Anatomical and physiological characteristics of reclamation plant on the post-mining land in Riding Panjang, Bangka

Tin mining leaves disturbed land with sandy texture, damages natural drainage and habitats, and very low water holding capacity. The enrichment of species selection criteria for revegetating tin tailing with anatomical and physiological characters is needed to facilitate decision maker to select local species suitable for revegetation and to meet the economical need of the local people in post tin mining era. Besides exotic species, a handful of local tree species was planted recently. The need of more local species is especially needed to support biodiversity in mined land. Study of some leaf anatomical and root physiological characters of twelve months seedlings of leban (Vitex pinnata L - Verbenaceae) and ubak (Syzygium grande (Wight) Walp. Myrtaceae) planted in unmined land and tin-mined land in Bangka Island was conducted using wholemount and paraffin methods. The findings showed that anatomical and physiological parameters of V. pinnata are more significant than those of S. grande. Therefore, V. pinnata is more adaptive grown on tin tailing than S. grande

Anatomi Bangka Belitung

Kepulauan Bangka dan Belitung berada di The Southeast Asia Tin Belt yang membentang dari Myamar. Penambangan timah, yang pernah terkenal dengan merek Banka Tin di jaman kolonial, memberikan kesejahteraan ke berbagai lapisan masyarakat dan mendorong perekonomian daerah. Lada yang diperkenalkan pada akhir tahun 1860-an, mencapai puncak kejayaan pada tahun 1931 dengan merek dagang Muntok White Pepper. Penambangan timah di laut dimulai sejak 1815 di Teluk Klabat, Kabupaten Bangka dan kapal keruk dioperasikan pertama kali di Belitung 1920. Selain dampak positif di bidang ekonomi, penambangan timah berpotensi terjadinya konflik sosial, menurunkan tangkapan ikan, dan masalah agraria. Penambangan timah mengubah bentang alam, menurunkan biodiversitas. Pulau Bangka berkembang menjadi pulau strategis sejak abad ke-7 dan tercatat pada prasasti Kota Kapur 686 M. Namun, sebelum masa timah, Pulau Bangka tidak menarik secara ekonomi. Berbagai kerajaan pernah menguasai Bangka: Majapahit (1293-1520), Johor-Minangkabau (awal 1600-an), Kesultanan Banten, dan Kesultanan Palembang (pertengahan 1600-an). Sultan Najamuddin menyerahkan Bangka Belitung kepada Inggris (1812 – 1816). Karena cadangan timah dan posisi geografis yang strategis untuk armada laut, Raffles menamai Pulau Bangka sebagai Duke of York. Perkembangan penduduk di Bangka berawal di Bangka Kota, sementara Mentok dan Toboali sebagai kota pelabuhan. Orang laut atau suku Sekak menempati pantai Pulau Mendanau dan pantai sekitar Manggar di Belitung. Di masa Kesultanan Palembang, masyarakat Melayu dari Minangkabau dan Riau masuk Bangka, di samping masyarakat dari Pontianak dan Jawa. Awal abad 18 hingga awal abad 20, ribuan pekerja tambang dari Cina masuk ke Bangka dan Belitung. Belanda menjaga keterpisahan lokasi pemukiman antara etnik Cina dan penduduk lokal. Terutama karena penambangan timah, populasi di Kepulauan Bangka dan Belitung mengalami peningkatan, pada tahun 1829 adalah 30.146 jiwa, tahun 1920 tercatat 168.217 jiwa. Peningkatan kemakmuran rakyat diikuti dengan peningkatan pendidikan, dan kebutuhan guru didatangkan dari luar Bangka

Can anatomical and physiological characters predict plant adaptation on tin-mined land in Bangka Island?

In the last decade, a handful of local tree species were planted on the tin-mined land in Bangka Island to support biodiversity and to meet the economical need of the local people in post tin-mining era. Exotic species have been used predominantly since revegetation was mandatory in Bangka Belitung islands in 1992. Some leaf anatomical and root physiological characters of five year saplings of ubak (Syzygium grande), penaga (Calophyllum inophyllum), and leban planted in unmined land and tin-mined land were studied to enrich local tree selection. Stomatal density, epidermal cells thickness, cuticle thickness, palisade and spongy mesophyll thickness, root conductivity and root conductivity ratio, chlorophyll and nitrogen contents, and plant height, stem diameter and canopy area of those species were measured. Based on the anatomical and physiological measurements, the best adapted species was V. pinnata, followed by C. inophyllum and then S. grande. Morphological measurements, however, show that the best performance was S. grande, C. inophyllum and V. pinnata. Further study is required to validate this result by assessing the transpiration rate of those species that are grown on mined and unmined lands and by measuring the free proline concentration

Managing the socio-economic impact of tin mining on Bangka Island, Indonesia - preparation for closure

Tin mines in the Bangka Belitung Islands have been exploited for about a hundred years. Following the issuance of a 1999 Ministry of Trade and Industry decree that tin is not an export item to be monitored and regulated, the Bangka regent issued a decree giving permission for the people to mine tin in 2001. Consequently, “unconventional mines” (tambang inkonvensional), the term used to describe local small-scale tin mines, have expanded significantly since 2000. Bangka Island has a surface of 11,900 km2 and is mainly lowland below 50 m with some hills up to 700 m; climatic differences within the island are small. Its climate is hot and wet with an average annual rainfall of approximately 2,400 mm. Mining activities are spread across the island and run by one publicly listed tin mining company, dozens of private companies and thousands artisanal mining groups. Tin mining activities increase the wealth of the people, but they decrease environmental stability. Offshore mining has reduced water quality as total soluble solids have increased and pH decreased; changes in the seabed have caused changes in benthic flora, fauna and plankton diversity and an increased mortality index of coral reefs and their associated fish. The number of fish caught in the offshore mining site has decreased. Inland mining activity has reduced soil fertility and flora and fauna diversity. Inland mining has reduced the number of individuals, species and plant families. In some areas, illegal mining causes floods in the rainy season and damages roads and bridges. Socio-economic secondary data were collected from various sites on Bangka Island through a literature review. In addition to inadequate commitment and political will on the part of the local and national governments, a low level of law enforcement seems to be a dominant factor in the low environmental awareness. These findings may be used to accelerate the mine closure program started by the largest tin mining company. This paper illustrates some opportunities and alternatives