Suhud-Saleh-2007-Climate-Change
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Author: Muhamad Suhud and Chairul Saleh Significant input related to the substance is provided by Adventus Panda, Dedi Hariri, dan Arif Budiman. Special acknowledgment is addressed to Dr. Armi Susandi (ITB), Drs Hasmar Rusmendi (UNAS), Dr. Sri Suci Utami Atmoko (UNAS) and other parties who have provided valuable views and inputs to this report. Editor: Israr Ardiansyah Foto Cover: © WWF-Canon / John E. NEWBY © WWF-Canon / Michel GUNTHER © hWWF-Canon / Alain COMPOST Design and Layout by: Aulia Rahman Quotation: Suhud, M. and Saleh, C, 2007 . Climate Change Impact on Orangutan Habitat. WWF-Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia Published in November 2007 The report is available in e-version, please visit www.wwf.or.id To order copies of the printed version and for further information, please email us at [email protected] “This document has been produced with the financial assistance of the European Union and WWF-UK. The contents of this document are the sole responsbility of “The UNFCCC Implementation Project and Forest-Species Terrestrial Program of WWF Indonesia” and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the European Union and WWF-UK” Foreword Orangutan is the only one out of the four taxo of large ape that lives in Asia whilst the other three i.e. gorilla, chimpanzee and bonobo lives in the African continent. There are two types of orangutans i.e. the Sumatera orangutan (Pongo abelii) with limited spreadings in the nothern part of Sumatera and the Borneo orangutan (Pongo pygmaesu), still founded in several central habitats in Sabah and Sarawak especially in the peat swamp and dipterocarp forests in southwestern low land part of Kapuas and Barito river (Province of West Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan), and in the eastern part of Mahakam that flows to the north (Province of East Kalimantan and Sabah). Indonesia has an important position in the world to conserve orangutans because the major population of living orangutans is in the area of the Republic of Indonesia. It is known that the population of wild orangutans has decreased continuously in the last decades due to the lost of forest, low lands and the pace is increasing. Orangutans are still being hunted, traded and also smuggled out of the country. This contributes to the decrease of wild orangutans. The lost of habitats, being hunted and traded are the main threats of their lives in Indonesia. The Indonesian government has implemented several efforts to conserve orangutans and its habitat by issuing rules and regulation and develop collaboration programs with other sectors and stakeholders. Together, the government with stakeholders of orangutan national and international experts has drafter the Strategic and Action Plan for Orangutan Conservation 2008-2017 to support the effort of conserving the orangutans. In the future, it is hope that the forest industry sector i.e. HPH, palm and forest plants is hope to take a more role to support effort of conservation of orangutans in their consession area. Climate change in the future is estimated to be a serious threat to the conservation of orangutans, especially in the food shortage because the mating process of the plants is hampered due to the increase of the climate and rain and this leads to the decrease of fruits that are their source of food. Other threats is the lost of habitat due to forest fire induced by climate change. The forest fire in 1997/1998 inflicted by el Nina has decreased the habitat quality of orang utans and affecting orangutans as victims significantly. The climate change symptom in that year is also affecting the polon pattern and mating of forest trees in Kalimantan that has implication to the lives of several animals. In relations to that, we appriciate and responds positively the drafting of the “Climate Change Impact on Orangutans Habitat” report as an important reference to develop conservation programs of orangutans especially due to climate change. An example case is the National Park Sebangau, Central Kalimantan assest in the report Orangutans has to be conserved and maintaned in the longer term because this frugivora (fruit eating, including leaves and cambium) has an important role in guaranteeing the sustainability of the forest. There are 1000 plants identified that its spreading depends on endangered species, like fungus that is also as food for small animals and orangutans. We hope that the report will support the effort to conserve orangutans and as an effort to reduce carbon dioxide emission through forest conservation. The protection of orangutans can only be reaches by full and optimum support for all of the stakeholders that has the interest in this flagship based on common understanding on the meaning and function of preserving their natural habitat. Sincerely, Ir. Adi Susmianto, MSc. Secretary Director General of Forest Protection and Nature Conservation (PHKA) Forestry Department of Republic Indonesia 2 INTRODUCTION Objective This report aims to answer the question of, “What is the effect of climate change on the habitat of orangutan?” Until today, there are only a few number of studies focused on the effect of climate change on the habitat of orangutan. Climate change is suggested to be one of the main causes for the decreasing population of orangutan in Kalimantan; and possibly it would have a significant impact on this endangered species in the future. The huge drought of Kalimantan in 1997/1998 caused by El Niño resulted in the biggest forest fire ever known, burned millions of hectares of forest, including the habitat of orangutan. Besides the climate variability, climate change factor will create more permanent impacts on the habitat of orangutan. The climate change will alter the regional rainfall pattern; therefore it will modify the hydrology cycle of certain areas. Eventually this will affect the water availability which disrupt forest conservation in the future. Climate change can also disturb the ideal condition for long term survival of orangutan’s. Methodology The main source of this report came from two studies conducted by WWF, in collaboration with Universitas Nasional (UNAS) and Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB) in 2007. The Faculty of Biology UNAS conducted the study on behavioral and ecological aspects of orangutan, while Applied Meteorology Laboratory of ITB studied the climate change aspects in Central Kalimantan region. This report is enriched by the survey of orangutan population in Sebangau National Park by WWF-Indonesia in 2006 and vegetation analysis by LIPI of the same year. Input was received from various orangutan researchers and experts in a forum of limited discussion in Jakarta on September 11, 2007. Meanwhile input for orangutan habitat management in Sebangau National Park is obtained from a similar forum, conducted in Palangkaraya on September 26, 2007. CLIMATE CHANGE IN CENTRAL KALIMANTAN Changes in Rainfall Like the rest of the Kalimantan region, Central Kalimantan has equatorial rainfall type; this means it has two maximum rainfalls in one year. The effect of monsoon on equator is not as distinctive compared to effect on insolation during equinox (Bayong, 2004). Equinox is the time or date at which the sun crosses the celestial equator, when the day and the night are of equal length, which falls on March 21st and September 23rd. However, the maximum rainfall did not happen in those months, although the rainfall pattern with two maximum rainfalls still occurs in Central Kalimantan (see Figure 1). 400 350 300 250 200 150 100 50 0 Januari Februari Maret April Mei Juni Juli Agustus September Oktober November Desember Figure 1. The rainfall pattern of Central Kalimantan based on data from three observatory stations for 18 years. From the climate data of 1984 - 2000, taken from several observatory stations in Central Kalimantan, the average precipitation in March is 314.40 mm (the first peak of maximum rainfall), the rainfall in September is 167.89 mm and in November is 315.94 mm (the second peak of maximum rainfall). These facts marked the difference between the theoretical maximum rainfall and observed data. From those data, it can be said that in the months of March - April and November - January, Central Kalimantan will receive excessive water from heavy precipitations. This means that during those months the possibility of disasters to happen will be very high if the resources are not properly managed. But with appropriate management, the rainfall surplus could be utilized for irrigation and to ensure water availability during the dry season. In Central Kalimantan, the rainfall will decrease starting from May, and reaches its lowest point in August. After that, the rainfall will increase again until its second peak in November. Thus, mostly the dry season lasts from June to September. During those months, it is usually indicated by droughts, failing crops, and scarcity of water. The results of plotting the rainfall in Central Kalimantan for January and July 2005 can be seen on Figure 2. In this study, data in January is taken as a sample for the rainfall in rainy season, and the data in July is for the dry season. The rainfall in January varies from 254.01 mm to 651.52 mm, meanwhile in July is varies from 110.63 mm to 115.86 mm. Figure 2 also showed that rainfall distribution is mostly focused in the southwest region of Central Kalimantan, resulting in the higher chances for disasters, such as landslides and flood in that region. In the dry season, this region is vulnerable to disasters and scarcity of water supply. Therefore, the southwest region of Central Kalimantan is highly at risk to disasters, because of its high rainfall (highest in region) during the rainy season and its low rainfall (lowest in region) during the dry season. 4 Figure 2. The spatial pattern of the rainfall in Central Kalimantan during January and July 2005.