Jamaludin bin Jaya, MARDI Achievements, problems and plans

1. EU INCO-DEV STRAPEAT PROJECT STRATEGIES FOR IMPLEMENTING SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF PEATLAND IN BORNEO Jamaludin bin Jaya, MARDI Achievements, problems and plans

2. MARDI TEAM AND ASSOCIATES • MARDI Research team • Jamaludin Jaya, Ooi Ho Seng and Ismail Abu Bakar • Allied projects: • Ismail Abu Bakar , Jamaludin Jaya, Dr Salmah Idris and Zulkifli Malik (Studies on the management and conservation of virgin tropical peat land) • Dr Jyrki Jauhiainen (Greenhouse Gas Fluxes In Tropical Ombrotrophic Peatlands)

3. State of knowledge Status on Sarawak peat land sector management and utilization including agricultural land use reviewed and reported. Critical gaps on the peat land sector management identified and prioritized . ACHIEVEMENTS • Data and information • Map on the distribution of peat soils in Sarawak acquired • LANDSAT-ETM images on study area in Sarawak acquired • Data evaluation • Land clearing treatments for sustainable peat land management monitored and evaluated at Sessang, Sarawak

4. Information dissemination Workshop organized: STRAPEAT workshop at Sibu, Sarawak 4 – 5 April 2002. Attended by partners and participants from various Sarawak State agencies. Workshop on management and conservation of tropical peat land; Sibu, Sarawak 20 – 22 May 2003 (Invited participation) ACHIEVEMENTS • Papers • The effect of water table management of newly open peat on groundwater levels and peat subsidence (First draft) • Impacts of land clearing techniques and drainage on peat subsidence(First draft)

5. Special briefing given to Sarawak State Planning Unit on 17 May 2002 about the STRAPEAT Project and MARDI’s roles and participation in the project. OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS • Co-organized and accompanying Project Coordinator, Dr Henk Wosten for a courtesy calls to Deputy State Secretary office in Kuching, Sarawak on 23rd September 2002. • Organized meeting and briefing session to the Sarawak State Secretary, State Planning Unit, Drainage and Irrigation Department and National Resources and Environmental Board, Kuching on 8th October 2002. • Compilation STRAPEAT Project document and project brief from Malaysian partners in November 2002, for the Sarawak State Cabinet Paper. • Sarawak State Planning Unit on March 15, 2003 officially agreed in principle for the STRAPEAT Project to get involve on peat research in the state.

6. ALLIED PROJECTS Studies on the management and conservation of virgin tropical peat land (Government funded) Objective: To studythe effects of early stage peat land development on biodiversity, decomposition, physical/chemical/hydrological changes, and environment Greenhouse Gas Fluxes In Tropical Ombrotrophic Peatlands (STRAPEAT/University of Helsinki)

7. PROBLEMS The STRAPEAT project encountered slight difficulties at the beginning due to some internal miscommunications. As a result the project has maintained a low profile and activities kept to a minimum at the early stage of implementation .

8. FUTURE PLANS • On going Research • Continue data collection on post land clearing treatment • Complete field research on land clearing techniques • Monitoring on felling and burying treatment

9. FUTURE PLANS • Future Research • Evaluation of impermeable bund to control subsidence on newly open peatlands