PROGRESS ON RESTORATION EXPERIMENTS OF DEGRADED PEATSWAMP FOREST ECOSYSTEM IN THE GIAM SIAK KECIL-BUKIT BATU BIOSPHERE RESERVE, RIAU, INDONESIA

Abstract

Restoration study was started on the earlier 2000 in Riau Biosphere Reserve. We concluded reasons that restoration should be important to be done in biosphere reserve; 1) large degraded peatland and forest areas due to high fire intensity, poor canal drainage and illegal logging activities, 2) forest encroachment and conversion, 3) problem sustainable livelihoods for local communities and environmental services functions, and 4) the important rehabilitation of carbon sequestration and protection of remaining peat carbon stocks. We selected two different locations. First, forest degradation was caused by illegal logging activities and forest encroachment with extent 179,000 ha of totally core area and second, peatland degradation due to severe fire yearly and poor water management in transition areas with extent 304,000 ha. The achievement indicators of restoration study are wildings and seed germination are better method to provide seedlings stocks. The vigorous regeneration performance of Callophyllum lowii, Palaquium sumatranum and some of sub storey tree species can be promoted to accelerate vegetation recovery processes in different forest types and degradation in the biosphere reserve. Cratoxylon arborescens, Palaquium sumatranum, Callophyllum lowii and Tetramerista glabra indicated promising species on vegetation rehabilitation efforts in the biosphere reserve shown by high survival rate ranges 57.14%-100%. Our results confirm that vegetation rehabilitation assisted by natural regeneration processes, has a great potential to sequester carbon in Bukit Batu Forest Block. Most of respondents or 94% of totally respondents are well perception on forest restoration. Forest values and restoration are important for them. In future detailed plan of restoration is important to be discussed, i.e. how to promote institutional framework collaboration, local community involvement and economic incentive, and carbon payment mechanism under REDD+ schemes or other sources of innovative financial mechanism such as the Global Peatland Fund (GPF). Restoration is still going on; transplanting seedlings, tree growth, biomass and carbon increment monitoring, and establishing more canal block will be done in next field study