NATURAL RESOURCE FUNCTIONS, NATURAL RESOURCE FUNCTIONS, BIODIVERSITY AND SUSTAINABLE BIODIVERSITY AND SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF MANAGEMENT OF TTROPICAL ROPICAL PEATLANDSPEATLANDS

Task achievements, problems and future plans in the study of carbon fluxes on peat surfaces in pristine, developed, and mismanaged tropical peat

Task achievementsNovember 1999 - September 2000

o Natural Laboratory (Plots 0, 1A, 1B)o Kalampangan (Kereng Bangkirai)/Marang

village

March 2001 - October 2002o Fire scars (PLG)o Clear felled, but not burned forest (PLG)o Canals (PLG)o Forest (PLG)

March 2003o Diurnal pneumatophore fluxes (PLG forest)o Peatlands (Sarawak)

March 2003 ->

Diurnal pneumatophore gas fluxes (PLG forest)

March 2003 ->

Peatlands at Sarawak

MARDI/Sessang & CRAUN/Mukah Peat management sites:

Peat swamp forest site

Felling & stacking treatment (open peat)

Water management area (open peat)

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Crops production peat sites:

Pineapple (Ananas comosus) field

Noni (Morinda Citrifolia) orchard

(Sago plantation)

(Oil palm plantation)

Improved machinery

ProblemsFieldwork & data

August - October 2002 sample collection from PLG canals & pneumatophore method testing destroyed

o gas leaked out during transportation in the plane gargo hold

Fires (2002) destroyed regrowing forest at PLG Peat watertable data is urgently needed

Analysis of CH4 samples in Finland Transportation logistics Restricted number of samples Expensive

Financing Shortage of funds in STRAPEAT Submitted proposals have failed

o Academy of Finlando Ministry for Foreign Affairs FIN (?)

Recent progress in problematic issuesField work New sites accessible in CRAUN sago research site at

Mukah

Analysis of CH4 samples At least Sarawak samples can be in future analysed in

Kuching CRAUN analytical laboratoryoProblems connected to logistics will likely

disappearoWork based on cooperation i.e. money is not

limiting studies

Financing Proposals

o Academy of Finland (May 03)o EU proposal (Sept 03)o Foundations

Institutionso IUFRO (Bogor)

o Interested to make joint proposal on tropical peat restoration to EU

o Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Finland)o …

Future plans

Soon

Soon

Research

Studies at Sarawak

o Sago plantations (Mukah)

o Water management area (Sessang)

o Oil palm plantations

Start of gas chromatography analysis at Sarawak

Plans included into new proposals

Future plans (cont.)

Soon

Soon