LONG-TERM DYNAMICS OF TROPICAL RAINFORESTS, CLIMATE, FIRE, HUMAN IMPACT AND LAND-USE IN INDONESIA A FOCUS ON THE MONTANE RAINFORESTS IN CENTRAL SULAWESI AND PEAT-SWAMP RAINFORESTS IN SUMATRA Dissertation for the award of the degree “Doctor of Philosophy” (Ph.D. Division of Mathematics and Natural Sciences) of the Georg-August-Universität Göttingen within the doctoral program Biodiversity and Ecology submitted by M.Sc. Siria Biagioni from Rome (Italy) Göttingen, 2015 Thesis Committee Prof. Dr. Hermann Behling (Dept. Palynology and Climate Dynamics / A.-v.-H. Institute for Plant Sciences) Prof. Dr. Erwin Bergmeier (Dept. of Vegetation and Phytodiversity Analysis / A.-v.-H. Institute for Plant Sciences) Dr. Dietrich Hertel (Dept. of Plant Ecology / A.-v.-H. Institute for Plant Sciences) Members of the Examination Board Prof. Dr. Hermann Behling (Dept. Palynology and Climate Dynamics / A.-v.-H. Institute for Plant Sciences) Prof. Dr. Erwin Bergmeier (Dept. of Vegetation and Phytodiversity Analysis / A.-v.-H. Institute for Plant Sciences) Dr. Thomas Giesecke (Dept. Palynology and Climate Dynamics / A.-v.-H. Institute for Plant Sciences) Prof. Dr. Holger Kreft (Free Floater Research Group - Biodiversity, Macroecology & Conservation Biogeography Group) Prof. Dr. Teja Tscharntke (Dept. of Crop Sciences / Agroecology) Prof. Dr. Dirk Hölscher (Tropical Silviculture and Forest Ecology, Burckhardt Institute) Date of the oral examination: 11.05.2015 To the people of Indonesia, custodians of the Maritime Continent nature’ treasures Lake Lindu, Lore Lindu National Park, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia Table of contents ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................................................. I ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................................................................ V LIST OF FIGURES, TABLES AND APPENDICES ........................................................................................................... VII ACRONYMS ............................................................................................................................................................ XIII PREFACE .................................................................................................................................................................. 1 THESIS AIMS ........................................................................................................................................................... 1 THESIS OUTLINE ....................................................................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................... 5 TROPICAL RAINFORESTS OF INDONESIA ......................................................................................................................... 5 RECENT DRIVERS OF INDONESIAN RAINFOREST CHANGES .................................................................................................. 8 SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATIONS IN INDONESIA: THE PROJECTS AND REGIONS UNDER STUDY .......................................................... 9 CHAPTER 2 - PALAEOECOLOGY ............................................................................................................................... 11 THE CONTRIBUTION OF PALAEOECOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS ......................................................................................... 11 THE MULTI-PROXY APPROACH IN PALAEOECOLOGY ....................................................................................................... 12 CHAPTER 3 - SULAWESI .......................................................................................................................................... 19 THE LORE LINDU NATIONAL PARK ............................................................................................................................. 20 CHAPTER 4 - SUMATRA .......................................................................................................................................... 27 PEATLANDS OF SOUTHEAST ASIA: AN OVERVIEW .......................................................................................................... 27 PEATLAND CONVERSION AND FIRE IN SUMATRA ........................................................................................................... 28 PEAT FORMATION .................................................................................................................................................. 30 TYPE OF PEATLAND IN SOUTHEAST ASIA ..................................................................................................................... 31 THE IMPORTANCE OF VEGETATION COMMUNITIES ........................................................................................................ 33 TEMPORAL AND SPATIAL DEVELOPMENT OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN PEATLANDS: STATE OF KNOWLEDGE ....................................... 34 CHAPTER 5 - PAPER 1: ENSO AND MONSOON VARIABILITY DURING THE PAST 1500 YEARS AS REFLECTED IN SEDIMENTS FROM LAKE KALIMPAA, CENTRAL SULAWESI (INDONESIA) .................................................................. 37 ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................................................ 38 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................................... 38 SITE DESCRIPTION .................................................................................................................................................. 40 MATERIALS AND METHODS ...................................................................................................................................... 41 PROXY DETERMINATION FOR PALAEOENVIRONMENTAL PROCESSES................................................................................... 43 RESULTS............................................................................................................................................................... 46 DISCUSSION .......................................................................................................................................................... 51 CONCLUSIONS ....................................................................................................................................................... 56 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................................................................ 56 CHAPTER 6 - PAPER 2: ASSESSING RESILIENCE/SENSITIVITY OF TROPICAL MOUNTAIN RAINFORESTS TOWARDS CLIMATE VARIABILITY OF THE LAST 1500 YEARS: THE LONG-TERM PERSPECTIVE AT LAKE KALIMPAA (SULAWESI, INDONESIA) ............................................................................................................................................................ 59 ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................................................ 60 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................................... 61 STUDY AREA ......................................................................................................................................................... 62 MATERIAL AND METHODS ....................................................................................................................................... 65 RESULTS............................................................................................................................................................... 67 INTERPRETATION AND DISCUSSION ............................................................................................................................ 72 CONCLUSIONS ....................................................................................................................................................... 77 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................................................................. 78 CHAPTER 7 - PAPER 3: UNRAVELLING THE PAST 1000 YEARS OF HISTORY OF HUMAN–CLIMATE–LANDSCAPE INTERACTIONS AT THE LINDU PLAIN, SULAWESI, INDONESIA ................................................................................. 79 ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................................................ 80 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................................... 80 STUDY AREA ......................................................................................................................................................... 82 MATERIAL AND METHODS ....................................................................................................................................... 85 RESULTS..............................................................................................................................................................