Community fire use, resource change, and livelihood impacts: the downward spiral in the wetlands of southern Sumatra

Fire is an important community wetland management tool in Indonesia, but its increasing use in the wetlands of southern Sumatra is degrading the landscape and diminishing household incomes and livelihood options. We studied evolving community land and fire use, resource and livelihood impacts on two...

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Main Authors: Chokkalingam, U., Suyanto, Permana, R.P., Kurniawan, I., Mannes, J., Darmawan, A., Khususyiah, N., Susanto, R.H.
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: 2007
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/19515
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author Chokkalingam, U.
Suyanto
Permana, R.P.
Kurniawan, I.
Mannes, J.
Darmawan, A.
Khususyiah, N.
Susanto, R.H.
author_browse Chokkalingam, U.
Darmawan, A.
Khususyiah, N.
Kurniawan, I.
Mannes, J.
Permana, R.P.
Susanto, R.H.
Suyanto
author_facet Chokkalingam, U.
Suyanto
Permana, R.P.
Kurniawan, I.
Mannes, J.
Darmawan, A.
Khususyiah, N.
Susanto, R.H.
author_sort Chokkalingam, U.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Fire is an important community wetland management tool in Indonesia, but its increasing use in the wetlands of southern Sumatra is degrading the landscape and diminishing household incomes and livelihood options. We studied evolving community land and fire use, resource and livelihood impacts on two sites of roughly 250 km2 each using satellite image analysis and biological and socio-economic surveys. Uncontrolled fire use expanded over time in relation to sonor or swamp rice cultivation, logging, fishing, grazing, and annual cropping on drained wetlands. As a result, most of the landscape has been subject to repeated fires of varying intensities, more extensive in El Niño years. Direct burning by companies played a smaller transitory role in fire ignition over the two decades. But company activities and other large-scale developments contributed to expanding community fire-based land use by bringing in more people, improving access to remote wetlands or making them more flammable. Widespread, repeated fires have transformed the landscape from mature high swamp forests to uniform stands of fire-resistant Gelam (Melaleuca cajuputi) forests and thickets, open savannas and grasslands. These new types of land cover are also degrading. Local communities have rapidly adapted to the changing resources and new opportunities. Logging and fishing declined in importance, and sonor and harvesting of Gelam expanded. But resource depletion has led to falling incomes and fewer livelihood options. The impacts extend beyond local areas as workers migrate into neighbouring forests to extract resources. Large-scale developments, community fire-based management practices and landscape transformation are spreading from accessible to formerly more remote wetlands.
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spelling CGSpace195152025-01-24T14:12:36Z Community fire use, resource change, and livelihood impacts: the downward spiral in the wetlands of southern Sumatra Chokkalingam, U. Suyanto Permana, R.P. Kurniawan, I. Mannes, J. Darmawan, A. Khususyiah, N. Susanto, R.H. fire management communities melaleuca cajuputi livelihoods swamps wetlands Fire is an important community wetland management tool in Indonesia, but its increasing use in the wetlands of southern Sumatra is degrading the landscape and diminishing household incomes and livelihood options. We studied evolving community land and fire use, resource and livelihood impacts on two sites of roughly 250 km2 each using satellite image analysis and biological and socio-economic surveys. Uncontrolled fire use expanded over time in relation to sonor or swamp rice cultivation, logging, fishing, grazing, and annual cropping on drained wetlands. As a result, most of the landscape has been subject to repeated fires of varying intensities, more extensive in El Niño years. Direct burning by companies played a smaller transitory role in fire ignition over the two decades. But company activities and other large-scale developments contributed to expanding community fire-based land use by bringing in more people, improving access to remote wetlands or making them more flammable. Widespread, repeated fires have transformed the landscape from mature high swamp forests to uniform stands of fire-resistant Gelam (Melaleuca cajuputi) forests and thickets, open savannas and grasslands. These new types of land cover are also degrading. Local communities have rapidly adapted to the changing resources and new opportunities. Logging and fishing declined in importance, and sonor and harvesting of Gelam expanded. But resource depletion has led to falling incomes and fewer livelihood options. The impacts extend beyond local areas as workers migrate into neighbouring forests to extract resources. Large-scale developments, community fire-based management practices and landscape transformation are spreading from accessible to formerly more remote wetlands. 2007 2012-06-04T09:09:32Z 2012-06-04T09:09:32Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/19515 en Chokkalingam, U., Suyanto, Permana, R.P., Kurniawan, I., Mannes, J., Darmawan, A., Khususyiah, N., Susanto, R.H. 2007. Community fire use, resource change, and livelihood impacts: the downward spiral in the wetlands of southern Sumatra . Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change 12 (1) :75-100. ISSN: 1381-2386.
spellingShingle fire management
communities
melaleuca cajuputi
livelihoods
swamps
wetlands
Chokkalingam, U.
Suyanto
Permana, R.P.
Kurniawan, I.
Mannes, J.
Darmawan, A.
Khususyiah, N.
Susanto, R.H.
Community fire use, resource change, and livelihood impacts: the downward spiral in the wetlands of southern Sumatra
title Community fire use, resource change, and livelihood impacts: the downward spiral in the wetlands of southern Sumatra
title_full Community fire use, resource change, and livelihood impacts: the downward spiral in the wetlands of southern Sumatra
title_fullStr Community fire use, resource change, and livelihood impacts: the downward spiral in the wetlands of southern Sumatra
title_full_unstemmed Community fire use, resource change, and livelihood impacts: the downward spiral in the wetlands of southern Sumatra
title_short Community fire use, resource change, and livelihood impacts: the downward spiral in the wetlands of southern Sumatra
title_sort community fire use resource change and livelihood impacts the downward spiral in the wetlands of southern sumatra
topic fire management
communities
melaleuca cajuputi
livelihoods
swamps
wetlands
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/19515
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