Chapter 5: Deforestion in Kalimantan
Deforestation is the permenant clearing and destruction of forests to create land for agricultural activities, settlements, transport and industry.
CAUSES OF DEFORESTATION IN KALIMANTAN
Cause 1: Increase in demand for agricultural landuse
Many new settlers permanently clear forests to establish small holdings like farm. Some of the cultivated crops are grown for sale while some settlers are motivated by profit to extend their farmland by clearing more forested areas. Another reason of agricuture landuse is the old palm plantation.As it is cheap to grow and highly profitable,it resulted in clearing of extensive areas of the Kalimantan forests.
Cause 2: Growth of settlements
More people move from rural settlement to urban settlement such as town and cities to live as there are more job opportunity which in result, led to rainforests being cleared for the expansions of towns and cities. This is also known as urbanisation.An example is the Balikpapan in East Kalimantan.
Cause 3: Improved transport networks
Transport network like roads and railway tracks are constructed to link ettlement in Kalimantan. An example is the Trans-Kalimantan Highway Its also allows access to previously remote forested areas in Kalimantan. At the same time, the improved accessibility has made it easier for people to destroy even more areas of the rainforest
Cause 4: Growth of industries
Forests are rich in natural resources such as woods and minerals. And companies from timer campany and mining company are thus attracted to it's resources. The timber companies had heavy illegal logging activities led to the rainforests in Kalimantan suffered from heavy logging the past 30 years. On the other hand, when a mining company discovers minerals in the ground, they will first clear the vegetation to expose the ground underneath .This will also affect the quality of water and aqautic animals as the loose soil is washed to a nearby river.
Cause 5: Forest fires
Most of the forest fires are deliberately set up be people. One of the reason is that plantation companies clear land for agriculture use by burning the forests as it is cheaper than employing labourers to clear the forest. Vegetation debris that are left on the forest floor such as tree stumps, branches and twig catch fire easily especially during the dry season.
Problems caused by deforestation in Kalimantan
Problem 1: Loss in biomass
The Earth's biomass refers to the combined weight of all organisms which is measured in terms of kilocalories of stored energy. The deforestation in Kalimantan has deduct the Earth's biomass. This reduces the ability of the Kalimantan rainforests to support various plant and animal life because the food chain is adversely affected.
Problem 2: Loss of biodiversity
The diverge range of plants and animals is referred to as biodiversity. Due to deforestation, the biodiversity of plants and animals in the Kalimantan rainforests is reduced, which lead to extinction of species. Some plants and animals are close to becoming extinct in Kalimantan and are therefore endangered. An example of an endangered animal of the Kalimantan rainforest is the Proboscis monkey.
Problem 3: Changes in the nutrient cycle
The removal of vegetation following deforestation results in the loss of leaf litter and affects the nutrient cycle. Where soil are leached and the absence of roots, absorbtion of rainwater is reduced. As a result , soil becomes infertile and cannot support vegetation growth. Thus, in Kalimantan, very little of the original vegetation could be replaced back and the cleared land also becomes unsuitable for cultivation of crops over time.
Problem 4: Changes in quantity of water
When vegetation are removed, less transpiration take place and thus results in low rainfall. It also could lead to flood. An example is the severe floods in 2001 in the East Kalimantan cities of Samarinda and Balikpapan.
Problem 5:Changes in quality of water
When rainforests are cleared, the water quality in rivers is poor as the soil eroded and washed away easily by rain into the nearby rivers. And thus, increases the sediment level of the rivers and makes the water muddy. And the pH level of the river also changes by making the water acidic, affecting the auatic animals life.
Problem 6: Air pollution
Rainforest that are being cleared by burning released dust and smoke to the air, causing air pollution and sometimes haze. Inhaling the dust and smoke can suffer from health issue such as nose, throat irritations, coughs and lung infection.
Managing the Rainforests in Kalimantan
Policy 1: Afforestation and Reforestation
Afforestation refers to the planting of trees on areas that were originally not covered with forests and reforestation refers to planting trees in formerly forested areas that have been cleared by logging.
Policy 2: Controlled logging
Controlled logging is encouraged by the MOF to minimise damage in rainforests that are being logged.
Policy 3: Conservation
Conservation refers to the careful use of resources, such as forests, to protect them from destruction.
Policy 4: Controlling forest fire
The indonesian government implemanted a policy that makes it illegal to clear forests by burning.