Chapter 4
Coexistence of Humans and Nature
in Tropical Peatlands
Tsuyoshi Kato, Sisva Silsigia, Asep Andi Yusup, and Mitsuru Osaki
Abstract Tropical peatlands have attracted a great deal of attention due to their vast
area in the tropics and their massive carbon and water stocks. At the same time,
improper management of peatlands (i.e., drainage of peatlands, often resulting in
large fires, carbon dioxide emissions that have a significant impact on global climate
change, and health hazards due to smoke pollution) has been a major concern.
Conversely, little information is available on peat ecosystems, especially with
respect to their biodiversity. Due to their unique nutrient-poor, humid environment,
they have been considered low in biodiversity, although some reports suggest that
their biodiversity is reasonably high compared to other ecosystems. Studies on flora
and fauna, including aquatic animal surveys and continuous monitoring, have been
performed in a landscape (socio-ecological production landscapes: Satoyama Initiative of UNU) area of West Kalimantan, which includes 115,000 ha of industrial
plantations and 18,700 ha of protected forest (Decree of the Minister of Forestry
2014). As a result, a diverse range of flora and fauna and an increase in the
population of the rare orangutan have been observed.
However, tropical peatlands have generally been at the forefront of large-scale
agriculture and forestry development and land clearance by medium- and small-scale
holders, which is threatening the conservation of biodiversity. One of the most
threatening factors is fire. Once a fire breaks out, all plants and animals in an area
are lost. Fires are more likely to occur and grow into large fires when peatlands are
controlled by drainage systems. For this reason, it is proposed that intact peat swamp
forests should remain protected areas and to prevent these forests from becoming
isolated and island-like, a concept of networked green corridors, or conservation
networks, is proposed. The introduction of eco-management, which does not involve
drainage and maintains the water storage function of peatlands, is essential.
T. Kato (*) · S. Silsigia · A. A. Yusup
PT Wana Subur Lestari/PT Mayangkara Tanaman Industri, Jakarta, Indonesia
e-mail: tk@wanasl.com; sisva@wanasl.com; asep@wanasl.com
M. Osaki
Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
e-mail: mosaki@chem.agr.hokudai.ac.jp
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
M. Osaki et al. (eds.), Tropical Peatland Eco-management,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-4654-3_4
135
Coexistence of Humans and Nature
in Tropical Peatlands
Tsuyoshi Kato, Sisva Silsigia, Asep Andi Yusup, and Mitsuru Osaki
Abstract Tropical peatlands have attracted a great deal of attention due to their vast
area in the tropics and their massive carbon and water stocks. At the same time,
improper management of peatlands (i.e., drainage of peatlands, often resulting in
large fires, carbon dioxide emissions that have a significant impact on global climate
change, and health hazards due to smoke pollution) has been a major concern.
Conversely, little information is available on peat ecosystems, especially with
respect to their biodiversity. Due to their unique nutrient-poor, humid environment,
they have been considered low in biodiversity, although some reports suggest that
their biodiversity is reasonably high compared to other ecosystems. Studies on flora
and fauna, including aquatic animal surveys and continuous monitoring, have been
performed in a landscape (socio-ecological production landscapes: Satoyama Initiative of UNU) area of West Kalimantan, which includes 115,000 ha of industrial
plantations and 18,700 ha of protected forest (Decree of the Minister of Forestry
2014). As a result, a diverse range of flora and fauna and an increase in the
population of the rare orangutan have been observed.
However, tropical peatlands have generally been at the forefront of large-scale
agriculture and forestry development and land clearance by medium- and small-scale
holders, which is threatening the conservation of biodiversity. One of the most
threatening factors is fire. Once a fire breaks out, all plants and animals in an area
are lost. Fires are more likely to occur and grow into large fires when peatlands are
controlled by drainage systems. For this reason, it is proposed that intact peat swamp
forests should remain protected areas and to prevent these forests from becoming
isolated and island-like, a concept of networked green corridors, or conservation
networks, is proposed. The introduction of eco-management, which does not involve
drainage and maintains the water storage function of peatlands, is essential.
T. Kato (*) · S. Silsigia · A. A. Yusup
PT Wana Subur Lestari/PT Mayangkara Tanaman Industri, Jakarta, Indonesia
e-mail: tk@wanasl.com; sisva@wanasl.com; asep@wanasl.com
M. Osaki
Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
e-mail: mosaki@chem.agr.hokudai.ac.jp
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
M. Osaki et al. (eds.), Tropical Peatland Eco-management,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-4654-3_4
135