Peat swamp forest
Encyclopedia
Peat swamp forests are tropical moist forests
where waterlogged soils prevent dead leaves and wood from fully decomposing, which over time creates a thick layer of acidic peat
. Large areas of these forests are being logged at high rates.
Peat swamp forests are typically surrounded by lowland rain forests on better-drained soils, and by brackish or salt-water mangrove forests
near the coast.
Over the past decade, the government of Indonesia
has drained some peat swamp forests of the island of Borneo
for conversion to agricultural land. The dry years of 1997-8 and 2002-3 saw huge fires in the peat swamp forests. A study for the European Space Agency
found that the peat swamp forests are a significant carbon sink for the planet, and that the fires of 1997-8 may have released up to 2.5 billion tonnes, and the 2002-3 fires between 200 million to 1 billion tonnes, of carbon into the atmosphere. Much of the emissions from peatlands in Borneo are due to changes in their hydrological regime, caused by drainage from nearby plantations (particularly oil palm). Peatland conservation and rehabilitation are more efficient undertakings than reducing deforestation (in terms of claiming carbon credits from REDD
initiatives), due to the much larger reduced emissions achievable per unit area and the much lower opportunity costs involved. Indonesia contribute 50 percent of tropical peat swamps and 10 percent of dry land in the world.
Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests
Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests , also known as tropical moist forests, are a tropical and subtropical forest biome....
where waterlogged soils prevent dead leaves and wood from fully decomposing, which over time creates a thick layer of acidic peat
Peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
. Large areas of these forests are being logged at high rates.
Peat swamp forests are typically surrounded by lowland rain forests on better-drained soils, and by brackish or salt-water mangrove forests
Mangrove
Mangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S...
near the coast.
Over the past decade, the government of Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
has drained some peat swamp forests of the island of Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
for conversion to agricultural land. The dry years of 1997-8 and 2002-3 saw huge fires in the peat swamp forests. A study for the European Space Agency
European Space Agency
The European Space Agency , established in 1975, is an intergovernmental organisation dedicated to the exploration of space, currently with 18 member states...
found that the peat swamp forests are a significant carbon sink for the planet, and that the fires of 1997-8 may have released up to 2.5 billion tonnes, and the 2002-3 fires between 200 million to 1 billion tonnes, of carbon into the atmosphere. Much of the emissions from peatlands in Borneo are due to changes in their hydrological regime, caused by drainage from nearby plantations (particularly oil palm). Peatland conservation and rehabilitation are more efficient undertakings than reducing deforestation (in terms of claiming carbon credits from REDD
Redd
Redd is a Turkish rock band established in 1996 by tenor opera singer Doğan Duru and guitarist Berke Hatipoğlu under the name Ten. They used to play at bars until they set up their own studio in 2004. Their first album, entitled "50/50", produced by Levent Büyük was published a year later by...
initiatives), due to the much larger reduced emissions achievable per unit area and the much lower opportunity costs involved. Indonesia contribute 50 percent of tropical peat swamps and 10 percent of dry land in the world.
Peat swamp forest ecoregions
- Borneo peat swamp forestsBorneo peat swamp forestsThe Borneo peat swamp forests ecoregion, within the Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Biome, are on the island of Borneo, which is divided between Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia.-Location and description:...
(BruneiBruneiBrunei , officially the State of Brunei Darussalam or the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace , is a sovereign state located on the north coast of the island of Borneo, in Southeast Asia...
, IndonesiaIndonesiaIndonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, Malaysia) - Peninsular Malaysian peat swamp forestsPeninsular Malaysian peat swamp forestsThe Peninsular Malaysian peat swamp forests ecoregion, in the Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Biome, are of the Malay Peninsula, which includes portions of Malaysia and southern Thailand.-Setting:...
(Malaysia, ThailandThailandThailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
) - Sumatran peat swamp forests (Indonesia)
- Tonle Sap-Mekong peat swamp forests (CambodiaCambodiaCambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
, VietnamVietnamVietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
)
See also
- Tropical peatTropical peatAreas of tropical peat are found mostly in South East Asia although are also found in Africa, Central and South America and elsewhere around the Pacific Ocean. Tropical peatlands are significant carbon sinks and store large amounts of carbon and their destruction can significantly impact on the...
- BogBogA bog, quagmire or mire is a wetland that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material—often mosses or, in Arctic climates, lichens....
- SwampSwampA swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
- Freshwater swamp forestFreshwater swamp forestFreshwater swamp forests, or flooded forests, are forests which are inundated with freshwater, either permanently or seasonally. They normally occur along the lower reaches of rivers and around freshwater lakes...
- Coniferous swampConiferous swampConiferous swamps are forested wetlands in which the dominant trees are lowland conifers such as northern white cedar . The soil in these swamp areas are typically saturated for most of the growing season and are occasionally inundated by seasonal storms or winter snow melt.The substrate is usually...