Peatland Utilization Research Articles

CSR PROGRAM PT PERTAMINA BASED ON COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT IN PEAT ECOTOURISM DEVELOPMENT

Environmental problems that require serious handling are the problem of land and forest fires, especially on peatlands which cause losses, especially economic and environmental aspects. Peatlands are a natural resource that has the potential to be utilized for the welfare of the community. Utilization of peatlands is not only for agriculture, plantations and residential land, but can be used as peat ecotourism. The large number of peatlands that were initially not utilized, and most of them became unproductive idle lands, can be managed properly and are able to contribute samsirto improving the welfare of the surrounding communities through the company’s CSR program. This paper aims to analyze the management of the CSR program in the development of peat ecotourism in Bukit Batu DistrictPakning River.Researchers collected field data through interviews, observation and documentation. The results showed that the company’s CSR program is directed at developing various community empowerment programs, aiming for the community to have the power, strength or ability in physical and material aspects, as well as economic aspects.Utilization of post-fire peatlands with community empowerment in the process of developing peatland ecotourism through the Peat Typical Tree Planting program on burned land, the development of the Environmental-Based School Curriculum program and the Peat Arboretum Development program. The management of the CSR program is carried out through the planning, implementation and evaluation stages. The management of the CSR program is analyzed throughCommunity Based Tourism (CBT) Model which is a tourism development planning strategy.

Study on Socio-Economic of Peatland Community in Tanjung Jabung Timur Regency, Jambi

This research aimed to analyze the socio economic and its dynamics of the community in Sidomukti Village, Dendang District, and Pandan Sejahtera Village, Geragai District, Tanjung Jabung Timur Regency, Jambi Province. Respondents were selected purposively based on their farming practices on deep peatlands. Thematic and descriptive analyses were used in this research. The results showed that the majority of the communities of the two villages was Javanese who came to the villages through transmigration programs in the 1980s. Their had insufficient knowledge about peatland utilization because they used to manage mineral soil in their place of origins. Their main jobs were farmers, planters, and laborers with oil palm and areca nut as the main commodities. The average income in Pandan Sejahtera Village was IDR3,832,800/month, greater than in Sidomukti Village which was IDR3,661,850/month. Farmers tended to plant commodities that were currently favored in the market instead of their suitablility with the biophysical conditions of peatlands. Guidance is needed to improve farmers’ knowledge of land management and species selection that have high economic values and market captures as well as are suitable for biophysical properties of deep peatlands and agroforestry techniques.

Hydro-physical properties of agriculturally used peatlands in Liang Anggang Protected Forest, South Kalimantan, Indonesia

The utilization of peatlands as agricultural areas that do not pay attention to proper water management will result in peatland degradation. To restore the degraded peatlands, it is necessary to explore the peat’s hydrological and physical characteristics. Therefore this study investigates the hydro-physical peat characteristics in the peatlands that have been converted into agricultural use. The research was carried out in the Liang Anggang Protected Forest area, specifically in the area converted to agricultural land. Undisturbed peat samples were collected in both intensive and un-intensive agricultural sites. Peat characteristics were analysed in the laboratory include bulk density, particle density, porosity, total soil water content, and hydraulic conductivity variables. The result shows that peat characteristics in the intensive agricultural land significantly indicate higher bulk density and particle density with the values 0.30 g/cm3 and 0.91 g/cm3, respectively. Still, significantly lower values are found in porosity (66.87%), total soil water content (226.95%), and hydraulic conductivity (0.0025 cm/s). Degraded peatland restoration that functions as a protected forest must be carried out through rewetting activities and maintaining the water table depth. On the other side, the peatland whose function is designated as an agricultural area, wetland farming systems should be applied using adaptive crop species.

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Some peatland management cases, particularly in Kalimantan, cause serious environmental problems, especially in flammable land. Local people around the area are the first to receive the impacts. Therefore, peatland management needs to be prudent and requires sustainable environmental management. This study aims to find a model for peatland management carried out by the government and local communities through BUMDes program. According to the interview results and field observations, peatland management with a collaborative model between the government (state) and the local community in Rasau Jaya Village is found in the form of Maju Jaya Village-owned Enterprises (BUMDes). This research includes planning, utilization, management, and supervision of the peatland area. The government provides funds and legality, while the local communities carry out peatland utilization, management, and maintenance through mutual cooperation culture. In this study, peatland functions as a tourist attraction managed by the local community (ecotourism). Real implementation government collaboration with the local community has opened up new livelihoods for communities without undermining peatlands' ecological ecosystem.

Potential of Agroforestry System on Peat Land to Enhance Food Security and Environmental Sustainability

Indonesia is a country with the largest tropical peatlands in the world. utilization of peatlands has been widely associated with fires and environmental issues like carbon dioxide emissions because of the highest land-use. The reduction or loss of the peat forest ecosystem for the development of dry land plants on a massive scale has reduced the quality of the environment, so that the function and benefits of the peat ecosystem as a hydrological buffer for the surrounding area are disturbed. This paper aims to synthesize all research results qualitatively to explore the potential for developing agroforestry systems on peatlands in an effort to increase food security and protect the environment. This review paper uses the Qualitative Review Systematics method with stages: 1) formulation of questions, 2) literature search, 3) screening and selecting appropriate research articles, 4) analyzing and synthesizing qualitative findings, 5) presenting finding. Agroforestry has the potential to have a real impact on food security, climate change including mitigation and adaptation, and preserving the environment. Some research results show that the agroforestry systems can be an effective buffer in peatlands in fire control because the peat stabilization process requires control materials to maintain the elemental composition, carboxyl (COOH) and OH-phenol functional groups, so that the peat conditions become stable.

Utilization of Peatlands Based on Local Wisdom and Community Welfare in Riau Province, Indonesia

The majority of regions in Riau Province are coastal areas and many communities live on land that is dominated by peat. Peat ecosystems have unique characteristics, as they are classified as wetland areas, while also possessing regions of terrestrial land. Poor maintenance of these ecosystems can cause a variety of issues such as forest fires, drought, flooding, biodiversity loss, increasing emissions, climate change, and social community changes. The purpose of this paper is to formulate a model of peatland utilization based on local wisdom and community welfare, in an effort to support the sustainable management of peat ecosystems in Riau Province. The main commodities of the coastal community are agriculture, coconut, rubber, oil palm, sago, coffee, cocoa, areca nut. Therefore, an understanding of the use of peatlands is needed. This is to prevent damage to the peatland ecosystem, maintain biodiversity, store carbon, produce oxygen, and manage water. Policies and strategies for managing the peat ecosystem are carried out through the development of socio-economic and community culture to realize people's welfare based on local wisdom. The management and use of peatlands have contributed to the economy, even as the main source of livelihood for coastal communities. Utilization of peatlands based on local wisdom can maintain a sustainable peat ecosystem.

The Diversity of Mycorrhiza Arbuscular Fungi in Several Types of Peatland Utilization in Sungai Asam Village Kubu Raya District

The purpose of this study was to determine the diversity of FMA from the rhizosphere of cassava, corn, taro, ginger, kale, pineapple which was cultivated in the Sungai Asam peatland by using a corn plant host. This research was conducted at the Soil Biology and Biotechnology Laboratory of the Faculty of Agriculture and plastic houses in the Universitas Tanjungpura Faculty of Agriculture’s experimental garden. The study was conducted from August 2nd to October 21st, 2018. The procedure was done by taking soil and root samples from cassava, corn, taro, and peanut rhizosphere cultivated on peatland. A sampling of soil and roots in each rhizosphere was carried out at 4 observation points as replication with a depth of 0-20 cm and a diameter of 20 cm and then put into a plastic bag and labeled. Then, the soil samples taken were used for microscopic analysis (extraction and identification) and were analyzed to determine their chemical properties. Root samples were colorized to determine the percentage of colonization, and corns were used to cultivate. Furthermore, extraction and identification of spores were carried out using the same technique as extraction and identification of soil samples. The variables observed included the percentage of root colonization, spore density, and spore diversity. The FMA diversity of the 6 types of peatland utilization from the rhizosphere of cassava, corn, taro, ginger, pineapple, and kale in the Sungai Asam village before and after trapping showed an increase in the number of spores, diversity of FMA”while the percentage value of root colonization was varied. Moreover, the number of spores increased from around 36 - 52 spores per 50 g of soil to 61 - 178 spores per 50 g of soil. The diversity of spore types increased from 10 types of Glomus, 1 type of Gigaspora, and 4 types of Acaulospora to 13 types of Glomus, 3 types of Gigaspora, and 5 types of Acaulospora. The highest percentage of infected roots before trapping ranged from 48.89% - 78.48% and after trapping ranged from 78.89% - 94.80%.

Water management on peatland for food crop and horticulture production: research review in Kalimantan

Water management is the most important component in developing peatlands for agriculture. Utilization of peatlands for food crops and research on its physical, chemical and biological characteristics have been carried out previously since a long time. However, the implementation of peatland management technology is not much well known. Peatland agricultural commodities are developing. In 1970-1990, mostly for food crops and horticulture. Since 2000 plantation crops had been developed rapidly. About 0.5-0.8 million ha of peatlands are planted by food crops, including horticulture and 2.5-3.0 million ha for oil palm. The use of peatlands is still being debated along with threats to the environment, especially greenhouse gas (CO2) emissions. The use of peatlands for agriculture by local communities aimed at sustaining life and has an interesting long history. Farmers who live in peatlands have special abilities and expertise in peatland management. Based on this experience and local wisdom, the government then planned to open peatlands, especially in supporting transmigration programs from Java, Nusa Tenggara, and Bali. However, the use of peatlands for agriculture has changed the fertility of peatlands and reported to be a trigger for land degradation so that improvement efforts are needed. The government has also issued several policies in improving the management and conservation of peatlands. This paper is a review of the results of research and experience on water management on peatlands for food crop and horticulture production.

Minimizing carbon loss through integrated water resource management on peatland utilization in Pulau Burung, Riau, Indonesia

Sustainable utilization of peatland is required for balancing production and conservation efforts. On peatland, one of the main components to examine sustainability is understanding the carbon balance. This research was conducted in Pulau Burung, Riau, Indonesia, which has a long history of peatland utilization for agriculture. The sets of utilized data included historical data of water management on peatland represented by water table and subsidence rate, next to carbon density of peat soil. The results showed the function of integrated water resource management made the yearly average water table depth is 48 and 49 cm in 2018 and 2019, respectively. The range water table is between 31cm to 72 cm due to season variability and crop requirement. Consequently, the rate of annual subsidence is averaging at 1.7 cm with cumulative subsidence in 32 yr is 54.1 cm. Since the water never drained since the establishment, the subsidence rate of the first five years is averaging only at 3.3 cm yr–1. Low subsidence rates minimize annual carbon loss during the peatland utilization around (30 to 200) Mg CO2 ha–1 yr–1. In 32 yr, the water management in peatland utilization in Pulau Burung has prevented 2 000 Mg CO2 ha–1 to 4 925 Mg CO2 ha–1 loss compared to other cultivated areas in peatland. Further, this paper discusses the practice that resulted in low emission of coconut agriculture in Pulau Burung as one of sustainability dimensions, which support the other sustainability aspects, that is the thriving local livelihood.

The exploration and utilization of functional microorganisms isolated from the tropical peatlands

The utilization of peatlands may decline the ecological functions of peatlands as carbon sink, water storage and biodiversity source. Therefore, different scientific approaches are required to increase peat productivity and inhibit decline in the ecological functions of peatlands. This article is aimed to provide information on researches that have been carried out in tropical peats in the South Kalimantan Province. The exploration and the potential utilization of microbes was reviewed from several studies conducted in the Desa Landasan Ulin Utara (LaURa), Kota Banjarbaru, South Kalimantan Province. Peat research carried out in the Desa LaURa during the dry season after peat fires in 2015 showed that microbial SRBM (mixture of N fixing, solubilizing P and cellulolytic microorganisms) from the modified recharge bio-pore system was able to improve the growth of roots, stems, and leaves, nutrient uptake, and increase production and biomass of soybean. In another research in 2018, the use of commercial biofertilizers containing Azotobacter sp and Lactobacillus sp applied to the LaURa peats significantly increased the total N and pH of peats but did not accelerate the decomposition of peat materials. In subsequent study on the exploration of nitrogen fixing microorganisms from the LaURa peats (sapric peats) which amounted to 10375-10500 cells g−1, the total N-fixing microbial population was correlated positively to the pH and EC of peats, and correlated negatively to the contents of peat organic C. Combining the results, the total N2 fixing microbial (NFM) population was significantly affected by organic C and peat EC (total NFM population = -154.052 + 33.126 pH + 607.117 EC, R2 = 51.63%). Results obtained from these studies demonstrated that the functional microbes of peatlands are able to maintain ecological functions of the peats.

Improved Peatlands Potential for Agricultural Purposes to Support Sustainable Development in Bengkalis District, Riau Province, Indonesia

Bengkalis District in Riau Province, Indonesia, has potential peatlands covering 647,962.26 ha or 76.05% of its total land area. Peatlands not only have a function as direct life support, especially by providing area for agricultural purposes, but also ecological functions, such as flood and global climate control. Peatland areas will be arduous to restore if damaged. This condition certainly has negative impacts on the socio-economic aspects of the people living in the surrounding areas in particular. Sustaining the function of peatlands for the ecosystems essentially requires a detailed review of spatial feasibility and socio-economic impacts of peat swamp reclamation. Plants that have been cultivated on peatlands by the community are palm oil, rubber, coconut, coffee, and areca catechu (pinang). On wetlands, in particular, people do sago farming. One of the problems encountered in the utilization of peatlands is the low level of community participation in the development of peatland management policies. As a result, the implementation of these policies is still conflicting, prone to dispute and hard to do.

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Plantation forest (PF) means to increase land productivity, generate exchange, labor, and industrial materials needs. The issue of climate change and emissions reduction targets caused Government regulated peatland utilizations. It’s necessary to know the economic and environmental benefits of implementing the moratorium policy. The Environmental Accounting approach used to count the benefits, the land value and environment services are valued. As a result, peat has a potential land value IDR 8.5 million/ha, however the changes peatland to PF caused emissions worth Rp40 million/ha. While if peat saturated, peats can control potensial damaged from floods worth US$4/ha and form fire at US$1,000/ha. The economic value of peatland utilization obtained from HTI far less than the potential environmental benefits if it is maintained and saturated. The moratorium policy on limiting changes in peat land use must continue due regard the continuing business of the permit holder whose land is affected by the policy.

ANALYSIS OF LIVELIHOODS IN PEAT LAND: THE CASE OF TANJUNG JABUNG BARAT REGENCY

Peatland is unique, marginal and fragile ecosystem, therefore its utilization should be based on careful research and planning, and requires support from stakeholders. The utilization of peatland by community is generally in the forms of yards, fields, and gardens. The study aims to examine community activities on peatland to be source of livelihood and income. Research was conducted in Bram Itam Raya and Mekar Jaya villages, Tanjung Jabung Barat District. Data were analyzed by using thematic, economic social dimension analysis, and SWOT analysis. The results show the activities that can be source of livelihood and income in peatland are plantation, agriculture, and other forest products while income from non-land are entrepreneurship, services and livestock.People’s livelihoods generally are plantation farmers (60.35%), with main commodities pinang, coffee, and palm oil, with average income greater than UMP namely up to Rp4,467,282.61per month. It illustrates that incomefrom peatland can fulfill their needs properly. There is limited knowledge of farmer in cultivating land, selection of plant species that can be adapted to biophysical conditions and how to cope with pests and diseases. To overcome limitation of community knowledge, it is necessary to provide alternative activities and sources of livelihood with agroforestry techniques.

Pemetaan Subsiden di Kesatuan Hidrologi Gambut Sungai Jangkang – Sungai Liong Pulau Bengkalis

Subsidensi merupakan permasalahan penting pada pemanfaatan lahan gambut yang harus menjadi perhatian, apabila subsiden tidak terkontrol akan menyebabkan terjadinya banjir dan penurunan kualitas lahan. Penelitian ini mengembangkan pemetaan subsiden menggunakan faktor-faktor yang berpengaruh terhadap subsidensi dengan analisis regresi linear berganda metode stepwise. Dari hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa subsidensi yang terjadi disebabkan oleh 7 faktor yaitu umur tanaman, penggunaan lahan, bobot isi 50-100 cm, tingggi muka air tanah, tinggi muka air di saluran drainase, dan jarak dari saluran drainase dengan fungsi persamaan Y = -28.240 + 1.241 X1 + 0.023 X2 + 4.866 X3 + 0.370 X4 – 97.089 X5 – 0.209 X6 + 0.298 X7. Subsiden 0-50 cm terluas dengan luasan 13,472 ha pada penggunaan lahan aktual kebun karet seluas 4,013 ha, subsiden 50-100 cm mempunyai luasan 2,147 ha dengan penggunaan lahan aktual kebun karet seluas 813 ha, subsiden lebih dari 100 cm mempunyai luas terkecil yaitu 261 ha dengan penggunaan lahan aktual kebun kelapa 88 ha. 
 Kata kunci: Bengkalis, penggunaan lahan, pemetaan, lahan gambut, subsiden

Pemodelan Tinggi Muka Air Gambut Berdasarkan Sifat Fisik Lahan Gambut

Lahan gambut di Indonesia cukup luas yaitu sekitar 7% dari luas daratan Indonesia. Beberapa tantangan terutama berkaitan dengan perubahan penggunaan lahan dialami oleh gambut di Indonesia. Pemanfaatan lahan gambut berdasarkan peraturan dapat dilakukan pada ekosistem gambut berfungsi budidaya yang biasanya disertai dengan pembangunan kanal untuk menurunkan tinggi muka air (TMA). Oleh karena itu pengamatan TMA harus dilakukan untuk meminimalkan dampak pemanfaatan lahan gambut. Untuk menghemat waktu dan biaya maka perlu adanya suatu model yang dapat menduga kedalaman muka air gambut berdasarkan sifat-sifat fisik gambut. Tujuan penelitian ini yaitu mencari model estimasi TMA dengan menggunakan sifat fisik lahan gambut sebagai upaya pencegahan terjadinya kebakaran gambut. Model aproksimasi terbaik dipilih dengan menggunakan Kriteria Informasi Akaike dengan koreksi sampel kecil (AICc). Studi ini memperoleh satu confidence set of model yang terdiri dari empat model dengan bobot isi (0-50 cm), kadar serat (50-100 cm) and kedalaman gambut sebagai predictor model. Hasil model juga menunjukkan kesesuaian dengan data pengukuran TMA di lapangan yang ditunjukkan oleh RMSE sebesar 16.2 cm dan R2=81%. Dari penelitian ini, tinggi muka air tanah gambut kritis untuk deteksi dini kebakaran hutan adalah pada kedalaman 74 cm. Oleh karena itu, kondisi TMA gambut harus dijaga lebih dangkal dari kedalaman kritis, jika tidak kebakaran gambut akan lebih mudah terjadi.

COMPREHENSIVE ECOHYDROLOGY STUDY TO SUPPORT AGRICULTURE AND WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT IN PEATLAND AREA-CENTRAL KALIMANTAN

Peat swamp forest is a unique and fragile ecosystem, with specific flora and fauna that play important roles in maintaining healthy natural conditions with high economic values. This habitat also has important role for equilibrium and maintenance of living environment such as water reservoir, carbon storage, climate change, and biodiversity. Utilization of peatland for agriculture, plantations, and other activities often lead not only to controversy, but also cause land and ecosystem degradation, including water resources availability. The objective of this research was to study comprehensive ecohydrology aspects in ex-mega rice project in Central Kalimantan in order to support sustainable agricultural practices and water resources management in peatland areas. The results of the study showed that the sustainability of agricultural systems in peatland was strongly influenced by ecological aspect. This aspect can be carried out from the condition of water management system, water color condition, and possible incidence of fires. The level of suitability for crops plantation was low (S3), with the limiting factors of pH, nutrient availability, and the risk of inundation. In this case, water gates should be installed to improve water management system. Water quality in this area was typical of peat water and do not meet the requirement for daily use for the local people.

Reducing CO2 emissions and supporting food security in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, with improved peatland management

Exploitation of Indonesian peatlands with improper management has created vast areas of degraded peatlands. Degraded peatlands have become an important source of CO2 emissions from peat decomposition and land use change. On the other hand, appropriate utilization of peatlands for food production will be crucial in the future due to increasing food demand and inadequate arable land availability for agrarian development in mineral soils. Less damaging and more sustainable management practices that take into account optimum land allocation to ensure food security while reducing CO2 emissions need to be implemented in degraded peatlands. This paper discusses and highlights the effects of alternative land use options for degraded peatlands in the context of reducing CO2 emissions and improving food security. A 25-years simulation model shows that management of degraded peatlands areas in Central Kalimantan by reforestation, agroforestry and rice farming would reduce cumulative CO2 emissions by 13–21% compared to the business-as-usual scenario. Simultaneously, rice farming in degraded peatlands of the study area would annually contribute as much as 0.59 million tonnes to Central Kalimantan rice production starting from 2021.

ANALYSIS OF GINGER FARMING BUSINESS IN PEAT LAND IN WEST KALIMANTAN (Case study: Ginger Farmer in Pasir Palembang Village, Mempawah Regency)

<p align="center"><strong>ABSTRACT</strong></p><p align="center"> </p>Peat land potential as agricultural land in Indonesia is quite large of about 6 million hectaresout of 21 million hectares or 11% of land area in Indonesia. The utilization of peat land as agricultural land requires accurate and careful planning, appropriate technological application, and proper management because of its marginal and fragile ecosystem. Peat land has a big potential as agricultural land because this land contains high organic material. Theproblem is that the pH is very low so that it is not good for agricultural land. However, the research in Pasir Palembang Village, Mempawah Regency proved that doing ginger farming business in peat land could increase the farmers’ income and welfare. The research aims to: 1) study problems faced in doing ginger farming business, 2) know ginger farmer’s income. Data collection was done by using Focus Group Discussion method and R/C Ratio analysis. The research result found out that the main problem in ginger farming business was that of rotten tuber. Based on the analysis result it was found that R/C ratio obtained in ginger farming business was 3.4. Total revenue obtained was Rp75,000,000with the profit over cash expense was Rp53,620,000 and the profit over total expense was Rp53,470,000. Theresearch concluded that: 1) there need be a serious handling of rotten tuber disease in ginger plant, 2) doing ginger farming business could increase income and welfare of the peat land farmers in Pasir Palembang Village, Mempawah Regency.

Current state of peatland soils as an effect of long-term drainage – preliminary results of peatland ecosystems investigation in the Grójecka Valley (central Poland)

AbstractUnderstanding the effect of long-term drainage of peatland areas is helpful in future peatland management and regulations of water conditions. The aim of this work was to assess the current state of fen peatland soils in the Grójecka Valley (eastern part of the Wielkopolskie voivodeship, central Poland), affected by long-term agricultural use (pastures, meadows) since the 1960s and potentially by lignite open pit mining industry (KWB Konin) since 1980s. Field studies were carried out in 2015 in selected fen peatland areas. Soil material for laboratory analysis was collected from genetic horizons from four soil profiles. The surface horizons of studied organic and organo-mineral soils were built with well-developed moorsh material. They were classified as medium moorshiefied – MtII (profile 1, 3 and 4) and strongly moorshiefied – MtIII (profile 2). Obtained results of physical and physico-chemical analysis indicate that long-term peatland utilization connected with potential impact of the lignite mining, transformed mainly the upper horizons of studied organic and organo-mineral soils. However, despite obvious strong human impact on peatlands ecosystems, we cannot exclude the climate variables, what should be confirmed by long-term monitoring program. Furthermore, presented paper indicated that new subtype moorsh-muddy soils (in Polish: gleby murszowo-mułowe) within the type of gleyic soils should be implemented in the next version of Polish Soil Classification.

Phosphate-solubilizing Microbe from Saprists Peat Soil and their Potency to Enhance Oil Palm Growth and P Uptake

Constraint of peat land utilization is low nutrent content. This research was conducted to determine the potency of phosphate solubilizing microbes (PSM) in solubilizing P yto increase the growth and P uptake of plant in peat soil. Based on their ribosomal DNA the best PSM were identified as Burkholderia gladioli nd Penicillium aculeatum that yield the highesr growth aphosphate uptake of oil palm seedling.