Restoring tropical peatlands supports bird diversity and does not affect livelihoods of oil palm farmers, study suggests

Date:
March 15, 2022
Source:
University of York
Summary:
A new study has found that oil palm can be farmed more sustainably
on peatlands by re-wetting the land - conserving both biodiversity
and livelihoods.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
A new study has found that oil palm can be farmed more sustainably on
peatlands by re-wetting the land -- conserving both biodiversity and livelihoods.


==========================================================================
The research looked at tropical peatland restoration efforts in Indonesia,
and investigates whether managing water levels on drained peatlands
affects the viability of oil palm grown by farmers, as well as bird
species diversity.

Tropical peatlands in Southeast Asia contain large below-ground
carbon stocks, while peat swamp forests contain unique and threatened biodiversity. However, when peat forests are cleared and peatlands are
drained for cultivation, it results in carbon emissions, biodiversity
losses, and land subsidence. Drained peatlands are also prone to fire,
which in the past has led to toxic haze, deaths, and health and economic damage.

Indonesia is estimated to contain 47% of global tropical peatlands,
chiefly on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. Forests covered 76% of
Sumatra's peatland in 1990, but by 2015, 66% was covered by smallholder agriculture or industrial plantations, primarily of oil palm.

Drainage is considered necessary to maintain oil palm yields because
prolonged flooding reduces fruit production. However, peatland drainage
means Sumatra is now a hotspot for peat fires.

The study found that re-wetting should have net positive effects for smallholders by reducing the risk of fires that can damage property, plantations, and human health, without having a detectable effect on
oil palm yields.



==========================================================================
A farmer collaborating on the project, Mr Udin, said: "Even if the
farm flooded for a few days, the yield is not decreased." The study,
published in Journal of Applied Ecology, was led by the University
of York and ZSL (Zoological Society of London), as well as colleagues
from the Indonesian Center for Agricultural Land Resources Research and Development and Jambi University in Indonesia.

The study -- which focussed on Jambi province in Sumatra, Indonesia --
studied water table depths on oil palm farms managed by smallholder
farmers, to assess impacts on oil palm yields and on bird species living
on the farms.

Peat is a carbon-rich soil formed from partly decomposed vegetation in permanently wet conditions. Tropical peatlands are critically important
for storing carbon in the ground, and also provide habitats for tropical wildlife, including tigers, gibbons, birds, and specially adapted plants,
fish, and microbes.

Cultivating peatlands also supports people's livelihoods, such as
small-scale farmers growing oil palm.



========================================================================== Peatland needs to be drained using canals to make the land suitable for farming, which can impact habitats and cause the peat to emit carbon. The
dry land can also become prone to fire -- leading to increased carbon emissions, toxic haze, and a threat to the lives of both people and
wildlife.

Restoring drained peatland involves a process of "rewetting" where canals draining water away are blocked or filled in, which makes it less likely
that the peatlands will catch fire.

Ninety bird species were recorded in an area of peat swamp forest
neighbouring the farms, but only 48 species were found in oil palm. The
species living in the forest were also different, including 35 conservation-priority species, and tended to be larger-bodied species
that play different ecological roles, meaning forest protection is
critical for conserving biodiversity.

Reducing fire risk in the neighbouring oil palm farms by re-wetting
should reduce the risk of forest burning and of further habitat loss
for wildlife, while still supporting farmer production.

Dr. Eleanor Warren-Thomas, now at Bangor University and IIASA, and who
led the study while a researcher at York, said: "Indonesia has been very successful in reducing deforestation and considerable effort has gone
into peat restoration to avoid fires.

"But one of the big challenges is the trade-off between livelihoods of
owners of small farms and ensuring biodiversity in these areas.

"What this new study shows is that retaining more water in oil palm
farms to reduce fire risk seems to have no effect on yields, which is
good news for farmers. In contrast to the concerns of some plantations, retaining water levels close to the surface (40cm or less) still enables
oil palm cultivation." Eleanor said: "By also surveying bird species in
one of the remaining peat swamp forest areas nearby, we also showed the
huge importance of protecting the remaining forest for bird conservation
-- avoiding fires in the landscape is key to doing this.

"These unique birds can also act as seed dispersers -- crucial if in
the longer-term forest restoration becomes an option.

"One of the conclusions of the study is that larger-scale industrial
farming organisations would be able to help further studies in this
area, if they are able to publish their data and share their knowledge
to inform sustainable oil palm production strategies."

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_York. Note: Content
may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Eleanor Warren‐Thomas, Fahmuddin Agus, Panji Gusti Akbar,
Merry
Crowson, Keith C. Hamer, Bambang Hariyadi, Jenny A. Hodgson,
Winda D.

Kartika, Mailys Lopes, Jennifer M. Lucey, Dedy Mustaqim,
Nathalie Pettorelli, Asmadi Saad, Widia Sari, Gita Sukma,
Lindsay C. Stringer, Caroline Ward, Jane K. Hill. No evidence
for trade‐offs between bird diversity, yield and water
table depth on oil palm smallholdings: Implications for tropical
peatland landscape restoration. Journal of Applied Ecology, 2022;
DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.14135 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220315095007.htm

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