PALMOILMAGAZINE, JAKARTA – It has been demonstrated that palm oil plantations can be sustainably cultivated in peatlands through the maintenance of water levels during both dry and rainy seasons. This approach not only sustains productivity but also helps reduce subsidence.
In Indonesia, palm oil plantations are not only established in mineral-rich areas but also in marginal lands, coastal regions, and peatlands. However, palm oil cultivation in peatlands has recently become a contentious issue due to concerns over environmental damage and carbon emissions.
Environmental campaigners and activists often debate the wisdom of cultivating palm oil in peatlands, with some advocating for the restoration of degraded peatlands with alternative crops instead of palm oil.
Also Read: Harnessing Sarawak Peatland Resources for Economic Development
While this debate may cast doubt on the viability of palm oil cultivation in peatlands, it is worth noting that such cultivation has been practiced for decades. This article seeks not to debate the merits of palm oil cultivation in peatlands but rather to highlight considerations for sustainable cultivation based on field research.
By implementing certain practices, such as careful water management and mitigation strategies, it is possible to minimize and even eliminate the negative impacts associated with palm oil cultivation in peatlands..
This article is written based on the research results done in palm oil plantation locating in Jambi. Its goal is to learn the rain effects to the water surface fluctuation in the water management. It also determines the optimum water surface for the palm oil to have and to consider the good, safe results for the environment in the dry season. The last is to know and to get the subsidence in the peat in the good water management in palm oil plantations.
Also Read: Assessing the Influence of Drought on Palm Oil Production
The research used the data of the water surface depth from 2012 – 2015, the palm oil plantations were about 12 – 19 years of age. The total samples: Area 1:69 block, Area 2: 32 blocks. Each block had 3 piezometer and 4 wells to survey. The surface depth for each block is 7 surveillance averagely. The water depth was surveyed in every single week.
The data of the water depth was classified into 8 classes, they were (1) WT >120 cm, (2) WT 100-120 cm, (3) WT 80-100 cm, (4) WT 60-80 cm, (5) WT 40-60 cm, (6) WT 20-40 cm, (7) WT 0-20 cm, (8) WT<0 cm (in flood).
Then the pole subsidence was put in 20 blocks, the decreasing of the land surface was measured in every single month. It used software IBM SPSS-23 to analyze the WT. The impact of the WT fluctuation will be known in the next 2 years.
For more, please read Majalah InfoSAWIT, September 2016. (*)
Team of writer: Dedi K. Kalsim, Rovy Roland, Hardy Mulia, Yudha Asmara, Husni Mubarak, Isro Ismail, and Bandung Sahari
