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Frequent fires take toll on Jambi peat forest
A biosphere reserve of Berbak Sembilang National Park, the forest park has been repeatedly hit by fires, with the worst occurring in 2015, when almost 80 percent of the 18,140 hectares of peat land were scorched.
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A shrunken pond is left behind after a peat land fire razed Orang Kayo Hitam Forest Park in Jambi in 2015. (JP/Syafrizaldi)
Orang Kayo Hitam Forest Park in Jambi is still suffering the effects of frequent forest fires.
The peat forest, which is a part of a biosphere reserve of Berbak Sembilang National Park, has been repeatedly hit by fires, with the worst occurring in 2015, when almost 80 percent of the 18,140 hectares of peat land were scorched.
“Thorough revegetation has taken place,” local environmentalist group Gita Buana Association program coordinator Hery Kuswantoro said on Monday.
The Jakarta Post once visited the wetland that located between Muarojambi and East Tanjungjabung regencies in 2017 and found some minor changes. The previously barren area had stagnant water that was 50 centimeters deep.
The association, which has been involved in replanting the area since 2016, said revegetation was urgently needed.
To do this, 80-cm seedlings need to be planted in the area that is inundated with stagnant water.
A seedling of that size would cost Rp 50,000, with 1 ha needing 1,100 seedlings, Hery said.
