reported working with Cratoxylum arborescens, terentang (Campnosperma) and
mahang (Macaranga) several years ago in attempt to assist the pulp and paper
industry finding alternative species to grow on peat soil (H.L. Tata, personal
communication, 2019).
14.6 Challenges
If traditional sago on peat and enrichment planting are omitted from the equation,
then less than 2000 ha of paludiculture has been realized to date, an area that is minor
compared to the 380,000 ha of peat that has been rewetted by August 2018 (BRG,
personal communication, 2018). There are numerous reasons why (true)
paludiculture has lagged, and several key reasons are summarized below.
Cost of Revegetation Planting densities in restored peatland are stipulated in
government regulation (Peraturan Menteri Lingkungan Hidup dan Kehutanan
No. P.39/Menlhk/Setjen/Kum.1/2016); said regulation states that this is required to
occur at a density of at least 1100 seedlings per hectare. Given the market price of
seedlings and cost of labor for planting and maintenance, costs of revegetation range
from USD500–3000 per ha according to BRG,
2 while CIFOR
3 estimates the cost to
be about USD2,500 per ha (2017–2018 figures). Prices vary depending on a range of
factors such as distance to location and accessibility, species being planted, seedlings
raised in own nursery or purchased on commercial market, and so on. On the
Millennium Challenge Account Indonesia-funded Berbak Green Prosperity Program
(BGPP) project in Jambi, Sumatra (2016–2018), the cost of replanting was
USD3,110/ha for an area of 53 ha, in which the replanting used the services of a
local commercial nursery company. This was considered expensive at the time
(by government agencies and MCA-I), but it resulted in a high survival rate (48%
after 1.5 years) compared to other replanted areas in Jambi (often less than 5–10%).
By comparison, the cost per unit area is about 10–100x as much as that required for
rewetting per unit area, although this of course depends on the canal size and density
as well as the overall logistics for replanting.
Full Rewetting but Without Flooding To be successful, full rewetting is needed,
i.e. GWLs need to be raised to the (near) natural levels and without any degree of
drainage. The best way to do this has proven to be blocking drainage canals with
compacted peat dams. However, box dams (i.e., wooden canal blocks filled in with
sand bags or bags of compacted peat) equipped with spillways are often constructed
2 http://www.aktual.com/biaya-restorasi-lahan-gambut-hingga-3-000-dollar-per-hektar/.
3 https://www.google.co.id/url?sa¼t&rct¼j&q¼&esrc¼s&source¼web&cd¼3&cad¼rja&
uact¼8&ved¼0ahUKEwjso Mzu35nXAhWKqI8KHZYCAvwQFggzMAI&url¼https%3A%2F%
2Fwww.rsis.edu.sg%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F10%2FCO16252.pdf&
usg¼AOvVaw3mcttvDCc2sO_IJsvYoTYT.
432
W. Giesen
mahang (Macaranga) several years ago in attempt to assist the pulp and paper
industry finding alternative species to grow on peat soil (H.L. Tata, personal
communication, 2019).
14.6 Challenges
If traditional sago on peat and enrichment planting are omitted from the equation,
then less than 2000 ha of paludiculture has been realized to date, an area that is minor
compared to the 380,000 ha of peat that has been rewetted by August 2018 (BRG,
personal communication, 2018). There are numerous reasons why (true)
paludiculture has lagged, and several key reasons are summarized below.
Cost of Revegetation Planting densities in restored peatland are stipulated in
government regulation (Peraturan Menteri Lingkungan Hidup dan Kehutanan
No. P.39/Menlhk/Setjen/Kum.1/2016); said regulation states that this is required to
occur at a density of at least 1100 seedlings per hectare. Given the market price of
seedlings and cost of labor for planting and maintenance, costs of revegetation range
from USD500–3000 per ha according to BRG,
2 while CIFOR
3 estimates the cost to
be about USD2,500 per ha (2017–2018 figures). Prices vary depending on a range of
factors such as distance to location and accessibility, species being planted, seedlings
raised in own nursery or purchased on commercial market, and so on. On the
Millennium Challenge Account Indonesia-funded Berbak Green Prosperity Program
(BGPP) project in Jambi, Sumatra (2016–2018), the cost of replanting was
USD3,110/ha for an area of 53 ha, in which the replanting used the services of a
local commercial nursery company. This was considered expensive at the time
(by government agencies and MCA-I), but it resulted in a high survival rate (48%
after 1.5 years) compared to other replanted areas in Jambi (often less than 5–10%).
By comparison, the cost per unit area is about 10–100x as much as that required for
rewetting per unit area, although this of course depends on the canal size and density
as well as the overall logistics for replanting.
Full Rewetting but Without Flooding To be successful, full rewetting is needed,
i.e. GWLs need to be raised to the (near) natural levels and without any degree of
drainage. The best way to do this has proven to be blocking drainage canals with
compacted peat dams. However, box dams (i.e., wooden canal blocks filled in with
sand bags or bags of compacted peat) equipped with spillways are often constructed
2 http://www.aktual.com/biaya-restorasi-lahan-gambut-hingga-3-000-dollar-per-hektar/.
3 https://www.google.co.id/url?sa¼t&rct¼j&q¼&esrc¼s&source¼web&cd¼3&cad¼rja&
uact¼8&ved¼0ahUKEwjso Mzu35nXAhWKqI8KHZYCAvwQFggzMAI&url¼https%3A%2F%
2Fwww.rsis.edu.sg%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F10%2FCO16252.pdf&
usg¼AOvVaw3mcttvDCc2sO_IJsvYoTYT.
432
W. Giesen