iBiome

For Peat's sake

Peat forests are a vital component of Borneo's ecology and act as both carbon sink and habitat for a diversity of plants and wildlife.  This item from the BBC Smoking out the world's lungs highlights current threats to Borneo's peatlands, which include logging and agricultural clearing:

According to the conservation organisation Wetlands International, 48% of the country's peatland forest has been deforested, and most of the rest degraded by illegal logging. And that has caused some major problems.

Marcel Silvius, a senior programme manager for Wetlands International, believes we are looking at one of the biggest environmental disasters of our age.

"From the drainage of its peatlands alone," he told me, "Indonesia is producing 632 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year.

"But from its annual forest fires, it produces another 1,400 million tonnes. That's a total of 2,000 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year. The Netherlands emits 80 million."

Indonesia's annual forest fires are a major problem, and have been increasing over recent years. 

Sometimes they are caused by companies wanting a fast, cheap way of clearing the land for planting.

Sometimes, though, it is local villagers, eking out a living from small patches of land hewn out of the forest.

Jakarta still wet

This image is from Jakarta Daily photo.  The rains seem to have receded somewhat, but portions of the city remain under a brown soup. 

banjir

Each year around this time the rains come to West Java, soaking and submerging swathes of Jakarta, Indonesia's capital. I have been caught in may local floods, up to my knees on the sidewalk, or locked in traffic jams (macet total!), watching the filth flow by. Judging from this Jakarta Post image, things haven't changed much.

JAKARTA UNDERWATER: An aerial View shows a vast flooded area in Cipulir and Ulujami subdistricts, South Jakarta. Heavy rains from Wednesday evening through Thursday afternoon have caused flooding in Jakarta due to poor drainage system and lack of flood control facilities. (JP/R. Berto Wedhatama)

Sinjai, 1994

From around 1994, on the beach in Sinjai, South Sulawesi, a region famous for the crafting of Bugis ships. I was visiting the area with a group from the Ministry of Environment.

Mosque on the Siak

  mosque on siak river Originally uploaded by Sick Coconut.

Another shot from the Siak River, Sumatra.  Stretches of the river were variously heavily peopled, industrialized, or just forest.And then you would catch a glimpse of a house, a boat, or in this case a mosque, at rest along the river's edge.

Taka Bone Rate, 1994

    Taka Bone Rate, 1994 Originally uploaded by Sick Coconut.

An old photo from a previous job.  The people of the Taka Bone Rate (aka Taka Bonerate) atoll, Indonesia, come out in force to greet the Ministers of Environment & Forestry, and their entourage. For further insight on the environmental and socio-economic issues related to the coral reefs of Taka Bone Rate, you should read: Sawyer, D. 1993. “Valuation of Coral Reef Uses in Taka Bone Rate Marine Park, Indonesia.” Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, Dalhousie University. (Thesis Dissertation).  We were fellowship recipients together in Indonesia in 1991.

Bintan Palms

From last fall, a holiday on Bintan Island, Indonesia. Bintan is about 1 hr ferry ride from Singapore and a great weekend getaway. The resort area is isolated from 'real' Indonesia, but that's not a bad thing when travelling with kids. I love travelling in Indonesia, though my stomach for chaos, adventure, and near death minivan rides is more delicate when the girls are along.

 

Windy day too