One key activity of MAHFSA is to stocktake existing knowledge products and develop and deploy the knowledge products related to peatlands and fires in Southeast Asia. The stocktake analysis synthesises existing knowledge products by categorising them into five thematic areas policies, tenure, economics, best practices, and monitoring. It also classified knowledge products based on geographical location, focusing on the country and regional levels. Moreover, the study categorises the knowledge products based on the elements of integrated fire management, from prevention, preparedness, suppression, and recovery. By applying text and co-occurrence analyses, the study highlights salient topics of the knowledge products related to peatlands in Southeast Asia. The result shows that thematic areas and knowledge product types vary between ASEAN member states.
Tag: peat
Major carbon losses from degradation of Mauritia flexuosa peat swamp forests in western Amazonia
Tropical peat swamp forests are major global carbon (C) stores highly vulnerable to human intervention. In Peruvian Amazonia, palm swamps, the prevalent peat ecosystem, have been severely degraded through recurrent cutting of Mauritia flexuosa palms for fruit harvesting. While this can transform these C sinks into significant sources, the magnitude of C fluxes in natural and disturbed conditions remains unknown. Here, we estimated emissions from degradation along a gradient comprising undegraded (Intact), moderately degraded (mDeg) and heavily degraded (hDeg) palm swamps. C stock changes above- and below-ground were calculated from biomass inventories and peat C budgets resulting from the balance of C outputs (heterotrophic soil respiration (Rh), dissolved C exports), C inputs (litterfall, root mortality) and soil CH4 emissions. Fluxes spatiotemporal dynamics were monitored (bi)monthly over 1–3 years. The peat budgets (Mg C ha−1 year−1) revealed that medium degradation reduced by 88% the soil sink capacity (from − 1.6 ± 1.3 to − 0.2 ± 0.8 at the Intact and mDeg sites) while high degradation turned the soil into a high source (6.2 ± 0.7 at the hDeg site). Differences stemmed from degradation-induced increased Rh (5.9 ± 0.3, 6.2 ± 0.3, and 9.0 ± 0.3 Mg C ha−1 year−1 at the Intact, mDeg, and hDeg sites) and decreased C inputs (8.3 ± 1.3, 7.1 ± 0.8, and 3.6 ± 0.7 Mg C ha−1 year−1 at the same sites). The large total loss rates (6.4 ± 3.8, 15.7 ± 3.8 Mg C ha−1 year−1 under medium and high degradation), originating predominantly from biomass changes call for sustainable management of these peatlands.
Relational and instrumental values of tropical peat landscapes: morality and political ecology in Indonesia
Use of tropical peatlands as the last frontier for migrant-dependent expansion of industrial agriculture has become problematic, as drainage of peatlands increases fire risk. Haze and health costs attract high-level policy attention. Repairing damage by rewetting requires collective action that is hard to achieve, with a lack of dedicated institutions at the relevant scale. Realistic solutions may require the blending of insights of resource ecology and economics, political ecology and ecological politics, and sociality research and anthropology. The moral underpinnings of the management of hydrological units with peatlands as their core are diverse. Migrant farming communities express mostly instrumental values of (modified) peat landscapes, while for people with long histories of living in the margins of peatlands, threats to their resource claims and ways of living are expressed in a ‘sense of place’, as relational value. Holistic appreciation of relational and instrumental values of tropical peat landscapes is still needed.
Assessing Sumatran Peat Vulnerability to Fire under Various Condition of ENSO Phases Using Machine Learning Approaches
In recent decades, catastrophic wildfire episodes within the Sumatran peatland have contributed to a large amount of greenhouse gas emissions. The El-Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) modulates the occurrence of fires in Indonesia through prolonged hydrological drought. Thus, assessing peatland vulnerability to fires and understanding the underlying drivers are essential to developing adaptation and mitigation strategies for peatland. Here, we quantify the vulnerability of Sumatran peat to fires under various ENSO conditions (i.e., El-Nino, La-Nina, and Normal phases) using correlative modelling approaches. This study used climatic (i.e., annual precipitation, SPI, and KBDI), biophysical (i.e., below-ground biomass, elevation, slope, and NBR), and proxies to anthropogenic disturbance variables (i.e., access to road, access to forests, access to cities, human modification, and human population) to assess fire vulnerability within Sumatran peatlands. We created an ensemble model based on various machine learning approaches (i.e., random forest, support vector machine, maximum entropy, and boosted regression tree). We found that the ensemble model performed better compared to a single algorithm for depicting fire vulnerability within Sumatran peatlands. The NBR highly contributed to the vulnerability of peatland to fire in Sumatra in all ENSO phases, followed by the anthropogenic variables. We found that the high to very-high peat vulnerability to fire increases during El-Nino conditions with variations in its spatial patterns occurring under different ENSO phases. This study provides spatially explicit information to support the management of peat fires, which will be particularly useful for identifying peatland restoration priorities based on peatland vulnerability to fire maps. Our findings highlight Riau’s peatland as being the area most prone to fires area on Sumatra Island. Therefore, the groundwater level within this area should be intensively monitored to prevent peatland fires. In addition, conserving intact forests within peatland through the moratorium strategy and restoring the degraded peatland ecosystem through canal blocking is also crucial to coping with global climate change.
How can process-based modeling improve peat CO2 and N2O emission factors for oil palm plantations?
Oil palm plantations on peat and associated drainage generate sizeable GHG emissions. Current IPCC default emission factors (EF) for oil palm on organic soil are based on a very limited number of observations from young plantations, thereby resulting in large uncertainties in emissions estimates. To explore the potential of process-based modeling to refine oil palm peat CO2 and N2O EFs, we simulated peat GHG emissions and biogeophysical variables over 30 years in plantations of Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. The DNDC model simulated well the magnitude of C inputs (litterfall and root mortality) and dynamics of annual heterotrophic respiration and peat decomposition N2O fluxes. The modeled peat onsite CO2-C EF was lower than the IPCC default (11 Mg C ha−1 yr−1) and decreased from 7.7 ± 0.4 Mg C ha−1 yr−1 in the first decade to 3.0 ± 0.2 and 1.8 ± 0.3 Mg C ha−1 yr−1 in the second and third decades of the rotation. The modeled N2O-N EF from peat decomposition was higher than the IPCC default (1.2 kg N ha−1 yr−1) and increased from 3.5 ± 0.3 kg N ha−1 yr−1 in the first decade to 4.7–4.6 ± 0.5 kg N ha−1 yr−1 in the following ones. Modeled fertilizer-induced N2O emissions were minimal and much less than 1.6% of N inputs recommended by the IPCC in wet climates regardless of soil type. Temporal variations in EFs were strongly linked to soil C:N ratio and soil mineral N content for CO2 and fertilizer-induced N2O emissions, and to precipitation, water table level and soil NH4+ content for peat decomposition N2O emissions. These results suggest that current IPCC EFs for oil palm on organic soil could over-estimate peat onsite CO2 emissions and underestimate peat decomposition N2O emissions and that temporal variation in emissions should be considered for further improvement of EFs.
Managing Water Regimes: Controlling Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Fires in Indonesian Tropical Peat Swamp Forests
Until recently, tropical peat swamp forests in Indonesia have been subject to increasing pressure from land-use change and excessive drainage. This has increased greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and risk of fires. Five tropical peat landscapes under different management regimes were selected and assessed with regards to GHG emissions and vulnerability to fire. Converted peat swamp forest emitted CO 2 at a similar rate to primary and secondary peat swamp forests. Total emissions ranged between 41 and 52 Mg CO 2 /ha/yr, and 85% of this was from heterotrophic respiration. Managing groundwater levels (GWL) is crucial to GHG mitigation actions. Peatland fire risk is closely associated with GWL, and fire risk can be reduced by 30% when peat rewetting is prioritized in the most vulnerable areas. Lack of coordinated water management could lead to uncontrollable GWLs, peat subsidence, and fires, causing large GHG emissions and other environmental degradation. Government-initiated Forest Management Units could manage peatlands at a regional level. Compliance mechanisms need to be institutionalized to control emissions, land subsidence, and fire incidence.
Land Cover and Land Use Change Decreases Net Ecosystem Production in Tropical Peatlands of West Kalimantan, Indonesia
Deforested and converted tropical peat swamp forests are susceptible to fires and are a major source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, information on the influence of land-use change (LUC) on the carbon dynamics in these disturbed peat forests is limited. This study aimed to quantify soil respiration (heterotrophic and autotrophic), net primary production (NPP), and net ecosystem production (NEP) in peat swamp forests, partially logged forests, early seral grasslands (deforested peat), and smallholder-oil palm estates (converted peat). Peat swamp forests (PSF) showed similar soil respiration with logged forests (LPSF) and oil palm (OP) estates (37.7 Mg CO2 ha−1 yr−1, 40.7 Mg CO2 ha−1 yr−1, and 38.7 Mg CO2 ha−1 yr−1, respectively), but higher than early seral (ES) grassland sites (30.7 Mg CO2 ha−1 yr−1). NPP of intact peat forests (13.2 Mg C ha−1 yr−1) was significantly greater than LPSF (11.1 Mg C ha−1 yr−1), ES (10.8 Mg C ha−1 yr−1), and OP (3.7 Mg C ha−1 yr−1). Peat swamp forests and seral grasslands were net carbon sinks (10.8 Mg CO2 ha−1 yr−1 and 9.1 CO2 ha−1 yr−1, respectively). In contrast, logged forests and oil palm estates were net carbon sources; they had negative mean Net Ecosystem Production (NEP) values (−0.1 Mg CO2 ha−1 yr−1 and −25.1 Mg CO2 ha−1 yr−1, respectively). The shift from carbon sinks to sources associated with land-use change was principally due to a decreased Net Primary Production (NPP) rather than increased soil respiration. Conservation of the remaining peat swamp forests and rehabilitation of deforested peatlands are crucial in GHG emission reduction programs
Dataset on soil carbon dioxide fluxes from an incubation with tropical peat from three different land-uses in Jambi Sumatra Indonesia
Conversion of tropical peat swamp forests to increase and agricultural production has generated substantial peat carbon loss in the Asia-Pacific region. Different land-uses and management practices oxidize the tropical peat at diverse rates due mainly to different water table levels. In recent years, several studies have measured soil carbon dioxide emissions in-situ; however, only few studies have evaluated the effect of moisture on carbon dioxide fluxes in incubation experiments. Here, we present the dataset of an incubation performed with 360 intact peat cores from three different land-uses (i.e. 120 from intact peat swamp forest; 120 from drained logged peat forest; and 120 from oil palm plantation) collected on the peat dome of Jambi Sumatra Indonesia. Different moisture levels in the intact cores were set by either drying the intact peat cores for short period of time or by adding extra water before the incubation. Dynamic dark aerobic incubation in airtight containers coupled with carbon dioxide measurement with an infrared gas analyser and the gas fluxes was used to measure to gas fluxes. The average carbon dioxide fluxes were 5.38 ± 0.91, 4.15 ± 0.35 and 1.55 ± 0.13 µg CO2-C g−1 h−1 for the intact peat swamp forest, drained logged peat forest and oil palm plantation, respectively.
Degradation-driven changes in fine root carbon stocks, productivity, mortality, and decomposition rates in a palm swamp peat forest of the Peruvian Amazon
Amazon palm swamp peatlands are major carbon (C) sinks and reservoirs. In Peru, this ecosystem is widely threatened owing to the recurrent practice of cutting Mauritia flexuosa palms for fruit harvesting. Such degradation could significantly damage peat deposits by altering C fluxes through fine root productivity, mortality, and decomposition rates which contribute to and regulate peat accumulation. Along a same peat formation, we studied an undegraded site (Intact), a moderately degraded site (mDeg) and a heavily degraded site (hDeg) over 11 months. Fine root C stocks and fluxes were monthly sampled by sequential coring. Concomitantly, fine root decomposition was investigated using litter bags. In the experimental design, fine root stocks and dynamics were assessed separately according to vegetation type (M. flexuosa palm and other tree species) and M. flexuosa age class. Furthermore, results obtained from individual palms and trees were site-scaled by using forest composition and structure.
Spatio-Temporal Variability of Peat CH4 and N2O Fluxes and Their Contribution to Peat GHG Budgets in Indonesian Forests and Oil Palm Plantations
Land-use change in tropical peatlands substantially impacts peat emissions of methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) in addition to emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2). However, assessments of full peat greenhouse gas (GHG) budgets are scarce and CH4 and N2O contributions remain highly uncertain. The objective of our research was to assess changes in peat GHG flux and budget associated with peat swamp forest disturbance and conversion to oil palm plantation and to evaluate drivers of variation in trace gas fluxes. Over a period of one and a half year, we monitored monthly CH4 and N2O fluxes together with environmental variables in three undrained peat swamp forests and three oil palm plantations on peat in Central Kalimantan. The forests included two primary forests and one 30-year-old secondary forest. We calculated the peat GHG budget in both ecosystems using soil respiration and litterfall rates measured concurrently with CH4 and N2O fluxes, site-specific soil respiration partitioning ratios, and literature-based values of root inputs and dissolved organic carbon export. Peat CH4 fluxes (kg CH4 ha−1 year−1) were insignificant in oil palm (0.3 ± 0.4) while emissions in forest were high (14.0 ± 2.8), and larger in wet than in dry months. N2O emissions (kg N2O ha−1 year−1) were highly variable spatially and temporally and similar across land-uses (5.0 ± 3.9 and 5.2 ± 3.7 in oil palm and forest). Temporal variation of CH4 was controlled by water table level and soil water-filled pore space in forest and oil palm, respectively. Monthly fluctuations of N2O were linked to water table level in forest. The peat GHG budget (Mg CO2 equivalent ha−1 year−1) in oil palm (31.7 ± 8.6) was nearly eight times the budget in forest (4.0 ± 4.8) owing mainly to decreased peat C inputs and increased peat C outputs. The GHG budget was also ten times higher in the secondary forest (10.2 ± 4.5) than in the primary forests (0.9 ± 3.9) on the account of a larger peat C budget and N2O emission rate. In oil palm 96% of emissions were released as CO2 whereas in forest CH4 and N2O together contributed 65% to the budget. Our study highlights the disastrous atmospheric impact associated with forest degradation and conversion to oil palm in tropical peatlands and stresses the need to investigate GHG fluxes in disturbed undrained lands.