Peatland Utilization Research Articles

The Effect of Water Table and Rainfall on the KBDI Drought Index in the Liang Anggang Protected Forest Area Block 1

Peatlands in Indonesia cover an area of more than 7% of the land area, which is around 14.95 million hectares spread over the islands of Sumatra, Kalimantan, and Papua and a small part of Sulawesi. The utilization of peatlands is carried out by clearing land and constructing a drainage network. This results in peatlands being unable to absorb water, causing a decrease in the water level (TMA) as well as land fires and irreversible drying. This also occurs in a protected forest in Liang Anggang District, Landasan Ulin Utara. This study aims to determine the drought index onpeatlands in the Liang Anggang Protected Forest Area, South Kalimantan, for hotspots.This study uses an analytical method by collecting rainfall data from 2000 to 2021 obtained from the Syamsudin Noor Banjarmasin Class II Meteorological Station. Then the data will be processed using analysis from the Keech Byram Drought Index (KBDI) model of modification of the physical properties of peat. The results obtained from this study are data to determine the drought index on peatlands in the Liang AnggangProtected Forest Area, South Kalimantan, for hotspots and the level of the KBDI drought index, which affects the spread of hotspots where the higher the KBDI drought index is at an extreme level, the hotspots more and more. Keywords: Fibric Peat, KBDI modification, Hotspot, Liang Anggang Protection Forest

POLICY, SOCIAL-ECONOMIC, AND INSTITUTIONAL CONTEXT IN PEATLAND MANAGEMENT IN INDONESIA

This paper describes the dynamics that occur in the use and management of peatlands in Indonesia as a result of various policies that are not integrated. Various policies have been made by the government in an effort to use and manage peatlands properly. The problem is that many of these policies are accused of being motivated by short-term interests that override long-term considerations. This study uses a legal policy approach, which is an approach that is carried out by observing laws and regulations relating to the policy issues under study. The results of the study show that the dynamics of peatland policies in Indonesia, which experience ups and downs, clearly show a paradoxical position, namely the existence of policy variables that emphasize the value of sustainability and variables that prioritize the value of development. The fires and haze that often occur in the dry season and the accompanying diseases in many areas are an unavoidable impact due to errors in peatland utilization and management policies.

FOOD SELF-SUFFICIENCY AT THE LOCAL LEVEL: A CASE STUDY IN PEATLANDS OF SOUTH SUMATRA

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought attention to the need for Indonesia to prepare for future food challenges. The government is focusing on developing underdeveloped areas, including peatlands, which have great potential for integrated farming systems. Bangsal is a village with peat swamp lands that serve as a source of food in OKI Regency, South Sumatera. During the dry season, the land is used for agriculture, while during the rainy season, it is used for fisheries. This paper analyzes (a) the village-based farming patterns in peatland areas, (b) the institutional framework of peatland farmer groups in Bangsal, and (c) the strategy for sustainable peatland utilization for food security. The study used both qualitative and quantitative data analysis methods. The research showed that the role of the Ulak Kuto Mandiri effectively and efficiently increased community income and food self-sufficiency. Integrated farming systems, including swamp buffalo farming, swamp fish farming, and swamp agriculture, optimally and sustainably increased the potential of peatlands. Sustainable peatland utilization through integrated farming systems technically preserves the peatland ecosystem from land conversion, is economically feasible, increases the income of farmers, livestock breeders, and local cultural traditions, and empowers women in farming activities. It also reduces forest fire risks, chemical fertilizer and pesticide use, and increases peatland productivity.

Dominance of palm oil plantation utilization on peatlands in Riau Province

Oil palm plantations have a positive impact in the form of increasing economic and social value for people in Riau Province. The area of oil palm plantations continues to increase. The limited mineral land in Riau Province has triggered the opening of oil palm plantations on peatlands. The study was conducted to obtain information on the dominance of the use of oil palm plantations in peatlands in Riau Province in this decade. The study was conducted with a descriptive approach based on analysis of changes in peatland use and increased production of oil palm plantations. The analysis was carried out spatially with the overlay technique. The analysis results were strengthened descriptively based on a literature review. The results study found that the area of oil palm plantations on peatlands in Riau Province reached 44.48%. The total production of FFE increased from 127 tons in 2010 to 193 tons in 2020. The estimated was number of people who depend on the oil palm plantation sector is 51.93%. The concluded that oil palm plantation activities have dominated the utilization of peatlands in Riau Province. The increase in oil palm plantations supports increasing production and becomes a leading commodity. The dominance of oil palm plantations has contributed to social and economic aspects as the mayor source of livelihood and increasing income.

30 years trend of peatland utilization in Riau Province

The peatland was a type of wetland ecosystem that was easily damaged. Damage to peatlands is generally caused by various types of unmanaged land use. The linear increase in the number and needs of the population has triggered the conversion of peatlands every year. This study reveals facts in an exploratory descriptive manner on the trend of peatland use in Riau Province from 1990-2020. The determination of the type of land use is based on changes in the condition of the peatland cover derived from Landsat images in 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2020. The analysis was carried out with a spatial approach with overlay techniques using geographic information system applications. The results of the analysis found that the area of forest cover on peatlands in Riau Province has experienced a very large decrease from 71.71% to 35.93%. The rate of decline in forest cover area to non-forest is around 59,311.65 ha/year. The use of peatlands for cultivation activities continued to increase over the previous 30 years, from 28.29% to 64.07%. The largest utilization came from plantation activities by 44.48%. This value is very large compared to other activities such as dry land agriculture, rice fields, open land, settlements, infrastructure, mining, swamps, scrub bushes, and transmigration. This shows that plantation activities have dominated the use of peatlands, even faster than other types of land cover. Plantation activities in Riau province are dominated by oil palm, both company plantations and smallholder plantations. The increase in the area of oil palm plantations was triggered by an increase in demand and a very high economic profit value compared to other types of agricultural commodities. So that the ability to manage plantations on sustainable peatlands is very important.

Edukasi Water Management kepada Masyarakat: Mencegah Kebakaran Lahan Gambut dan Pemanfaatan Lahan Gambut untuk Pertanian di Desa Kuta Padang Kabupaten Aceh Barat

Education activities on water management and peatland utilization were carried out in Kuta Padang Villages, Bubon Subdistrict, West Aceh Regency. Involving 20 participants, including village officials, this water management education emphasized the importance of peat rewetting (Rewetting) and canal closure as the main strategies in addressing degradation and the risk of peatland fires. Through the Focused Group Discussion (FGD) method, participants were taught about fluctuations in groundwater levels, the identification of canal blocking construction, and the utilization of peatlands for agriculture. The results of the activity showed an increase in community understanding of the impact of peatland ecosystem damage and its connection to land fires. Education also discussed fluctuations in groundwater levels as a crucial element in water management, providing a better understanding of groundwater dynamics in peatlands. The selection of efficient food and horticultural crops for shallow peatlands became a focus in land utilization for agriculture.

Characterizing subsidence in used and restored peatland with Sentinel SAR data

Peatland is a fragile ecosystem in the tropical region which is prone to subsidence. Until now, there is still lack of procedure to rapidly assess a tropical peatland subsidence in a large area. Our objective was to compare subsidence in a used and restored zone in a peatland hydrological unit using synthetic aperture radar data from Sentinel-1A products (SAR data) in South Sumatra, Indonesia from the period of 2014–2021. The subsidence rate of used peatland estimated by the D-InSAR procedure were in the range of 28–80 cm year−1 in the early period of its utilization and becoming less for the consecutive year (16–48 cm year−1). Meanwhile, the subsidence rate based on the field surveys was in the range of 4–50 cm year−1 in the early period of peatland utilization. The subsidence rate in the used peatland zone (agriculture and plantations) was higher than that in the restoration zone for all SAR data pairs used in our study. The SAR data is a potential tool for the assessment, monitoring and differentiating subsidence rates among different peatland uses in a large area. This tool will help the Directorate of Peat Ecosystem Degradation Control, Directorate General of Environmental Pollution and Degradation Control, and Ministry of Environment and Forestry to plan for better peatland management and restoration.

Paludiculture: Peatland utilization for food security

Degraded tropical peatland in Indonesia has been restored since 2016 through 3R efforts including rewetting, revegetation, and revitalization of local livelihood. Many studies concluded that the involvement of the local community is the key to the success of peatland restoration. The restoration that touches the local community’s livelihood will be well accepted and adopted. Paludiculture is cultivation in wetlands. It is an alternative to peatland utilization without drainage. This paper presents challenges and opportunities in the establishment and development of paludiculture and at the same time presents paludiculture species that have been developed in Central Kalimantan province to support food security. A survey on food-producing paludiculture species was carried out in semi-structured interviews and field observation in Central Kalimantan. The results showed that the presence of food-producing paludiculture species was very limited. Lack of information and knowledge on local peatland species, lack of seed sources and inappropriate rewetting techniques were challenges that are being faced in the development of paludiculture.

Paludiculture: peatland utilization to support climate change adaptation

Tropical peatlands are one of the largest carbon-storing ecosystems in the world. Draining tropical peatland causes environmental damage including greenhouse gas emissions. Drained peat is highly susceptible to fires that increase carbon emissions into the air. Rewetting is one way to solve the problem because, to achieve a zero or negative carbon balance, the water level should be close to or above the surface to maintain the water saturation of peat. The government of Indonesia has thoughtfully restored the peatland by implementing the 3R approach (rewetting, revegetation, and revitalizing local livelihood). After rewetting, paludiculture (wetland cultivation) is a promising land-use option for peatland. Through paludiculture, the peatland ecosystem will be improved which has already undergone drainage and will re-encourage carbon accumulative in peatland. This paper aims to determine the potential of paludiculture to support climate change adaptation including presenting challenges and opportunities in its implementation. Paludiculture has been shown to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by keeping peat moist. Besides having an ecological function, paludiculture also functions economically because it can be an alternative source of livelihood for people living around peat.

Study of oil palm plantation on peatland under spatial policies in Jambi Province, Indonesia

According to The State of Indonesia’s Forest 2020 report, 23.96 M ha of peat ecosystems in Indonesia are currently damaged. Peat ecosystems have a high level of vulnerability to landscape changes. Some of the main functions of peatland are ecological conservation, energy, and agriculture. One of major agricultural activities on peatland is oil palm plantation. Extra strict land management is needed to reach sustainability and minimize disaster (e.g., land fires) following The Guidelines for the Utilization of Peatlands for Oil Palm Cultivation, regulated by the Minister of Agriculture No. 14/2009. Still, many other policies also control aspects of protection and cultivation on peatlands. The research focused on analyzing dynamics of spatial policy on peatlands for oil palm cultivation. Spatial policies used included spatial pattern of Jambi Province, land permits, and maps of the status of forest areas. This study analyzed inconsistency of policies on spatial patterns, permits, and forest areas status in oil palm plantations on peatland. This research was conducted in Jambi Province, where 13.86% (121,290 ha) was on peatland. The analysis used a logical alignment matrix and GIS. The results showed that oil palm plantations on peatland with HGU/other permits generally aligned to spatial planning, permit, and forest area status. Its area reached 50,598 ha. Peatland utilization should go through suitable technical planning stages and considering actual land use/tenure and water system functioning.

The priming effect in compost amelioration of tropical peat soil

Utilization of peat land for agriculture in Indonesia is increasing and some efforts in improving the peat soil fertility is being highly concerned. In addition to fertilizers, farmers add some fresher organic matter as the ameliorants, such as compost to support better microbial growth in the soil for increasing the decomposition process. Theoretically the addition of compost onto peat soil would lead to priming effect, hence it would accelerate the decomposition of peat organic matter. This study was to observe the impact of decomposition process due to adding compost to respiratory CO2 of peat soil. Peat soil from Central Kalimantan was used for experiment, incubated with KOH and then the respiratory CO2 was measured with titration method. Two different sizes of peat soil materials obtained from sieving peat soils, i.e. 5 mm and > the 5 mm. Each peat soil materials were mixed with 10%, 25%, and 50% compost to the total 100 grams. Post the compost addition, the samples were incubated for 20 days, and the respiratory CO2 was gauged for 4 times at 5 days interval during the incubation. It was showed that the more compost mixed to the peat soil materials, the more CO2 produced. The highest CO2 was 912.00 mg/g/day from compost incubation and a mixture of 50 gram of compost and coarse peat soil material produced 460.8 mg/g/day.

Potentials of peatlands for agriculture in Tanjung Jabung Barat Regency, Jambi Province

Peatlands are considerably vulnerable and fragile. Despite this, peatlands serve as a place to live and to exercise sustainable farming for some communities. This study aims to examine the potentials of peatland in Tanjung Jabung Barat Regency for agricultural activities. Peatland distribution map with scale of 1:50,000 and the unanimous map on forest functions (TGHK map) are the main sources for this study. Laboratory analysis over seven soil samples were used for the assessment of land suitability, before overlaid with TGHK map to determine potentials and availability of lands for agriculture activities. Results showed that only 20,285 ha were suitable for agricultural activities. About 18,433 ha peatlands were classified as marginally suitable (S3) for food crops or horticulture, while the same level of suitability for annual crops occupied around 20,142 ha. Main limiting factors in land suitability were root condition (rc) due to deep to very deep peat depth categories; and nutrient retention (nr) due to high soil acidity. Utilization of peatlands for agricultural activities needs to appropriately conserve pristine condition to allow sustainable environment in the long term while maintaining and economic benefits. This research suggests that local water management, liming, fertilizer and minimum tillage would improve the quality of peatlands.

Response of four oil palm varieties to low frond desiccation in the main nursery with water stress conditions on peat

Oil palm is an important commodities for plantation sub-sector in Indonesia. The limitation of mineral soils for agriculture directs utilization of peatland for oil palm plantation. The major problem of peatland plantations is Low Frond Desiccation (LFD) due to fluctuation of groundwater. This study observed the responses of oil palm in the main nursery to water stress as well as the changes in physical and physiological properties of plants. This research using factorial randomized block design, replicated three times with two factors (four oil palm varieties and five watering stoppage) to determine plant responses to watering stoppage. The results showed that watering stoppage can increase the LFD incidence, decrease leaf chlorophyll, water content and plant height. The highest incidence and LFD intensity was at 5 weeks watering stoppage with the highest LFD intensity value of 45.67%. LFD started at 2 weeks watering stoppage with LFD intensity ranging from Dumpy variety 17.69%, DxP 540 variety 28.58%, Langkat variety 29,46%, Yangambi variety 38.89%. The oil palm varieties having the highest LFD intensity at 5 weeks watering stoppage were found in the Yangambi variety and the lowest was in the Dumpy variety.

Swot Analysis of Peatland Utilization Assessment for Community (Case Study at Banjar Regency of South Kalimantan)

<p>Peatland is a unique, marginal, and fragile ecosystem. Its utilization must be based on thorough research and planning, and it needs supports from everyone. Yards, fields, and gardens are the forms that the community generally uses to utilize peatlands. This research aims to assess community's activities in the peatlands as their source of living and income. This research was conducted in Indonesia, specifically in the Province of South Kalimantan within an area with the biggest peatland contour. Descriptive data research was analyzed using thematic, socio-economic, and SWOT analysis. Research finding showed that farming is the suitable source of livelihood in the peatlands, besides plantation and other fields. The highest income from non-land activities on the peatlands are from entrepreneurship, physical service, and animal husbandry. People's general livelihood are as farmers whose prior commodity is with bigger average income than the province minimum wage per month. This is expected to describe that income from peatlands can make the ends meet of the community. This can also increase farmer's knowledge in cultivating their lands, the choice of plant type that is suitable with biophysical conditions of the peatlands. To work on the limit of the community's knowledge, activities and solutions from the experts on how to deal with farmer's problems in cultivating peatlands, are needed. Agroforestry technique is very suitable to analyze the source of livelihood. As forms to reserve lands in a farming world, the use of husk charcoal is also suggested. It has abundant benefits. It is often used for soil loosening, even for composting. Farmers make use of it for making compost, bokashi, Takakura, planting media, and seedbed media.</p>

Remote Sensing Image Analysis for Identification of Peat Thickness Using Spectral Transformation Approach: Case Study of Bengkalis Island, Riau, Indonesia

Peatland plays an important role in the global climate. Balancing economic, social and conservation needs on peatland utilization become an obligation in developing sustainable peatland regulation. To identify the appropriate land function in the peatland environment, the depth of peat is the main property to manage those balance needs. On the other hand, vast areas of peatland changing hinder rapid peat depth mapping method to have high accuracy. Multi-temporal remote sensing data were used to identify peatland-related land-use changes. The vegetation and wetness indices spectral transformations had been analyzed. The method used for the accuracy test in this study was correlation and regression analysis for modeling and the Standard Error of Estimate (SEE). The results of this study showed the vegetation indices and NDSI was not able to obtain peat thickness model due to the unstable vegetation and land cover changes. However, the NDWI was satisfied with the statistical assessment and was able to obtain the peat thickness with 41.96% accuracy. The determination of a sample design, the number and distribution of samples in preserved land covers, and missed variables and external factors in this study need to be considered in further research. The vegetation indices and wetness indices potentially can be the alternative variables to construct the peat depth map.

SPATIAL MODELING IN SUSTAINABLE PEAT LAND MANAGEMENT BASED ON PEAT HYDROLOGICAL UNITS (KHG)

Utilization of peatlands becoming more massive from time to time. On the other hand, efforts are needed to ensure the sustainability of peatland functions for the environment. In an effort to support the sustainability of peatland functions, spatial modelling with the basis of KHG is needed to facilitate its management. This study aims to provide input on the optimization of peatlands based on KHG to be used for the community, while maintaining its sustainability. The method used is spatial analysis that covered data KHG, Land Unit, Soil, Ground water level (GWL), Rainfall data. The results of the study show that KHG helps to more focus on determining the AOI (Area of interest) to be researched. The inputs needed for research based on KHG, are:- KHG analysis of: 1. land unit; 2. Rainfall data, 3. GWL data, 4. Soil data. that can identify KHG areas that need attention to be managed properly:the tidal peatland, and the peat dome for conservation efforts. Analysis of KHG with rainfall and GWL, it can be obtained the months (February and November) which function as controls on the success of management through the GWL value.

Can We Simultaneously Restore Peatlands and Improve Livelihoods? Exploring Community Home Yard Innovations in Utilizing Degraded Peatland

Peatlands support the daily needs of people in many villages in Indonesia, including in Central Kalimantan Province. They provide the natural resources to enable fisheries, agriculture, plantations, and forestry. However, peatland utilization comes with various challenges, including fire, soil acidity, inundation, low fertility, and limited choice of suitable species. Many of the current uses of peatland can result in its degradation, oxidation, and increased risk of peat fire. Avoiding further environmental degradation will require the development of new technology that allows the community to both earn a livelihood and protect the peatland. In this study we assessed a range of technologies applied by 14 farmers at Tumbang Nusa village, Central Kalimantan province, in managing degraded peatlands in their home yard for agricultural business. The study shows that for endemic peatland species, good success can be achieved if they are planted directly. However, for species endemic to mineral land, there are four technologies applied by farmers in managing degraded peatland. The choice of technologies is influenced by their economic capacity/cash flow flexibility and their understanding of peatlands. Technologies intended to adapt to land inundation include the use of polybags, development of raised beds, and making peat mounds with mineral soil in the centre. Technologies to address the acidity and soil fertility include amelioration with dolomite lime and fertilizer. The use of polybags filled with peat soil is the easiest technology to adopt and can be conducted by all family members. However, a farmer’s choice of technology needs to always consider the potential environmental impacts in addition to increasing soil fertility so that peat conservation is maintained.

Peatland characteristics and oil palm productivity at Siak Regency, Riau Province

The utilization of peatland as a source of livelihood from the agricultural sector is still important, especially for peatland-dominated areas. One example of its utilization is for oil palm commodities. The objective of this study was to analyze the existing condition of peatland in oil palm plantation in Siak Regency of Riau Province. The research method was field survey, literature study and interviews. The data collected was the chemical and physical properties of peat soil, groundwater table depth and oil palm productivity. The field study was carried out at 4 blocks representing sapric and hemic peat maturity. The study found that the depth of the groundwater table varies depending on the rainfall. Even though the canal blocking system has been implemented, the depth of the groundwater level still fluctuated. The productivity of oil palm increased with age and the highest was reached at the age of 14 years. The results of the chemical properties analysis showed that the land was categorized in good fertility, because of good agricultural practices management. Further research is needed regarding the dominant factor of peatland that causes fluctuations in water level depth.

Peatlands Are More Beneficial if Conserved and Restored than Drained for Monoculture Crops

Peatlands are especially important but fragile tropical landscapes. The importance of peatlands is owing to their ability to 1) sequester a considerable amount of terrestrial carbon, 2) store freshwater, and 3) regulate floods during the rainy season. Nowadays, extensive peatland degradation occurs because of peatland utilization for agriculture purposes, causing severe environmental consequences such as carbon emission, loss of biodiversity, risk of flooding, and peat fire. Meanwhile, local planners and decision makers tend to overlook the long-term strategic function of peatlands for carbon storage and hydrological regulation, preferring peatland utilization for short-term economic benefits. The objective of our study is to quantify the total ecosystem services (except biodiversity) of a tropical peatland landscape in various peat-utilization scenarios to help build awareness among local planners and decision makers on the strategic tradeoff between peatland utilization and restoration. Studies on the total ecosystem services in a tropical peatland landscape involving hydrological regulation are still rare. Based on the net present value calculation, provisioning services, carbon regulation, and hydrological regulation in our study area account for 19, 70, and 11% of the total ecosystem services, respectively. Based on uncertainty analysis, at any combination of the social cost of carbon emission (within a range of USD 52.7–USD 107.4) and discount rate (within a range of 5–10%), the enrichment of peatlands with paludiculture crops (e.g., jelutong) shows superior ecosystem services compared to other peatland-utilization scenarios. Conversely, planting peatlands with monoculture crops, which are associated with peatland drainage, shows a rapid decrease in the total ecosystem services. The fluvial carbon export in our study, which is often neglected in a peatland carbon budget, increases the estimate of the total carbon budget by 8%. Restoring undrained peatlands with paludiculture crops such as jelutong contributes positively to carbon sequestration and potentially reduces carbon emissions by 11%. These quantitative findings can help local planners and decision makers in understanding the tradeoff between the long-term benefits of peatland restoration and the short-term economic benefits of peatland utilization for monoculture crops.

PENENTUAN PENGGUNAAN LAHAN GAMBUT UNTUK PENINGKATAN EKONOMI MASYARAKAT DI KABUPATEN INDRAGIRI HULU

Sustainable peatland management will have an impact on the welfare of the community as a whole. Rural communities use peatlands as their primary source of income. This article aims to formulate plants on peatlands to improve the economy of the community Indragiri Hulu Regency. The method used is a combination of field observation data and a participatory geographic information system (GIS-P). The utilization of peatlands is still dominated by oil palm and rubber plants. Peatlands have the potential for high-value and environmentally friendly vegetation, such as gaharu, barley and liberica coffee. The shallower peatlands are suitable for horticultural vegetation such as rice and short-lived vegetables and fruits. Besides, it is reasonable to cultivate wetlands in Indragiri Hulu, such as catfish, catfish, tilapia and tilapia. Through this participatory information system, it is possible to determine the commodities developed in the region.