Page 7 - Tropical Peat Swamp Forests of Sarawak FA
P. 7
Peat swamp forests of Sarawak: Agriculture, Nature, and Food Quality. In the also in mutual research experience, capacity
building for the counterpart organisations and
execution of the project there was close col-
studying a valuable resource laboration with two other projects dealing with researchers and stakeholders’ participation in
and awareness for sustainable management of
peat swamp forests in Sarawak. One of these
projects focussed on sustainable management
(the “Ramin project”) and the other one con- peat swamp forest. This booklet informs about
the aforementioned projects and their results.
centrated on the development and management
Tropical peat swamp forests cover between 30 From the 1950’s onward, logging has pro- of the Maludam National Park (the “Maludam
and 40 million hectares world-wide, of which gressed signiicantly, and by now a large part project’). These projects have been studying the
70% is found in Southeast Asia. In Sarawak, of Sarawak’s PSF has been logged over at least vegetation dynamics, ecology of peat swamp
peat swamp forests are mainly found in coastal once. The remaining forests provide a good op- forest species and, particularly their recovery
portunity to study the efects of former logging
after logging and the potential for the develop-
areas. They contain a large number of endemic operations on the structure and biodiversity of ment of non-timber forest products (NTFPs).
tree species and several rare and endangered PSF in Sarawak, and to assess how these forests The project aimed to determine how vegetation
animals. Also, these forests are important recover in time. This information is indispensa- structure and biodiversity of peat swamp forests
sinks of carbon, sequestering between 100-200 ble in designing ecological sustainable manage- in Sarawak recover after disturbance caused by
megatonnes of carbon per year under natural ment systems for tropical PSF, including the use logging. More speciically this project addressed
conditions. Peat swamp forests have been un- of non-timber forest products. the following questions:
der increasing pressure for economic exploita- Between 2001 and 2005 the project “Biodiver- • How is vegetation structure of PSF afected
tion for their commercial timber species such as sity and Climate Change of Peat Swamp Forests by diferent logging intensities, and how fast
Ramin. More recently, they are also subject to in Sarawak” was implemented. This was done does it return to its original status;
conversion to agricultural land uses, in particu- under the DLO-Research programme on Interna- • How is the biodiversity of PSF afected by
lar oil palm plantations. tional Cooperation (Sub-theme Nature manage- logging, and how fast does it recover to its
ment), funded by the former Dutch Ministry of original status;
• What is the impact of logging on non-timber
forest products (NTFPs) resources and what is
their contribution to forest conservation;
• Is it possible to use vegetation structure as an
indicator of the level of biodiversity.
During the project a series of studies was
performed at Maludam National Park, includ-
ing remote sensing, structural and taxonomic
vegetation assessment, litter trap analysis, a
study on non-timber forest products and a bio-
diversity assessment. Before its establishment
in the year 2000, Maludam National Park has
been subject to various degrees of logging from
the 1960s onwards. The park is divided in two by
the Maludam river. At the north-eastern side of
the river (Maludam area) logging was in general
more heavy than at the Southern side of the
river (Triso area). Also, in time logging methods
have changed gradually (minimum felling diam-
eter, desirable species, girdling etc.). The main
vegetation type in peat swamp forests is mixed
swamp forests (MSF), covering over 80% of the
total peat swamp forest area in Sarawak and is
economically the most important forest type. Fruits of Ramin tree (Gonystylus bancanus (Miq.)
Kurz). Ramin is a mast-lowering species meaning
View from Maludam river inside the national park, showing a large wetland area surrounded by peat swamp The project eforts resulted not only in a series that seeds are produced not annually but (on aver-
forest. This area with stagnant water is looded for most of the year. of publications, technical reports, data bases, age) once every 3-5 years.
permanent assessment plots, but consisted
6 6 7 7
building for the counterpart organisations and
execution of the project there was close col-
studying a valuable resource laboration with two other projects dealing with researchers and stakeholders’ participation in
and awareness for sustainable management of
peat swamp forests in Sarawak. One of these
projects focussed on sustainable management
(the “Ramin project”) and the other one con- peat swamp forest. This booklet informs about
the aforementioned projects and their results.
centrated on the development and management
Tropical peat swamp forests cover between 30 From the 1950’s onward, logging has pro- of the Maludam National Park (the “Maludam
and 40 million hectares world-wide, of which gressed signiicantly, and by now a large part project’). These projects have been studying the
70% is found in Southeast Asia. In Sarawak, of Sarawak’s PSF has been logged over at least vegetation dynamics, ecology of peat swamp
peat swamp forests are mainly found in coastal once. The remaining forests provide a good op- forest species and, particularly their recovery
portunity to study the efects of former logging
after logging and the potential for the develop-
areas. They contain a large number of endemic operations on the structure and biodiversity of ment of non-timber forest products (NTFPs).
tree species and several rare and endangered PSF in Sarawak, and to assess how these forests The project aimed to determine how vegetation
animals. Also, these forests are important recover in time. This information is indispensa- structure and biodiversity of peat swamp forests
sinks of carbon, sequestering between 100-200 ble in designing ecological sustainable manage- in Sarawak recover after disturbance caused by
megatonnes of carbon per year under natural ment systems for tropical PSF, including the use logging. More speciically this project addressed
conditions. Peat swamp forests have been un- of non-timber forest products. the following questions:
der increasing pressure for economic exploita- Between 2001 and 2005 the project “Biodiver- • How is vegetation structure of PSF afected
tion for their commercial timber species such as sity and Climate Change of Peat Swamp Forests by diferent logging intensities, and how fast
Ramin. More recently, they are also subject to in Sarawak” was implemented. This was done does it return to its original status;
conversion to agricultural land uses, in particu- under the DLO-Research programme on Interna- • How is the biodiversity of PSF afected by
lar oil palm plantations. tional Cooperation (Sub-theme Nature manage- logging, and how fast does it recover to its
ment), funded by the former Dutch Ministry of original status;
• What is the impact of logging on non-timber
forest products (NTFPs) resources and what is
their contribution to forest conservation;
• Is it possible to use vegetation structure as an
indicator of the level of biodiversity.
During the project a series of studies was
performed at Maludam National Park, includ-
ing remote sensing, structural and taxonomic
vegetation assessment, litter trap analysis, a
study on non-timber forest products and a bio-
diversity assessment. Before its establishment
in the year 2000, Maludam National Park has
been subject to various degrees of logging from
the 1960s onwards. The park is divided in two by
the Maludam river. At the north-eastern side of
the river (Maludam area) logging was in general
more heavy than at the Southern side of the
river (Triso area). Also, in time logging methods
have changed gradually (minimum felling diam-
eter, desirable species, girdling etc.). The main
vegetation type in peat swamp forests is mixed
swamp forests (MSF), covering over 80% of the
total peat swamp forest area in Sarawak and is
economically the most important forest type. Fruits of Ramin tree (Gonystylus bancanus (Miq.)
Kurz). Ramin is a mast-lowering species meaning
View from Maludam river inside the national park, showing a large wetland area surrounded by peat swamp The project eforts resulted not only in a series that seeds are produced not annually but (on aver-
forest. This area with stagnant water is looded for most of the year. of publications, technical reports, data bases, age) once every 3-5 years.
permanent assessment plots, but consisted
6 6 7 7
