2.6.1 Conventional Water Management (WM) of Tropical
Peatland (Drainage-Based WM)
The traditional use of peatlands has been based on a drainage system, which has been
practiced in Europe (Holden et al. 2004). However, it is clearly a mistake to adopt the
same method for tropical peatlands because the characteristics and formation process
of tropical peat are different from those of European peat, and the plants produced
are also different. In Indonesia, private companies have cultivated commodity crops,
such as pulp trees and oil palm trees, by lowering the GWL through drainage in
peatlands (Jaenicke et al. 2010; Page et al. 2006) (Fig. 2.4 right and Fig. 2.5).
Ritzema and Wösten (2002) also introduced gravity drainage as a means of agricultural use of tropical peatlands without the use of pumps or other mechanical devices.
Nevertheless, they have emphasized the importance of water management and
introduced the prototype of the management approach for dome-shaped topography,
which unfortunately has been neglected at the field level. This neglect has resulted in
significant degradation of peat ecosystems and has also resulted in large amounts of
CO 2 emission, which has had an impact on global climate change (Ishikura et al.
2018; Wösten and Ritzema 2001). At the same time, at the local level, the conventional drainage system dries out the peat soil, and in the dry season, especially during
El Niño events, it has led to massive fires that not only release large amounts of CO 2
but also cause haze pollution to neighboring countries, even causing health hazards
(Huijnen et al. 2016; Heil et al. 2007). Peatland management through drainage has
resulted in soil degradation, and the companies have tried to maintain the productivity of commodity crops by applying even larger amounts of chemical fertilizers.
As a result, the application of chemical fertilizers triggered the activation of
Fig. 2.5 Canal network at the Mega Rice Project: the locations and categories of channels are
determined via visual observation on satellite image (Source: Landsat-8, August 14, 2019—U.S
Geological Survey). A, B, and C in the figure represent the development blocks of the former Mega
Rice Project. All of them form a huge peat dome surrounded by the Barito, Kapuas, and Kahayan
rivers, which are the largest rivers in the area. The deepest peat is more than 10 m deep
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Peatland (Drainage-Based WM)
The traditional use of peatlands has been based on a drainage system, which has been
practiced in Europe (Holden et al. 2004). However, it is clearly a mistake to adopt the
same method for tropical peatlands because the characteristics and formation process
of tropical peat are different from those of European peat, and the plants produced
are also different. In Indonesia, private companies have cultivated commodity crops,
such as pulp trees and oil palm trees, by lowering the GWL through drainage in
peatlands (Jaenicke et al. 2010; Page et al. 2006) (Fig. 2.4 right and Fig. 2.5).
Ritzema and Wösten (2002) also introduced gravity drainage as a means of agricultural use of tropical peatlands without the use of pumps or other mechanical devices.
Nevertheless, they have emphasized the importance of water management and
introduced the prototype of the management approach for dome-shaped topography,
which unfortunately has been neglected at the field level. This neglect has resulted in
significant degradation of peat ecosystems and has also resulted in large amounts of
CO 2 emission, which has had an impact on global climate change (Ishikura et al.
2018; Wösten and Ritzema 2001). At the same time, at the local level, the conventional drainage system dries out the peat soil, and in the dry season, especially during
El Niño events, it has led to massive fires that not only release large amounts of CO 2
but also cause haze pollution to neighboring countries, even causing health hazards
(Huijnen et al. 2016; Heil et al. 2007). Peatland management through drainage has
resulted in soil degradation, and the companies have tried to maintain the productivity of commodity crops by applying even larger amounts of chemical fertilizers.
As a result, the application of chemical fertilizers triggered the activation of
Fig. 2.5 Canal network at the Mega Rice Project: the locations and categories of channels are
determined via visual observation on satellite image (Source: Landsat-8, August 14, 2019—U.S
Geological Survey). A, B, and C in the figure represent the development blocks of the former Mega
Rice Project. All of them form a huge peat dome surrounded by the Barito, Kapuas, and Kahayan
rivers, which are the largest rivers in the area. The deepest peat is more than 10 m deep
2 Principles of Eco-Management in a Large-Scale Ecosystem of Tropical Peatland
77