources that are feasible to be exploited. The purpose of this study was to determine the tonnage value of an estimated resource of saprolite and limonite ore deposits in the drilling area. The research method is the implementation of fieldwork, which includes a survey of the area to be drilled, tools and materials used in drilling production, and determining the stages in making model blocks. The data used in this study are data from analysis of nickel content, data on the total depth of drill points, lithology data of laterite nickel profiles, and data on coordinates and elevation of drill points. In research conducted in the concession area of ​​the research area with a number of drill points of as many as 275 points and a drill spacing of 25 meters and 50 meters, the number of resources that have been calculated in the form of a 3D block model and a cross-sectional vertical correlation where in the limonite layer the volume value is obtained. of 757,031 m3 with an average Ni content: 0.84%, while the saprolite layer obtained a volume value of 210,781 m3 with an average Ni content: 1.80%. The conclusion obtained is that the tonnage value for the limonite layer is 1,211,250 tons, and for the saprolite layer the tonnage value is 400,484 tons.

Decoding of seismic data for complex stratigraphic traps revealing by seismic attributes analogy in Yidma/Alamein concession area Western Desert, Egypt

Sandstone channels are one of the best stratigraphic traps for hydrocarbon accumulation, and their depositional and composition make them difficult to detect on ordinary seismic data, especially in structurally affected onshore areas like the Western Desert of Egypt. The Western Desert of Egypt has many hydrocarbon-bearing reservoirs of various compositions like carbonates and sandstones with high production rates, and thus the Western Desert of Egypt is recognized as a hot spot for oil and gas exploration. One of the important reservoirs in the Lower Cretaceous “the Aptian sand” produced around 285 MBBLS cumulative oil of 22° API and still produces 102 BOPD. This reservoir has a channel-type depositional environment, and the dimensions of this channel could be resolved by good quality 3D seismic data in the moderately deep basins as the basins become deeper, the detection of the channel becomes increasingly challenging. This study aims to delineate the geometry of this reservoir and reveal the exposure from the Aptian sand channel in the Alamein area using the seismic attributes analogy on the re-processed 3D seismic data to determine the best drilling location for increasing the production from this reservoir. In this context, the relative acoustic impedance (RAI), iso-frequency components, and sweetness stratigraphic attribute analyses were conducted on the optimized seismic data and attested as important as they resolved the stratigraphic geological mystery in the structurally affected study area. These attribute analyses revealed the exposure from the distinctive meander channel of the Aptian sand for the first time in the study area nearby the producing Alamein field, where this channel was hard to be distinguished by the ordinary seismic interpretation methods and there is no drilled well penetrated the detected channel’s body. Upon the results, the conclusion and recommendation summaries to intensify the efforts to test the productivity of the detected channel to increase the production from this motivating reservoir by drilling a new well targeting the best structural locations of the channel body.

Rendimiento de aceite esencial a partir de madera de Bursera graveolens: Aprovechamiento de astillas, viruta y aserrín

The aim of this research was to determine the yield of essential oil from dry wood of the Palo Santo Forest species Bursera graveolens. The dry wood was obtained from the forest concession area of the Universidad Nacional de Tumbes. Sawdust, shavings, and chips (2x2 cm, 1x1 cm, and 0.5x0.5 cm) were obtained using manual and mechanical tools. The steam dragging method was used to extract the essential oil using the Dual Distiller equipment with a capacity of 20 L. The results determined that of the total of dry wood collected and after its transformation only 66.24% was in optimal conditions for the study, losing 33.76% due to external and internal impurities and the artisan technique used in the transformation. Likewise, the average moisture content was 13.89%. Finally, of the five samples, the highest yield in essential oil was for shavings and sawdust with 13.76 and 14.53 mL/kg, respectively. It is concluded that the greater surface area exposed to the steam of dry Palo Santo wood allows it to carry more essential oil and directly influences the yield.

Livelihood impacts of iron ore mining-induced land change in Sierra Leone: A time series analysis

This study explores the role of industrial iron ore mining on land change and local livelihoods in the Tonkolili mineral rich region of northeastern Sierra Leone. The study integrates time series of land use and land cover (LULC), statistical modeling, and qualitative analytical framework to provide a comprehensive assessment of livelihood response to iron ore mining induced land change over an 8-year period (2010–2018). Results of the study demonstrated that the establishment of industrial iron ore mines in 2011 resulted in gradual urban land expansion (average of 7.5%) and exponential population growth (600%) in search of employment through 2018. Due to the inability of the iron ore mining companies to absorb the excess influx of labor, residents resorted to alternative livelihood activities of which artisanal gold mining became prominent. Growth in industrial iron ore mining footprint reduced farming livelihood (- 48%) within the mining concession area, generated several lakes and ponds which polluted fertile swamplands outside the mining area with negative implications for farming, the dominant livelihood activity in the study area. Between 2011 and 2018, the iron ore mining industry directly provided jobs for some people and enhanced livelihoods in its ancillary industries. Notwithstanding, the negative livelihood impacts of iron ore mining on agricultural productivity and forest products was far higher than the positive impacts.

An analysis of migrant characteristics in forest-dwelling communities in northern Guatemala

This study examines whether the establishment of community-managed forest concessions has driven migration into the Petén department in northern Guatemala. The Petén department is home to the Maya Biosphere Reserve, which is a 2-million-hectare tropical forest that contains forest concession areas managed by forest-dwelling communities living in and near the reserve. The forest concessions provide concession members with employment opportunities in forestry and tourism as well as the opportunity to profit from timber and non-timber forest product sales of products sustainably harvested from the concession. Members are then responsible for protecting the forest resources within their concession and abiding by Forest Stewardship Council regulations. We examine household characteristics of migrants from within the Petén as well as outside of the Petén department using a 2017 survey of forest-dwelling communities in and near the Maya Biosphere Reserve to determine whether concession members are more likely to have migrated into the reserve than non-concession member households. The results show that concession members are less likely to be migrants, which suggests that, although the concessions create opportunities in forestry and tourism sector, migration is not drive by the prospect of obtaining concession membership.

Peatlands Restoration Policies in Indonesia: Success or Failure?

This paper describes and analyzes the peatland restoration policy undertaken by the Indonesian government. The Indonesian government has since implemented the first phase of peatland restoration in 2016-2020. It can be said that the restoration of the peatland area of 2.4 million hectares faces several problems. One of the main problems is the unsuccessful restoration of peatlands in the company’s concession areas. Companies that are obliged to restore peatlands in their concessions do not comply with regulations set by the government. As the program’s leader, the Peatland Restoration Agency is powerless to do much because its authority extends only to supervising the company’s concession area. Restoration of peatlands outside the concession area (cultivated land and protected forest) can be satisfied because the government can directly restore these peatlands. This paper uses various reliable document sources as the primary data source, which becomes material for analysis.

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AND MONITORING EFFORTS (UKL-UPL) FOR OIL AND GAS SECTOR

Environmental monitoring is an integrated activity of the environmental management in general. Normally, any activity or industry has a written environmental management program called Environmental Management Plan or Rencana Pengelolaan Lingkungan (RKL). This document that has to be legalized or approved by the government describes an environmental management program that shall be implemented by the industry following the establishment of a project. Eventually, success of the RKL implementation can be monitored through environmental monitoring program that has been described in a document defined as Environmental Monitoring Plan or Rencana Pemantauan Lingkungan (RPL). Both RKL and RPL are the environmental management system planning documents that are established following the environmental impact assessment (EIA) AMDAL (Analisis Mengenai Dampak Lingkungan) study for a new project. Regulation regarding with the compulsory for conducting AMDAL is defined in the Government Regulation (Peraturan Pemerintah, PP) No. 29/1986, which is then revised by PP No. 51/1993, and finally by PP. No. 27/1999. Many questions are launched by the oil and gas industries in Indonesia, since these industries have been started their activity long before the AMDAL regulation being put into effect. Moreover, the recent ministerial decree" (Ministerial Decree of Environment No. 17/ 2001) describing the scale limit of the project that has to be preceded by AMDAL study has added confusion to the oil and gas industries. This is not surprising since many of the contracting parties for oil and gas industries in Indonesia have handed over their concession area of oil and gas fields to other parties. The new contracting parties have some difficulties in interpreting the regulations, especially when they intend to develop their contracting area. Shall they conduct EIA/AMDAL study or just Environmental Management and Monitoring Ef forts (Upaya Pengelolaan Lingkungan dan Upaya Pemantauan Lingkungan, UKL-UPL) before implementing the activities? In order to give information especially to the new contracting companies of oil and gas exploration and production those who have bought the concession from the previous companies, the author eager to write this paper describing environmental study that shall be conducted prior the implementation of a new project. Mechanism for requesting a government permit is also included in this paper focusing on upstream activity.

Future assessment of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the electricity market based on a stochastic socioeconomic model

This paper proposes a time-series stochastic socioeconomic model for analyzing the impact of the pandemic on the regulated distribution electricity market. The proposed methodology combines the optimized tariff model (socioeconomic market model) and the random walk concept (risk assessment technique) to ensure robustness/accuracy. The model enables both a past and future analysis of the impact of the pandemic, which is essential to prepare regulatory agencies beforehand and allow enough time for the development of efficient public policies. By applying it to six Brazilian concession areas, results demonstrate that consumers have been/will be heavily affected in general, mainly due to the high electricity tariffs that took place with the pandemic, overcoming the natural trend of the market. In contrast, the model demonstrates that the pandemic did not/will not significantly harm power distribution companies in general, mainly due to the loan granted by the regulator agency, named COVID-account. Socioeconomic welfare losses averaging 500 (MR$/month) are estimated for the equivalent concession area, i.e., the sum of the six analyzed concession areas. Furthermore, this paper proposes a stochastic optimization problem to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on the electricity market over time, considering the interests of consumers, power distribution companies, and the government. Results demonstrate that it is successful as the tariffs provided by the algorithm compensate for the reduction in demand while increasing the socioeconomic welfare of the market.

A Diversity Index Model based on Spatial Analysis to Estimate High Conservation Value in a Mining Area

Large scale land-based investments have a significant impact on natural resources and environmental conditions. It is necessary to protect areas of high conservation value (HCV) within land management investments, such as the mining sector, to minimise this impact. The existence of high conservation value sites in locations with activities related to the mining sector is intended to maintain the ecological and conservation value of a mining investment area. We demonstrate a model that can identify potential high conservation value sites in mining areas using remote sensing data and spatial analysis compiled with field observation data. The research was conducted in one of the largest nickel mining areas (71,047 ha) in South Sulawesi, Indonesia. We mapped vegetation density using the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), calculated from Sentinel-2 imagery. We also collected biodiversity data in predetermined inventory sampling plots, which we then used to estimate species richness using the Shannon-Wiener diversity index. Using a linear regression model to compare the normalized difference vegetation index value in each sampling plot with the biodiversity value of flora and fauna, we then estimated biodiversity distribution patterns for the entire study area. We found that potential high conservation value areas (areas likely to have high biodiversity based on our regression model) covered 40,000 ha, more than half of the total concession area.

FROM THE INVASION TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE DA NANG CONCESSION BY THE FRENCH COLONIALISTS (1858 - 1888)

The research was conducted based on original documents, such as letters, archives, and monographs from the French-Spanish alliance invaded Vietnam until the signing of the agreement dated October 1, 1888. The results show that, from 1858, with the plot to annex and establish a colony in Vietnam, the French colonialists allied with Spain to attack Da Nang. After defending the Nguyen dynasty, the French colonialists quickly planned and setted up concessions in the Tonkin and Central of Vietnam. Da Nang from a provincial administrative unit under the Nguyen dynasty became a concession area with its own legal, administrative and regulatory system of the French colonial government. Based on the research results, the article will contribute to clarifying the difficulties and challenges of the French colonialists in the early invasion of Vietnam. In addition the article will point out the French colonialists' attempts to force the Nguyen dynasty to sign treaties to turn Da Nang into a concessions area.

Lived Experiences of Survivors of COVID-19 Disease at Hwange Colliery Hospital, Zimbabwe

The COVID-19 pandemic is one of the worst global nightmares in the past decade for both healthcare workers and general public. The initial focus has been on the lifesaving and biomedical aspects, but COVID-19 has rapidly established itself as an illness that negatively impacts the psychosocial health of all affected individuals. The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of survivors of COVID-19 disease with intent to identify gaps within the healthcare system in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and therefore improve the patient care. A phenomenological approach was used and a purposive sampling technique employed to select 15 participants at Hwange Colliery hospital for the study. All the participants were individuals aged between 19 and 55 years who had recovered from COVID-19 disease. Participants were either Hwange Colliery Company Limited employees or dependents and resident of Hwange Colliery concession area. Analysis of data was done during data collection using the Braun and Clarke (2006) thematic analysis. Three themes with eleven subthemes emerged from data and these were: awareness of COVID-19 disease; sources of information and trust of sources of information, causes and origins of the COVID-19, health seeking; physical manifestations, specimen collection and experience, treatment and home remedies, interaction with healthcare workers, psychosocial dimension; isolation and experiences, fears and concerns, family and friends support, religious, job security. The study revealed the lived experiences of survivors of COVID-19 disease. The survivors’ fear and coping mechanisms were made plain. The age of participants ranged from 19 years to 55 years with a mean age of 36.3 and a standard deviation of 5.1

Renewables with Energy Storage: A Time-series Socioeconomic Model for Business and Welfare Analysis

This paper seeks to quantify the effects of the increasing penetration level of renewable distributed generation and energy storage systems on the regulated electricity market over time. More specifically, the emphasis is on the long-term implications of distributed energy resources on energy loss and how it affects the electricity market. The proposed methodology is based on a modified combination of the Bass diffusion model (time-series forecasting of the penetration level of distributed energy resources) and the optimized tariff model (socioeconomic regulated electricity market model). Such models have not previously been applied jointly, even though they exhibit great potential for long-term market assessment in the context of distributed energy resources integration. The methodology enables the analysis of multiple public policies regarding renewable distributed generation and energy storage systems, such as net billing schemes to accelerate their deployment. Furthermore, the methodology also enables the assessment of energy storage systems' feasibility. By applying the methodology to a concession area in southern Brazil, results demonstrate that energy storage systems are feasible if combined with appropriate public policies, as a performance index (mean socioeconomic gain) of 329 (MR$) was obtained.

Nilai Ekonomi Kawasan Hutan Mangrove Bagi Nelayan Sekitar Area Pertambangan PT. SILO Kotabaru, Kalimantan Selatan

The mangrove forest area of PT. SILO (Sebuku Iron Lateric Ores) Kotabaru company has a mining concession area of ± 9,771 ha, around ± 85 ha of the areas are mangrove forest area that have been freed from mining activities. However, this company plans to manage this area to be an ecotourism forest in order to provide the economic value around the communities. This study aims to investigate the economic value of mangrove forest areas based on three criterions of benefit: (1) direct, indirect, and optional benefit. The primary data were collected using several method: survey, observation, and interviews with fishermen and communities around the area. A total of 22 respondents of 150 fishermen were interviewed randomly: 15 fish/shrimp fishermen, 2 clam catchers, 4 mud crab catchers, and 1 mud crab cultivator. The collected data were analyzed descriptively and total economic valuation analysis using quantification technique of market prices, indirect prices, and replacement values. The results showed the economic value of the mangrove forest area for direct benefit was IDR 10,082,232,500 year-1 (shrimp IDR 9,411,573,000; fish IDR 265,717,000; clam IDR 99,242,500; and mud crabs Rp. 305,700,000. The indirect benefit was Rp. 10,578,857,143 year-1 and as an abrasion barrier was 174,082,920 year-1 , while the value of the selected benefits was Rp. 17,901,000 year-1 . In conclusion, the value of strategic developed areas is literally integrated mangrove aquaculture (silvofishery) and mangrove ecotourism.