ECOLOGICAL DEGRADATION AND RECOVERY IN THE FORMER MEGA RICE PROJECT TROPICAL PEATLAND ECOSYSTEM, CENTRAL KALIMANTAN, INDONESIA

Abstract

Forested tropical peatlands in Southeast Asia are being rapidly converted to agriculture or degraded into fire-prone non-forest vegetation. Although large areas have been abandoned, little is known about the natural regeneration ability of this ecosystem. To fill this knowledge gap, this study explores the natural regeneration potential of woody vegetation in an area of degraded tropical peatland by investigating how the current vegetation relates to the impacts that caused the degradation, namely forest clearance, fire and changes to the natural hydrology. Other potential filters to recovery including seed dispersal and post-dispersal seed predation are also examined. This work was carried out in the former Mega Rice Project area in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia.