Approach toward reducing pressure on natural forests by planting dipterocarp between oil palm

November 21, 2006 by


8th Ro

Suhardi

Faculty of Forestry, Gadjah Mada University

Indonesia



Abstract



Natural forest of dipterocarps in Indonesia is decreasing at an estimated rate of about 1.6 to 2.3 million ha per year and Indonesia need more than 50 million cubic meter of dipterocarps especially to supply its industries, house construction and maintain its timber exports. Areas planted oil palm have been increasing every year and more investors are willing to invest in oil palm plantation rather than dipterocarp plantation that required waiting for a long time before getting returns. It is also not easy to get credit for such long-term investment. However several species of dipterocarp such as Shorea leprosula, Shorea parvifolia and Shorea macroptera have been planted in oil palm plantations. At least two companies, in several locations in Sumatra, have planted dipterocarps between oil palms. The cost of establishing dipterocarp plantation with oil palm is cheaper and more efficient than planting only dipterocarps or timber trees. There are also other benefits such as the enriching of biodiversity, potential water conservation and maintenance of soil fertility. The possible reduction in oil palm productivity could be compensated with the wood production, enrichment of biodiversity, and water conservation.



Introduction



Indonesia has serious problems of deforestation and conversion of forest area into other uses such as oil palm estates, rubber plantations, housing, industries, etc. The oil palm conversion is so huge and most of the provinces in Sumatra and Kalimantan have programmes to have million hectares of oil palm estates. Most of the investors are willing to invest on oil palm estates and they are not interested in planting dipterocarps which this country needs at least 70 million m3 per year to supply its industries. However the sustainability of Indonesian forest could only supply 6.5 million m 3 annually.


The total area of natural forest or tropical rain forest has been decreasing by 600 000 ha annually until 1995, but recently the destruction of Indonesian tropical forest increased to 2.9 million ha in 2004. Some NGO had reported that about 3.5 million ha of forest had become unproductive area or converted to other uses and no longer serving as water conservation area, or able to provide biodiversity conservation and wood supply.


This condition becomes risky and need to be resolved to reduce the forest destruction and conversion to other uses especially when more people are interested in planting of oil palm instead of environment rehabilitation. However environment rehabilitation in fact could work together with increased productivity if the government could enforce regulation that oil palm could only be established if the guarantee of environment conservation could be met. One solution then, after planting of oil palm and dipterocarp can be planted in between, shaded by the palms, to increase the land productivity and ensure environment conservation.



Oil palm for economic value and dipterocarp for ecosystem value



Most of the investors prefer oil palm which could gain economic benefit from oil production, but there is also difficulty for most of the Indonesians if most of the forest are converted to oil palm because they still need good timber production. As shown in Table 1 Indonesia needs wood supply for its industries. Average supply about less than 10 % of total needed. The other problem is that people and companies only interested in planting short rotation trees for quick return. They will not consider the biodiversity function and water conservation.


Indonesia now also faces the hunger problems in several areas because of water shortage. The planting of tall trees with deep root system for water conservation therefore is needed to maintain the agriculture land productivity and alleviate hunger.



Dipterocarp has very important role to maintenance of biodiversity

Most of the new Indonesian plantations are not for constructions or furniture timber but mostly only for pulp and usually for export only and little volume for domestic purposes. Water shortage become very often and data showed that one area in East Indonesia loss more than 300 springs. It is also clearly showed that before planting of oil palm the riverbank near Gadjah Mada Education Forest was full of water even in the dry season but after oil palm conversion there is no water available in that river. The shortage of water then results in less fish and less vegetable or other plant crops.


8th Round-Table Conference on Dipterocarps

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