resilient state in terms of carbon as well as water and nutrients, while STUMP not
only releases carbon but also affects the water cycle. Additionally, large amounts of
chemical fertilizers can also cause pollution to local watersheds. The BUSH model
does not provide for the full functioning of the forest as originally intended.
Renewable energy sources—wind and solar power—are also part of the BUSH
model, which usually involves SDG activities. However, this means that large
areas would need to be developed to generate the necessary electricity from solar
power, and in the worst-case scenario, large areas of undeveloped forest would need
to be cleared. Wind power is unlikely to be stable in the tropics, except in some
regions. In conclusion, undeveloped tropical peat swamp forests should be fully
conserved, while already developed peatlands are best suited for sustainable treeplanting projects.
2.8 Conclusion
Water management in tropical peatland is fundamentally classified into two different
systems: Stock-based water management (Stock-based WM) and Drainage-based
water management (Drainage-based WM). Stock-based WM is like an irrigation
system, and water is supplied evenly throughout the slope from a water reservoir set
at the top of the peat dome during the dry season.
The Drainage-based WM is a conventional system utilized in the former Mega
Rice Project and oil palm plantations for keeping low groundwater level (GWL), the
intent of which is to dry up peatland. However, it is impossible to continue Drainagebased WM because as El Niño seasons become more frequent and intense, peatland
degradation will be accelerated to a state of catastrophe if Drainage-based WM is
continued, which could affect the global environment.
Peat dome zoning requires Stock-based WM based on irrigation management that
regulates water flow and topography. Simultaneously, the groundwater level
expected for planting different species and land use for each zone is presented.
The areas from the top of the peat dome to the riverbank at the foot of the dome can
be divided into five zones: water reservoir/conservation zone, buffer zone, plantation
zone, Satoyama zone (Human-nature coexistence), and coastal zone. The Stockbased WM system proposes a livelihood model for the local people who live in the
peatland that is in harmony with the environment, as exemplified by the Satoyama
model (Osaki 2014). To ensure the sustainability of the Satoyama model in
peatlands, the local people’s livelihoods should also be considered to maintain
economic values.
Management areas influence each other, just as drained areas influence the GWLs
in adjacent undrained areas. This influence may cause the hydrology of peatlands to
be managed in uncontrolled or unexpected ways. Activities and projects that take
place in one watershed can affect activities in another watershed and cause conflicts
of interest (Ritzema and Wösten 2002). Therefore, those using the Stock-based WM
2 Principles of Eco-Management in a Large-Scale Ecosystem of Tropical Peatland
83
only releases carbon but also affects the water cycle. Additionally, large amounts of
chemical fertilizers can also cause pollution to local watersheds. The BUSH model
does not provide for the full functioning of the forest as originally intended.
Renewable energy sources—wind and solar power—are also part of the BUSH
model, which usually involves SDG activities. However, this means that large
areas would need to be developed to generate the necessary electricity from solar
power, and in the worst-case scenario, large areas of undeveloped forest would need
to be cleared. Wind power is unlikely to be stable in the tropics, except in some
regions. In conclusion, undeveloped tropical peat swamp forests should be fully
conserved, while already developed peatlands are best suited for sustainable treeplanting projects.
2.8 Conclusion
Water management in tropical peatland is fundamentally classified into two different
systems: Stock-based water management (Stock-based WM) and Drainage-based
water management (Drainage-based WM). Stock-based WM is like an irrigation
system, and water is supplied evenly throughout the slope from a water reservoir set
at the top of the peat dome during the dry season.
The Drainage-based WM is a conventional system utilized in the former Mega
Rice Project and oil palm plantations for keeping low groundwater level (GWL), the
intent of which is to dry up peatland. However, it is impossible to continue Drainagebased WM because as El Niño seasons become more frequent and intense, peatland
degradation will be accelerated to a state of catastrophe if Drainage-based WM is
continued, which could affect the global environment.
Peat dome zoning requires Stock-based WM based on irrigation management that
regulates water flow and topography. Simultaneously, the groundwater level
expected for planting different species and land use for each zone is presented.
The areas from the top of the peat dome to the riverbank at the foot of the dome can
be divided into five zones: water reservoir/conservation zone, buffer zone, plantation
zone, Satoyama zone (Human-nature coexistence), and coastal zone. The Stockbased WM system proposes a livelihood model for the local people who live in the
peatland that is in harmony with the environment, as exemplified by the Satoyama
model (Osaki 2014). To ensure the sustainability of the Satoyama model in
peatlands, the local people’s livelihoods should also be considered to maintain
economic values.
Management areas influence each other, just as drained areas influence the GWLs
in adjacent undrained areas. This influence may cause the hydrology of peatlands to
be managed in uncontrolled or unexpected ways. Activities and projects that take
place in one watershed can affect activities in another watershed and cause conflicts
of interest (Ritzema and Wösten 2002). Therefore, those using the Stock-based WM
2 Principles of Eco-Management in a Large-Scale Ecosystem of Tropical Peatland
83