Research agendas for the sustainable management of tropical peatland in Malaysia
There is a need for coordinated research for the sustainable management of tropical peatland. Malaysia has 6% of global tropical peat by area and peatlands there are subject to land use change at an unprecedented rate. This paper describes a stakeholder engagement exercise that identified 95pri...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | E-Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Foundation for Environmental Conservation
2015
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/9680/1/NO%20106%20Research%20agendas%20for%20the%20sustainable%20management%20of%20tropical%20peatland%20in%20Malaysia%20-%20abstrak.pdf http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/9680/ http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=9546052&fileId=S0376892914000034 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| Summary: | There is a need for coordinated research for
the sustainable management of tropical peatland.
Malaysia has 6% of global tropical peat by area and
peatlands there are subject to land use change at an
unprecedented rate. This paper describes a stakeholder
engagement exercise that identified 95priority research
questions for peatland inMalaysia, organized into nine
themes. Analysis revealed the need for fundamental
scientific research, with strong representation across
the themes of environmental change, ecosystem
services, and conversion, disturbance and degradation.
Considerable uncertainty remains about Malaysia’s
baseline conditions for peatland, including questions
over total remaining area of peatland, water table
depths, soil characteristics, hydrological function,
biogeochemical processes and ecology. More applied
and multidisciplinary studies involving researchers
from the social sciences are required. The future
sustainability of Malaysian peatland relies on
coordinating research agendas via a ‘knowledge hub’
of researchers, strengthening the role of peatlands in
land-use planning and development processes, stricter
policy enforcement, and bridging the divide between
national and provincial governance. Integration of the
economic value of peatlands into existing planning
regimes is also a stakeholder priority. Finally, current
research needs to be better communicated for the
benefit of the research community, for improved
societal understanding and to inform policy processes. |
|---|