Forest Clearcutting and Site-Preparation on a Saline Soil in East Texas: Impacts on Water Quality

Three 0.02 hectare plot-watersheds were installed on a saline soil in the Davy Crockett National Forest near Apple Springs, Texas. Each plot was installed with an H-flume, FW-1 automatic water level recorder, Coshocton N-1 runoff sampler, and two storage tanks. One watershed was undisturbed forested and served a control, one was clearcut without any site-preparation, and the third was clearcut, V-blade sheared, windrowed, and vegetation regrowth was prevented for the first 2 years. A total of 274 storms were recorded during the four-year study period, 1989-1992. Average annual sediment losses for the study period were 55, 197, and 1,530 kilograms per hectare per year for the control, commercial clearcut, and sheared plots, respectively. These losses are about average for most studies conducted in East Texas and the Southeast and are well below average losses for all land uses in the Southeast. Sediment losses and surface runoff were significantly greater from the sheared plot-watershed than from the control and the commercial clearcut plots. Employing Wischmeier and Smith’s (1978) long-term average Rvalue for the USLE overestimated annual sediment yield for the study period, while two shortcut models developed in the United States resulted in more accurate predictions and are good substitutes for the long-term R-value. Total losses in surface runoff of PO4, NO3, NO2, TKN, K, Ca, Mg, Na, Al, Fe, Zn, and Cu were higher on the site-prepared plot watershed than the other two. Losses of PO4, TKN, and NO2 were higher on the commercial clearcut plot than the control. Losses were not high enough to adversely affect forest productivity. Concentrations of elements were generally below established USEPA surface water quality standards and were not high enough to adversely affect plant growth

Food Plant Knowledge Among Bidayuhs of Sarawak

Much of the knowledge of food plants and their uses within local ecosystems is found in socio-cultural practices and sacred rituals of Indigenous people. Our study among the Bidayuh in Serembu area, Bau District, Sarawak reports on efforts to document Indigenous knowledge, with food plants as proxy, and to identify barriers as well as facilitators toward preserving and transferring traditional food and dietary habits across generations. Our results show that identification of traditional food plants was weakest, and that most of identified food plants had been seen in markets rather than in forests. While most participants were aware of traditional local plant knowledge linking plants and food plants to spirits, they could no longer remember such knowledge, except for the elderly headman. Most noted also was the Bidayuh’s relationship with food plants had changed due to lack of time, and most are buying food plants at the market. In some cases, knowledge of traditional food plants did not derive solely from within the community. Others noted their availability at shops made food plants or plant-derived products. Much change has occurred and was acknowledged but not necessarily in negative terms. Some participants even welcomed assimilations into the Malaysian mainstream, with its promises of income, mobility, improved health care and more choices in foods according to market availability rather than local environments. Some suggested that traditional practices could be documented in writing or preserved in cultural centres. However, while material artefacts can be preserved in cultural centres, an important part of traditional practices was spiritual in nature. While it seems clear how to preserve the artefacts of the past; it seems much less clear how to preserve the once lived spirituality that breathed through, and gave life to our artefacts

Clearcutting and shearing on a saline soil in East Texas: Impacts on soil physical properties

Soil samples, or in-situ measurements, were collected at seven occasions and at six depths to study the Impact of three forest conditions on soil physical properties of a saline soil in E. Texas. Soil bulk density, CW. of silt plus clay at the surface horizons, soil water content, soil water retention, and depth to groundwater Increased following intensive site preparation. Differences in these properties between the commercial clearcuttlng and undisturbed forest were small. The wet soil conditions created in the Intensive preparation site are not likely to be responsible for the failure of artificial pine regeneration. In areas where site preparation may cause standing water on the surface, all plants and stumps should be left intact after marketable timber is removed

Utilization of Non Timber Forest Products in Mount Jagoi Forest, Bau District, Sarawak

Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) are natural resources collected from forests apart from timber. The use of NTFPs based on traditional knowledge is widely known among the natives in Borneo including Bidayuh community in Sarawak. A study was undertaken in Kampung Duyuh, a village nearby community forest at Mount Jagoi of Bau District, Sarawak. The study recorded 61 NTFPs species belonging to 53 genera from 37 families. Close to 46.0% of them are edible, 37.7% species for medicinal purposes while the rest 32.8% for other uses. Among the edible species, 54% were fruits although most i.e. 89.2% were also used for medicinal purposes. Close to 10% of the households in the village sell these products at the village weekend market earning an average of RM400 to RM640 per month with higher income during the fruiting season (October to December) which can be as much as RM200 per day. Although a majority (more than 60%) indicated that they also grew the commonly used plants in their own land, substantial NTFPs (43.4%) sold such as wild vegetables and wild fruits were collected from nearby community forest. Because of their strong dependence on this forest, more efforts in conserving it are needed to ensure a more sustainable supply of NTFPs for domestic use and to supplement their income. Also, it was suggested that a longer-term study be undertaken to cover all seasons/periods of the year to understand more on the products being sold and their contribution to the local socio-econom

Forest Clearcutting and Site Preparation On A Saline Soil In East Texas: Impacts On Water Quality

Three 0.02 hectare plot-watersheds were installed on a saline soil in the Davy Crockett National Forest near Apple Springs, Texas. Each plot was installed with an H-flume, FW-1 automatic water level recorder, Coshocton N-1 runoff sampler, and two storage tanks. One watershed was undisturbed forested and served a control, one was clearcut without any site-preparation, and the third was clearcut, V-blade sheared, windrowed, and vegetation regrowth was prevented for the first 2 years. A total of 274 storms were recorded during the four-year study period, 1989-1992. Average annual sediment losses for the study period were 55, 197, and 1,530 kilograms per hectare per year for the control, commercial clearcut, and sheared plots, respectively. These losses are about average for most studies conducted in East Texas and the Southeast and are well below average losses for all land uses in the Southeast. Sediment losses and surface runoff were significantly greater from the sheared plot-watershed than from the control and the commercial clearcut plots. Employing Wischmeier and Smith’s (1978) long-term average R-value for the USLE overestimated annual sediment yield for the study period, while two shortcut models developed in the United States resulted in more accurate predictions and are good substitutes for the long-term R-value. Total losses in surface runoff of PO4, NO3, NO2, TKN, K, Ca, Mg, Na, Al, Fe, Zn, and Cu were higher on the site-prepared plot watershed than the other two. Losses of PO4, TKN, and NO2 were higher on the commercial clearcut plot than the control. Losses were not high enough to adversely affect forest productivity. Concentrations of elements were generally below established USEPA surface water quality standards and were not high enough to adversely affect plant growth

Dissolved Organic Carbon Concentrations in an Oil Palm Plantation at South Selangor Peat Swamp Area, Malaysia

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is a complex collection of organic carbon molecules produced as a result of plant or animal materials decay and dissolved in water. The DOC concentrations were monitored from May 2013 until October 2014 at an oil palm plantation on peat swamp area in South Selangor, Malaysia. Bimonthly samplings were made on groundwater (GW) in piezometers installed at different ages of oil palm blocks (1- to 14-year old) and their respective nearby drains (DW), collection drains (CD) and main drains (MD). Based on the 13 months sampling, the overall average DOC was 89.44mg L-1 which were higher by 85.1% and 31.5% respectively than those in severely drained disturbed peat swamp forest and intact peat swamp forest in Sebangau river basin, Central Kalimantan. Average DOC in GW at the 14-year�olds was the highest with 113.50mg L-1 while the lowest at the 4-year-olds with 18.41mg L-1. For the DW, average DOC was the highest at the 8-year-olds (107.15mg L-1) and lowest at the one-year-olds (24.12mg L-1). Overall average DOC in both GW and DW from blocks of less than 8-year-old were lower than those at the older blocks which could be due to higher biomass in older palms. Average DOC in DW at the 8-year oil palm area was also negatively correlated with dissolved oxygen (R2 =0.85) and surface water temperature (R2 =0.67) within the 1-year-olds. The DOC in DW was positively related to that in GW especially at the 8-year-olds (R2 = 0.77) while DOC in GW were higher than those from nearby drains, as DOC in the latter were diluted by direct rainfall. Hydrological factors such as precipitation, evaporation and temperature coupled with soil properties especially moisture increase DOC in peat. The above show that DOC follow seasonal pattern and storm events, and groundwater depth which determines soil moisture and fluctuations of GW affects DOC concentrations. The above trends of DOC seem to agree with studies in temperate and tropical areas

Effects of forest conversions to oil palm plantations on freshwater macroinvertebrates: a case study from Sarawak, Malaysia

Oil palm plantations in Malaysia are expanding rapidly due to global oil and biofuel demand. This is of particular concern, as the conversion process of forested land to oil palm plantations and the maintenance of a plantation can significantly alter freshwater ecosystems. This is a result of the initial loss of a forested catchment, particularly the riparian vegetation, changes to the bed and banks of streams, sedimentation and changes to detrital inputs. In addition, various chemicals used on the plantations leach into the nearest waterways and can potentially affect freshwater macroinvertebrates. In the Malaysian region, these are largely endemic and generally incompletely known. This study assesses the impact of oil palm plantations on stream macroinvertebrates by comparing four steams flowing through undisturbed rainforest and four streams flowing through oil palm plantations in Sarawak, Malaysia. Freshwater macroinvertebrates were sampled using the standard three-minute kick sample method with accompanying chemical measurements. Although there were no distinct differences between the control and oil palm streams in the chemical data, the invertebrate communities provided a different interpretation of stream quality. Invertebrates were more abundant, species rich and diverse in rainforest streams than in oil palm ones. Most noticeably, two whole orders of insecta, Coleoptera (beetles) and Hemiptera (true bugs), were absent from the oil palm streams. This may be the result of the disappearance of natural bank habitats, the sensitivity to the pesticides targeted at the Rhinocerous beetle (Oryctes rhinoceros), or a combination of both

Distribution of fruit trees at different elevations at Mount Singai, Bau, Sarawak, Malaysia

Singai Bidayuhs (BiSingai) once settled on Mount Singai, Bau district, Sarawak in eight villages about 230 meters up the mountain. Since their farms were located downhill, they had to commute between their farms and their mountain villages. Along the trails there are fruit trees and other cash crops, resulting in a mosaic of forests types while areas further up the mountain have been left undisturbed. An inventory of the fruit trees was made along a trail that lead from the foothill to the top of Mout Singai, passing through the old mountain village, to determine if the occurrence of fruit trees followed a particular pattern or not. Sampling was carried out in the 16 plots established earlier for the tree/timber survey, each plot measured 50 meters away from the trail and 10 meters wide. A total of 254 fruit trees from 12 different families were recorded. The fruit trees along the route to the farm land occurred most frequently nearer to the trail (within 10 meters) than further away from the trail. In general the distribution of fruit trees decreases with increasing elevation and becomes rare at elevations 425-557 m (plots 13-16) where only 2 fruit trees were found. The majority of the fruit trees surveyed were found at the site of the abandoned village and at the foothill. In terms of distribution, the Meliaceae family with 98 individuals is the dominant family while the family Anacardiaceae, Burseraceae and Flacourticeae is the least with only 1 individual each. This study showed that the cultivation habits of the BiSingai affects the distribution of fruit trees on Mount Singai and that the number of fruit trees decreases with distance from trail

Rain Water Harvesting for Sustainable Biodiversity Conservation at Lawachara National Park in Bangladesh: A Study on Policy Challenges

An assessment on the rain water management policy at a protected area for conserving biodiversity was undertaken. The study focuses on the current status of biodiversity with respect to ecological changes and community environmental awareness at the Lawachara National Park (LNP) in Moulvibazar district of Bangladesh. The contemporaneous era of modernization and globalization indicates a lot of comfort and luxurious life where lead to an alarming situation of huge environmental degradation integrated with all the apprehensive activities. Now a days the entire sectors in the world economy is facing massive challenges to deal with the global warming, climate change, environmental problems, loss of biodiversity and its consequences present one of the most important threats to the protected areas. Due to all these reasons, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) have started modifying its activities and strategies through Aichi Targets to ensure protection to our natural resources and environment, particularly biodiversity conservation at protected areas. Everyone exploits them but none can conserve profoundly due to lack of scientifically effective policies, tools and methods in national park areas. The study explores the present uniqueness of inland water management, land use, environmental and forest policy towards Lawachara National Park for Biodiversity Conservation according to Aichi Target 11 of the CBD. The study examined the exclusivity of the tools to enhance conservation through existing approaches, technology, literature reviews, observations, reconnaissance findings and undertook interviews with park managers, Team Leader of Co-management Committee, Indigenous Community Leader, Academics, Biodiversity Specialists, Water Management Officer, Botanists, Zoologists, Researchers, Environmental Lawyers, land user, Learners, Policy-Maker, Local Government Leaders, NGOs and effective key stakeholders. All data were sorted and analysed using SPSS software for development of priorities Logic Model. About 55% of the respondents agreed that rain water should be harvested at LNP during rainy season as for importance of biodiversity information. The study showed that 42% and 55% of the respondents respectively stated that it is essential and very essential for the authority to undertake the necessary action to fulfill the Aichi Target of CBD at the existing protected area management. During winter and summer season water scarcity tends to highly ecosystem services at LNP. This scarcity assessment will support policy and decision-makers in assessing options to modify existing policies which will develop initial long-term strategic plans for rain water harvesting and implement effective policies for sustainable biodiversity conservation. The study also highlights on the steps, initiatives, benefits and future of rain water harvesting technology in Bangladesh context. Moreover, the study regarded the need for protection of biodiversity at LNP while reducing the water scarcity, removing illegal hunting and loss of biodiversity issues during dry and winter seasons. Overall, the research revealed that terrestrial water harvesting at protected areas requires policy improvement for sustainable conservation. However, policy makers and relevant bodies need to be trained on biodiversity and water to make them more effective. Finally, the study suggests future research trajectories using a new collaborative approach to drive methodological agenda and recommends ways to further incorporate the need of upcoming generation on water management policy at protected areas in stimulating environmental sustainability