which is mainly based on natural regeneration with a relatively small impact on the
forest, while “Progressive management forestry” increases wood production through
drainage and fertilization. In countries such as Finland, the approach to using
peatlands for forestry for decades has been to minimize harmful impacts on the
land and rivers through Conserving management forestry as well as Progressive
management forestry. In addition, both intact peatlands and those drained for
forestry have a positive carbon budget.
Therefore, it is necessary to re-evaluate conventional management practices using
drainage and fertilizer based on factors that are important indicators of peat ecosystems, particularly water, carbon, and nutrients, because, in contrast to the success of
Finland, this approach has not always been successful in tropical peatlands in
Indonesia.
Regarding water, the valuable benefits of forest-water interactions include flood
mitigation, water purification, water infiltration, groundwater recharge, and ground
surface cooling. In addition, approximately 40% of terrestrial precipitation comes
from forest evapotranspiration (van der Ent et al. 2010). Specifically, tropical
evergreen broadleaf forests cover roughly 10% of the Earth’s surface but account
for 22% of global evapotranspiration (Wang-Erlandsson et al. 2014), a significant
portion of which is returned to land as rainfall.
There is a need for a comprehensive understanding of the role of forest-water
interactions on hydrological flows and water supply in local, regional, and continental landscapes. However, forest and water resource management tend to focus on
river flows and consider rainfall as an unmanageable input that is difficult to
incorporate into the system (Ellison et al. 2012). Thus, the potential impacts of
tree and forest cover on rainfall and potential water supply are both underestimated
and underappreciated (Ellison et al. 2019).
The relative role of forests may be heightened during dry periods because dry
periods and droughts often mean less evaporation from the ocean (Bagley et al.
2012). The loss of tropical forest in upwind areas reduces the total amount of water
intercepted and stored at the soil surface, thus reducing evapotranspiration and
downwind precipitation (Ellison et al. 2019). Despite the rapidly expanding knowledge of forest–water interactions (e.g., flying rivers, rivers in the sky), their contribution to the hydrological cycle in tropical peatlands remains the missing link.
A large part of the world’s food production capacity is inextricably linked to
global precipitation patterns. Changes in the amount of available moisture, whether
due to climate change, anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions or land cover
change, can have a significant impact on food production. Bagley et al. (2012)
indicated that thresholds of land cover changes can cause moisture shortages,
which could negatively affect crop yields in major food production regions. They
suggested that unless the use of proper water management is increased, it could lead
to future disruptions in food supplies, indicating the importance of proper water level
management and reforestation activities in tropical peatlands related to global food
issues.
Tropical peatlands are located in areas that have large amounts of rainfall
throughout the year and store water in vast areas of peatland as well as in forests;
2 Principles of Eco-Management in a Large-Scale Ecosystem of Tropical Peatland
65
forest, while “Progressive management forestry” increases wood production through
drainage and fertilization. In countries such as Finland, the approach to using
peatlands for forestry for decades has been to minimize harmful impacts on the
land and rivers through Conserving management forestry as well as Progressive
management forestry. In addition, both intact peatlands and those drained for
forestry have a positive carbon budget.
Therefore, it is necessary to re-evaluate conventional management practices using
drainage and fertilizer based on factors that are important indicators of peat ecosystems, particularly water, carbon, and nutrients, because, in contrast to the success of
Finland, this approach has not always been successful in tropical peatlands in
Indonesia.
Regarding water, the valuable benefits of forest-water interactions include flood
mitigation, water purification, water infiltration, groundwater recharge, and ground
surface cooling. In addition, approximately 40% of terrestrial precipitation comes
from forest evapotranspiration (van der Ent et al. 2010). Specifically, tropical
evergreen broadleaf forests cover roughly 10% of the Earth’s surface but account
for 22% of global evapotranspiration (Wang-Erlandsson et al. 2014), a significant
portion of which is returned to land as rainfall.
There is a need for a comprehensive understanding of the role of forest-water
interactions on hydrological flows and water supply in local, regional, and continental landscapes. However, forest and water resource management tend to focus on
river flows and consider rainfall as an unmanageable input that is difficult to
incorporate into the system (Ellison et al. 2012). Thus, the potential impacts of
tree and forest cover on rainfall and potential water supply are both underestimated
and underappreciated (Ellison et al. 2019).
The relative role of forests may be heightened during dry periods because dry
periods and droughts often mean less evaporation from the ocean (Bagley et al.
2012). The loss of tropical forest in upwind areas reduces the total amount of water
intercepted and stored at the soil surface, thus reducing evapotranspiration and
downwind precipitation (Ellison et al. 2019). Despite the rapidly expanding knowledge of forest–water interactions (e.g., flying rivers, rivers in the sky), their contribution to the hydrological cycle in tropical peatlands remains the missing link.
A large part of the world’s food production capacity is inextricably linked to
global precipitation patterns. Changes in the amount of available moisture, whether
due to climate change, anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions or land cover
change, can have a significant impact on food production. Bagley et al. (2012)
indicated that thresholds of land cover changes can cause moisture shortages,
which could negatively affect crop yields in major food production regions. They
suggested that unless the use of proper water management is increased, it could lead
to future disruptions in food supplies, indicating the importance of proper water level
management and reforestation activities in tropical peatlands related to global food
issues.
Tropical peatlands are located in areas that have large amounts of rainfall
throughout the year and store water in vast areas of peatland as well as in forests;
2 Principles of Eco-Management in a Large-Scale Ecosystem of Tropical Peatland
65