Enhancing reforestation in degraded tropical peatlands in central Kalimantan

Authors:
Maija Lampela, Jyrki Jauhiainen and Harri Vasander

Book:
Proceedings of the 15th International Peat Congress

Venue:
Kuching

Keywords:
reforestation, restoration, tropical-peatland

Documentfile:
ipc16p420-422a067lampelajauhiainen.etal_.pdf

Summary:

SUMMARY Tropical peatlands of Southeast Asia are great terrestrial carbon stores and major hot spots of biodiversity. Main peat forming ecosystem is peat swamp forest (PSF). Currently peat swamp forests are converted to plantations and agriculture with breath-taking pace. Aside from conservation, active restoration is also needed on degraded areas to conserve both biodiversity and the remaining peat deposits. Our work searches practical and affordable techniques for reforestation of degraded peatlands. Our study site was clear-felled open, drained and several times burnt deep peat area in the so-called Ex-Mega Rice area in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. We chose five native PSF tree species (Shorea balangeran, Dyera polyphylla, Alstonia pneumatophora, Dacryodes rostrata and Campnosperma…