The Conservation of Ground Water Levels in the Peat Swamp Forest at Ayer Hitam North Forest Reserve, Muar in Johor, Malaysia
- 1 Forestry & Environment Division, Forest Research Institute Malaysia, Kepong, Selangor, Malaysia
- 2 Forestry & Environment Division, Forest Research Institute Malaysia, Kepong, Selangor, Malaysia
- 3 Forestry & Environment Division, Forest Research Institute Malaysia, Kepong, Selangor, Malaysia
- 4 Forest Biotechnology Division, Forest Research Institute Malaysia, Kepong, Selangor, Malaysia
- 5 Director General, Forest Research Institute Malaysia, Kepong, Selangor, Malaysia
- 6 Yayasan Kemanusiaan Muslim Aid Malaysia, Menara Mutiara Bangsar, Jalan Liku Off Jalan Riong, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Abstract
The management of peat swamp forests in Malaysia contends with two major issues: forest fires and the effects of abandoned forest-logging drainage systems or canals. Forest fire occurs during low rainfall season related to the local people activities. The drainage networks change the hydrological function of the intact forest ecosystem. A key function of the hydrological system in the undisturbed forest is to absorb water during rainfall season, thus delaying downstream runoff and preventing flash floods. The objective of the project described here is to restore the hydrological function of peat swamp forest (PSF) at Ayer Hitam North Forest Reserve (AHNFR) in Muar, Johor, Malaysia. The oil palm plantations, especially in the southern part of the area affect the forest reserve. Water flows out of the forest reserve through the drainage system constructed for managing these plantations. In 2016 and 2017, two water block structures or check dams were constructed near the boundaries of the forest reserve to hold the water and raise the groundwater level in the forest reserve. The implementation of the check dams at the two locations has conserved the groundwater level and subsequently, about 1.2 million m 3 of water was saved annually from leaving the forest reserve from each of the check dam. This project is also part of the Coca-Cola Company’s sustainability commitment for water strategy with the global that is to replenish 100% of the equivalent volume of water consumed in their products and production by 2020. Replenishment is the key sustainability commitment for the Company.
- Wetlands International (2010) Wetlands International—Malaysia. A Quick Scan of Peatlands in Malaysia.
- Miettinen, J., Shi, C. and Liew, S.C. (2011) 2 Decades of Destruction in Southeast Asia’s Peat Swamp Forests. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 10, 124-128. https://doi.org/10.1890/100236
- Forestry Department Peninsular Malaysia (2019) Peninsular Malaysia Forestry statistics 2019. http://www.forestry.gov.my
- Appanah, S., Ismail, H., Samsudin, M. and Sadali, S. (1999) Flora Survey in North Selangor Peat Swamp Forest. In: Chin, T.Y. and Havmoller, P., Eds., Sustainable Management of Peat Swamp Forest in Malaysia, Vol. 1: Resource and Environment. Forestry Department, Malaysia.
- State Forestry Department, Malaysia (2016) Rancangan Pengurusan Hidrologi Hutan Paya Gambut Selangor Utara (HPGSU), Selangor 2016-2026. Forestry Department, Malaysia.
- Anderson, J.A.R. (1963) The Flora of the Peat Swamp Forest of Sarawak and Brunei, Including a Catalogue of all Recorded Species of Flowering Plants, Ferns and Fern Allies. Gardens Bulletin, 20, 131-228.
- Pahang Forestry Department, Malaysia (2004) Hydrological Assessment of the Pekan Forest Reserve, Pahang, Malaysia. Technical Report for Management for Conservation and Sustainable Use of Peat swamp Forest and Associated Water Regimes in Malaysia.
- Chan, H.T. (1989) A Forestry Action Plan for the North Selangor Peat Swamp Forest. Asian Wetland Bureau, Universiti Malaya WWF Malaysia. Asian Wetland Bureau, Kuala Lumpur Report Number 46c.
- Zulkifli, Y., Villy, K. and Baharuddin, K. (1999) Hydrological Characteristics of the North Selangor Peat Swamp Forest. Project Document Number 15, Malaysian-DANCED Project on Sustainable Management of Peat Swamp Forest.
- Wosten, J.H.M., Clymans, E, Page, S.E., Rieley, J.O. and Limin, S.H. (2008) Peat-Water Interrelationships in a Tropical Peatland Ecosystem in Southeast Asia. Catena, 73, 212-224. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2007.07.010
- Wosten, J.H.M, Ismail, A.B. and Van Wijk, A.L.M. (1997) Peat Subsidence and Its Practical Implication: A Case Study in Malaysia. Geoderma, 78, 25-36. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0016-7061(97)00013-X
- Dipa Satriadi, R. (2011) Drainage-Driven Subsidence and Carbon Emissions in Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve and Its Surrounding Area, Johor-Malaysia. Assessment Report for the Integrated Peatland Restoration Management and Action Plan of the Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve. Wetlands International Malaysia-Malaysia Office, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.