Pulp Plantations Research Articles

Judicial Decisions on Indigenous Peoples’ Land Rights: An Appraisal of Its Effect

This paper highlights the impact of selected judicial decisions on the claims to land rights by the indigenous peoples in Malaysia. A judicial impact study is important because court decisions can alter the status of law that controls social and political behaviour and/or elicit responses from other political actors, thus influencing policy and political outcomes. The Malaysian Courts have played a significant role in developing law that acknowledges indigenous customary rights in Malaysia. For example, the case of Nor Anak Nyawai and Others v Borneo Pulp Plantation Sdn Bhd [2001] 6 MLJ 241 not only clarified the legal position of native customary rights but also had a profound impact in the Malaysian legal system. The judgment had aided in the reoccupation of the Iban’s territories. Sagong bin Tasi & Ors v. Kerajaan Negeri Selangor [2002] 2 CLJ 591 recognised that indigenous customary land rights were of equal legal status to full ownership or title to the land in Peninsular Malaysia. By applying doctrinal legal research, the three cases selected are, first, the landmark case of Director of Forest, Sarawak & Anor v. TR Sandah Tabau & Ors and Other Appeals [2017] 2 MLRA 91 which led to the amendment of the Sarawak Land Code 1958. The second and third cases are claims by the Orang Asli in Pos Dakoh and Pos Belatim against the government of Kelantan and in which consent judgments were entered. This study would be significant in emphasizing the impact of judicial decisions and the need for courts to ensure that the decision is carried out as well. Regardless of the courts’ findings, the government’s implementation of such decisions is still insufficient. Nonetheless, certain indigenous groups have re-occupied their territory without the state’s consent. As a result, the court decisions have provided people with a significant motivation to physically reclaim their land.

Extinction risk to the endemic trees of Papua New Guinea

Societal Impact StatementPapua New Guinea has a diverse tree flora. Now for the first time we know that 460 (36%) of its endemic tree species are threatened with extinction in the wild. These trees require immediate conservation action, through a variety of methods. Protection of trees is essential in Papua New Guinea as many people across the country rely on them for their livelihoods. Additionally, the extinction of these species would mean the loss of unique biodiversity. With the majority of forest cover still remaining in Papua New Guinea, it presents an almost unique opportunity to save tree diversity at a large scale and should therefore be at the forefront of the conservation agenda.Summary Papua New Guinea is one of the world's most tree diverse countries, with over 1,200 endemic tree species. However, forests within the country face a range of threats but the impact of these threats on individual tree species has yet to be studied. Without identifying which species are threatened, where they are and their major threats it is not possible to effectively prioritise conservation actions for the trees of Papua New Guinea. The Global Tree Assessment for Papua New Guinea produced International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assessments for over 90% of tree species endemic to Papua New Guinea. The assessments compiled information on extinction risk, major threats, conservation and research needs for the country's tree flora. Four hundred and sixty tree species are threatened with extinction, including 143 Critically Endangered species. This is 36% of the country's endemic tree flora. The majority of tree species are threatened by annual‐perennial non‐timber crop farming, logging and establishment of wood and pulp plantations. The change in land use instigated by these threats causes lowland tropical/sub‐tropical forest to be the most threatened habitat types for trees. To protect Papua New Guinea's diverse tree flora, a range of conservation activities are required. Both in situ and ex situ conservation efforts, which are species specific, are needed and activities should be supported on a local, national and international level with continued and expanded collaboration between international NGOs and botanists and specialists working in Papua New Guinea.

Burn Area Detection Using Landsat 8 OLI TIRS

Fires associated with land use conversion activities such as agricultural expansion, palm and pulp plantations, peat land alteration, and industrial deforestation are significant in Indonesia (Jerrod & Alex, 2015). Fires season in 2015 is one of the worst incident in Indonesia since 1997, it made Indonesia at the second position as an emitter country, at least 22 days in September 2015, and generated more than the daily average emission of U.S. economic activity. A study from the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) and Asian Development Bank (ADB) estimated that the amount of land affected by fires reaches 9.75 million hectares. It caused losses reached US$.4.861 or equivalent to IDR711 trillion or even more based on disruption of economic activities, transportation problems, and health problems. Head of Data Information and Public Relations of National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, said the economic impact of smog disasters occurring in several provinces in Indonesia in 2015 could exceed 20 trillion per province. The most widespread forest fire area occurred in South Sumatra Province. BNPB released that during 2015 in South Sumatera Province has 35.008 hotspots and the burnt area is 641.964 Ha. The most affected area is in Ogan Komering Ilir Regency. Landsat 8 OLI TIRS has a 30-meter spatial resolution for each band except TIRS band and panchromatic band (USGS, 2016). TIRS band has a 100-meter spatial resolution but are resampled to 30-meter that can be used to identify burned scars area. By using SWIR bands (TM bands 5 and 7 in Landsat 5 and 7 systems) as a NBR (Normalized burn ratio) composite, can be used to detecting and mapping burnt area. TIRS algorithm which was used to detect fire will be seen red and SWIR which was used to detect water stress in vegetation and burned vegetation will be seen green, both of them will become darker when burn happened. This method modifying dNBR (pre-NBR – post-NBR) composite, which only can be used in oil palm plantations area that has same commodities, so can be used in various type of landuse especially the area that has plantation adjoin with forest area.

Examining hardwood pulp and ethanol prices for improved poplar plantations in Canada

Temporal variation in prices is an important factor that influences returns on investments and decisions made by policy makers. This study investigates the behaviour of two output prices potentially associated with growing improved poplars in Canada: hardwood pulp and ethanol. Time series techniques are used to assess the processes and volatility of hardwood pulp and ethanol price series. The findings indicate that price series for hardwood pulp and ethanol are best characterized by mean reverting processes around constant averages, indicating more predictability for poplar producers than would be the case for random walks. However, the results from the volatility analysis suggest substantial uncertainty for producers. The volatility of both markets is found be to be highly related to past volatilities, and therefore persistent. To the extent that future prices are more volatile, the importance of producers considering multiple product options for pulp plantations increases, as do complexities for policy makers to predict the impacts of policies to support biofuels.

Deforestation and fragmentation of natural forests in the upper Changhua watershed, Hainan, China: implications for biodiversity conservation.

Hainan, the largest tropical island in China, belongs to the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot. The Changhua watershed is a center of endemism for plants and birds and the cradle of Hainan's main rivers. However, this area has experienced recent and ongoing deforestation and habitat fragmentation. To quantify habitat loss and fragmentation of natural forests, as well as the land-cover changes in the Changhua watershed, we analyzed Landsat images obtained in 1988, 1995, and 2005. Land-cover dynamics analysis showed that natural forests increased in area (97,909 to 104,023ha) from 1988 to 1995 but decreased rapidly to 76,306ha over the next decade. Rubber plantations increased steadily throughout the study period while pulp plantations rapidly expanded after 1995. Similar patterns of land cover change were observed in protected areas, indicating a lack of enforcement. Natural forests conversion to rubber and pulp plantations has a general negative effect on biodiversity, primarily through habitat fragmentation. The fragmentation analysis showed that natural forests area was reduced and patch number increased, while patch size and connectivity decreased. These land-cover changes threatened local biodiversity, especially island endemic species. Both natural forests losses and fragmentation should be stopped by strict enforcement to prevent further damage. Preserving the remaining natural forests and enforcing the status of protected areas should be a management priority to maximize the watershed's biodiversity conservation value.

The Influence of Silviculture Treatments on the Leaf Litter Decomposition Rate of Triploid <i>Populus tomentoza</i>

Leaf litter decomposition is a fundamental mechanism for self-fertilization in forest ecosystems. Decomposition rate is an important factor in this process. Understanding how silvicultural treatments affect leaf litter decomposition rate can aid in plantation management. In order to reveal the effects of silvicultural treatments on litter decomposition in triploid Populus tomentoza pulp plantations, a litterbag technique was employed in a range of experimental conditions: with/without tree canopy cover (inter or intra forest belts), intercropping, and embedment in the soil. The results showed treatments had varying affects on leaf litter decomposition. The micro-environment created by the forest belt had no significant impact on leaf litter decomposition. The rate of decomposition of embedded leaf litter was significantly higher than litter on the soil surface, indicating that litter buried by tillage or hoeing would promote faster decomposition. Leaf litter decomposition was also enhanced by mixing with cotton (Gossypium sp.) leaf, showing that intercropping sped up the nutrient cycle in triploid P. tomentoza pulp plantations, thereby maintaining and improving soil productivity.

Degradation of Primate Habitat at Tesso Nilo Forest with Special Emphasis on Riau Pale-Thighed Surili (<i>Presbytis siamensis cana</i>)

The habitat of Riau pale-thighed surili (Presbytis siamensis cana) located in Riau province of Sumatra island between Siak in the north and Indragiri rivers in the south, has been seriously degraded in the last a few decades. This swampy peat land forest has been degraded by frequent burning during the dry season. These problems originated because of poor governance on the forest management, and the construction of two access roads by the owners of logging concessions and wood pulp plantations. This forest block consists of Tesso Nilo National Park, Kerumutan protected area, Production Forest areas belong to two companies, and a small recreation Park. It also contains one of the most important mixed peat swamp forests. Here, we tracked changes in forest cover before and after road construction using GIS and remote sensing imagery. Deforestation rates have increased from 1.5% per year before road construction to 9.28% per year after road construction, which means that the area of forest has decreased by an annual average of 8156 ha in Tesso Nillo alone. The habitat of Riau pale-thighed surili decreased almost up to 60% in the last decade after companies started their converting forest for oil palm and acacia and roads were built crisscrossed. If the trend of deforestation continues, further decline of population of habitat of this species is unavoided. Researches should be carried out in more details to understand the status of population of this subspecies before this subspecies disappears in the wild.

Rubber and pulp plantations represent a double threat to Hainan's natural tropical forests

Hainan, the largest tropical island in China, belongs to the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot and harbors large areas of tropical forests, particularly in the uplands. The Changhua watershed is the cradle of Hainan's main river and a center of endemism for plants and birds. The watershed contains great habitat diversity and is an important conservation area. We analyzed the impact of rubber and pulp plantations on the distribution and area of tropical forest in the watershed, using remote sensing analysis of Landsat images from 1988, 1995 and 2005. From 1988 to 1995, natural forest increased in area (979-1040sqkm) but decreased rapidly (763sqkm) over the next decade. Rubber plantations increased steadily through the study period while pulp plantations appeared after 1995 but occupied 152sqkm by 2005. Rubber and pulp plantations displace different types of natural forest and do not replace one another. Because pulp is not as profitable as rubber and existing pulp processing capacity greatly exceeds local supply, considerable pressure exists on remaining upland forests. We recommend for future management that these plantation forests be reclassified as 'industrial', making a clear policy distinction between natural and industrial forestry. Additionally, the local government should work to enforce existing laws preventing forest conversion on marginal and protected areas.

Complementary labor opportunities in Indonesian pulpwood plantations with implications for land use

This analysis suggests important considerations for assessing social impacts of large-scale pulpwood production in Indonesia, emphasizing the extremely limited conditions under which pulp plantations may complement, rather than threaten, livelihoods of existing communities in their vicinity. Pulpwood plantations are expanding rapidly in Indonesia to feed major new pulp mills. Though officially developed on “unproductive forest lands”, pulpwood monocultures are commonly established at the expense of natural forests and indigenous agroforestry systems in Sumatra and Kalimantan. Based on a South Sumatra case study, this article analyzes how pulpwood plantations may be combined with more traditional land uses to improve livelihoods for local populations, considering the potential for “complementary” labor opportunities. This analysis is built on two assumptions: (1) village smallholder activities represent a first choice for village-based workers and smallholders, with relatively high financial returns per hectare; and (2) seasonal variations in labor requirements for village-based livelihoods open opportunities for complementary labor and land uses such as industrial plantations. Applying our model to a Sumatra case study highlights an upper limit to “complementary labor” for industrial timber plantation land use at a ratio of 5:1 (no more than 5 ha of pulpwood to each 1 ha remaining in intensified local agriculture and agroforestry). Other conditions required to minimize risks for local livelihoods include: flexible timing of company operations; priority to local employment; cautious determination of plantation sites; more transparent government licensing of plantation concessions and pulp mills recognizing local and customary land and resource rights.

Introduction: Negotiating modernity, themes and ideas

The seven papers in this Special Issue draw on local involvement with the forces of capitalism and globalisation, as specific examples explore smallholder resource management and commodity production, together with tenure, migration, ethnicity and identity. The six case studies, all based on recent fieldwork, range across Southeast Asia and the Pacific. They are followed by a general paper which looks more closely at the ideas of capitalism as expounded in the recent writings of Ellen Meiksins Wood (2002) and Hernando de Soto (2000), then examines the relevance of these ideas to the region. In addition to each other’s papers, contributors drew particularly on work by Li (1999, 2002a, 2002b); Rigg (2001); Rigg and Nattapoolwat (2001); and Schrauwers (1999). One important theme is the interface between forests and farms, examined in the first paper by Walker, who emphasises the disjuncture between images of traditional practice and commercial reality in North Thailand in the context of community forestry legislation. He coins the term ‘arborealisation’ for a discourse which privileges forests over agriculture. NGOs and others, attempting to counter government restrictions on upland farmers, have promoted the image of such farmers as forest dependent, communal shifting cultivators. Such an image, he feels, does a disservice to present forest villagers, who are individually managing their land for commercial production, their livelihoods linked to the market and to urban areas. The emphasis placed on their forest management continues to deny their legitimacy as agriculturalists and may exacerbate their legal problems with the state, as many lack formal tenure. Barney’s paper, using case studies of smallholder reaction to plantation forestry from Thailand and Sarawak, suggests the need for modification of an NGO-supported discourse of unproblematic resistance. The Sarawak case concerns an indigenous dispute over a pulp plantation on Native Customary

Effect of cultivation measures on economic benefit ofLarix olgesis pulp forest

According to the cultivating practice ofLarix olgensis pulp plantation, IRR (Internal revenue rate) and NPV (Net present value) were taken as two economic indices to study the effect of cultivation measurements on economic benefit ofLarix olgensis pulp forest. The results showed that the economic benefit of this type of forest is closely related to rotation and site class. Higher economic benefit could be obtained when the rotation is shorter and site class is higher. The planting density also had an obvious influence on economic benefit. On the base of assuring survival rate and conserving rate, the less the fee used in soil preparation and young growth tending is, the higher the economic benefit is. The influence of determined six cultivation measures on economic benefit in sequence was the rotation—site class—density—management fee level—young growth tending intensity—soil preparation methods.

Jari: A pulp plantation in the Brazilian Amazon

Jari plantation is the largest pulp growing operation in the humid tropics, and occupies about 1000 sqkm previously covered by tropical forest. A study of five sites at Jari in 1980 indicated declining soil fertility, and low productivity of pulpwood. Low pulp production at Jari was caused by several factors, one of which appeared to be low soil fertility. The sams sites were re-evaluated in 1987. There was no discernable trend in either nutrients or productivity since 1980.