Search

Peatlands have unique characteristics that are largely determined by the peat thickness. Ombrogenous peat has a high carbon content and low ash content, but not many studies have reported that this relationship also occurs in deep peat domes. This study aims to identify the C-organic content and ash content and determine the pattern of their relationship with peat thickness vertically from the peat surface to the mineral layer below the peat. Peat profile observations were made using a peat drill (Eijkelkamp, Giesbeek, Netherlands) by taking 50 cm and 5.2 cm peat cores in Meskom Village, Bengkalis Regency. Soil samples were taken every 20 cm thickness for laboratory analysis. Data were analysed using simple linear regression. The results showed that the thickness of peat in the study area was classified as very deep peat. Peat thickness and carbon content have a vertical relationship, where C-organic content increases with increasing peat thickness, while peat thickness and ash content have an inverse vertical relationship, where ash content decreases with increasing peat thickness. The vertical relationship between C-organic content and ash content is inverse, where an increase in C-organic content is followed by a decrease in ash content.

Zamrud National Park is the peak of the peat dome in the Kampar Peninsula. Peat depth data is needed as a baseline to maintain the balance of the water reservoir and carbon stock. Currently, available peat depth data is predictive photogrammetric data. Soil survey activities need to be carried out to provide accurate and up-to-date data. This research aims to map the peat depth using the best grid interpolation technique. Peat depth measurements were carried out terrestrially, while peat depth mapping used inverse distance weighted, kriging, and spline interpolation techniques. Drilling observation points are arranged based on a system of longitudinal transects and transverse transects in a northeast-southwest direction. The distance between longitudinal transects is 500 m and between transects is 1,000 m. The results showed that the Zamrud National Park area has diverse peat depths ranging from 5.3 to 16.7 m. The Kriging interpolation technique gives the best mapping accuracy results. The standard deviation value is 1.9 is smaller, the accuracy value is 98.82% higher, and the thickness of the dominating peat is 8.4-9.4 m for 7,093.47 ha (24.42% of the total park area).

The Peatland Restoration Agency of the Republic of Indonesia (BRG-RI), an agency that is mandated to restore 2 million hectares of degraded peatland by 2020, has developed a 3-R approach towards tackling the problem based on the program of rewetting, revegetation, and revitalization of livelihood for the peatlands restoration in Indonesia. The Rewetting program that aims to rehabilitate hydrologically a peatland to a near natural state is carried out by canal blocking, canal backfilling, and construction of deep wells. To know the progress of the restoration activities by BRG, it is very important to understand the effectiveness of canal blocking on rewetting of the tropical peatland. The effectiveness of canal blocking was investigated through the monitoring of groundwater level (GWL) fluctuation around the canal block. This study was carried out at a canal block that is located at the peatland of Sungai Tohor Village, Kepulauan Meranti Regency, Riau Province. For monitoring of GWL fluctuation as the impact of canal blocking, five dipwells were set at the peatland that are perpendicular to the canal with the distance of 20 m, 70 m, 120 m, 170 m, and 220 m respectively. The results of this study show that the impact of canal blocking could raise the water table in the peatland at the radius of about 170 m from the canal. The radius impact of the re-wetting might be bigger or smaller, that strongly depends on the hydrotopography situation of the area.

Tropical peatlands are fragile ecosystems with an important role in conserving biodiversity, water quality and availability, preventing floods, soil intrusion, erosion and sedimentation, and providing a livelihood for people. However, due to illegal logging, fire and conversion into other land use, the peatlands in Indonesia are under serious threat. Efforts to restore Indonesia's tropical peatlands have been accelerated by the establishment of the Peatland Restoration Agency in early 2016. The restoration action policy includes the rewetting, revegetation and revitalisation of local livelihood (known as the 3Rs). This paper summarises the regulatory, institutional and planning aspects of peatland restoration, in addition to the implementation of the 3Rs in Indonesia, including failures, success stories, and the criteria and indicators for the success of peatland restoration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indonesia's peatland covers almost 10% of its land i.e. about 20 million hectares. Due to economic development, infrastructure construction on peatland is frequently unavoidable. However, determination of geotechnical properties of peat, especially shear strength, is cumbersome due to its very fragile and soft nature. This study is a preliminary work to characterize geotechnical properties of peat using highly portable and low-cost in-situ soil investigation tools i.e. hand cone penetrometer (HCP), resistivity, and particularly soil strength probe (DK), a relatively new apparatus developed by Public Work Research Institute (PWRI) Japan. The location of this study is at Bengkalis Island, Riau Province Indonesia. Laboratory test shows that peat at the location is sapric (highly decomposed) with fibre content about 7-20%. Hand cone penetration values and resistivity range from 50-900 kPa and 41-130 ohm-m, respectively. Peat resistivity strongly correlates to its water resistivity. Soil strength probe penetration is generally higher than HCP i.e., 150-1900 kPa. HCP and DK penetrations correlates strongly. Shear strength from soil strength probe vane cone revealed low cohesion values (1-5 kPa) and friction angle between 140 -470 . Fibre content has a moderate positive correlation to penetration resistance. Resistivity has a very weak correlation with penetration resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The number of hotspots that indicate forest and land fire in peat land is the highest in Indonesia, particularly in both Riau and West Kalimantan provinces. Ministry of forestry has run several programs to overcome this problem such as monitoring hotspots, campaigning for forest fire prevention, conducting coordination between government and local governments. However, the main cause of this problem has not been solved because the local communities that are around the forest or peat land area still have social and economic problem. Therefore, this paper described how to solve the problem by involving and emerging the awareness of its local community through program of community empowerment. The concept of the program has to be designed sophisticatedly by paying attention in balance between community resources and its program objective as sustainable development. Based on some previous experiences, there are three areas as the main suggestion that have to be done simultaneously; First is managing land resource; second is activating institutions in village; and the last is diversifying economic activities in village. The program also needed collaboration among local government, extension institution, Ministry of Forestry through manggala agni (taskforces, who overcome forest fires), farmer groups, village government officials. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]