TREE SPECIES DIVERSITY AND ETHNOBOTANY OF DEGRADED PEAT SWAMP FOREST IN CENTRAL KALIMANTAN

Leaf size indices and structure of the peat swamp forest

Leaf size indices of the tree species in the peatland of Agusan del Sur in Mindanao in Philippines was examined to deduce the variation of forest structure and observed forest zonation.  Using raunkiaer and webb’s leaf size classification, the leaf morphometrics of seven tree species consistently found on the established sampling plots were determined.  The species includes Ternstroemia phi...

Population status of the Bornean orang-utan (Pongo pygmaeus) in the Sebangau peat swamp forest, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia

A survey of the density and population size of Bornean orang-utan (Pongo pygmaeus) was carried out in 1995 and 1996 in an area of peat swamp forest in the Sungai (River) Sebangau catchment, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. Densities were calculated for four forest sub-types by counts of orang-utan sleeping platforms (nests) along line transects. Densities were found to be highest in the tall inte...

Locomotor behaviour of wild orang-utans (P. p. wurmbii) in disturbed peat swamp forest, Sabangau, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia

ICESat/GLAS Data as a Measurement Tool for Peatland Topography and Peat Swamp Forest Biomass in Kalimantan, Indonesia

Indonesian peatlands are one of the largest near-surface pools of terrestrial organic carbon. Persistent logging, drainage and recurrent fires lead to huge emission of carbon each year. Since tropical peatlands are highly inaccessible, few measurements on peat depth and forest biomass are available. We assessed the applicability of quality filtered ICESat/GLAS (a spaceborne LiDAR system) data t...

Effects of Fires on Peat Swamp and Lowland Dipterocarp Forests in Kalimantan, Indonesia

The effects of the fires that burned over 4.7 million ha of Indonesia’s tropical forests during 1997 and 1998 are largely unknown. We assess the immediate impacts of these fires on five forest areas representing several different habitats in Kalimantan 1-2 months after the fires went out. Comparisons of transects in burned and unburned forest areas were conducted at three sites: Tanjung Puting ...