Your letters: Managing peatland

Source: 
The Jakarta Post | Readers Forum | Wed, October 09 2013, 11:54 AM

I refer to an article titled “Peatland management could prevent forest fires,” (The Jakarta Post, Oct. 1, p4).

This expert in the article seemed not lack understanding and practical experience about the issue. He suggests local farmers to employ a water management system on peatlands by creating artificial water canals aimed at surrounding farmlands and preserve water so as to minimize fires.

He needs to understand that building or digging new massive canals within a peatland ecosystem will disrupt the natural hydrological regime that may lead to over drainage and the lowering of ground and surface water levels that may see peat become drier and more susceptible to fire.

To restore degraded peatlands and to minimize the occurrence of fire resulted from over drainage, therefore, water management intervention that has to be implemented is to reduce the over-drainage by blocking or closing down the existing open canals so as to retain and maintain the ground and surface water levels as high as possible notably during the dry season.

As a result, peat humidity and moisture can be retained so that peat oxidation and subsidence can be effectively avoided.

I urge the expert to learn the negative impacts of massive canal networks in the ex-1 million hectare mega price project on peatland degradation and fires, prior to suggesting misleading advice to local farmers.

Alternatively it would be better for this expert to learn more from local farmers in Central Kalimantan on how to manage peatlands in sustainable and wise ways to enhance his knowledge and experience.

Alue Dohong
Central Kalimantan