Water Balance Estimation in Protected Peatland Areas and Protected Peatland Areas Converted to Oil Palm Plantation in Sinarwajo Village, Mendahara Ulu, Jambi

• Main Author: Tesalonika Tondang - Nim: 11514036 , Ratna
• Format: Final Project
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/30252
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

<p align="justify">Water is important factor in the peat ecosystem. Dried peatlands will become very vulnerable to fires. Changing the quantity of water storages in peatlands is a very sensitive to peatland fires, so water management is very important in peatlands ecosystem. This research aims to determine water storages and potential peatland fires estimation in protected peatland areas and protected peatland areas converted to oil palm plantation in Sinarwajo Village, Jambi. Monthly climatology data (rainfall, air temperature, relative humidity and solar radiation) are taken from Muara Bulian Station and Pelabuhan Dagang Station in Jambu during 2006-2016. Rainfall data is used as the water input while the evapotranpiration and runoff data are used as water output in water balance general calculation. The water balance was estimated using Thorthwaite-Mather equation and also evapotranspiration and runoff coefficients from literature studies in tropical peatland forests. The rainfall in the areas is 1596.9 mm/year. The results show that the potential evapotranspiration estimation in protected peatland areas is 528.5 mm/year and protected peatland area converted to oil palm plantation is 634.2 mm/year. The runoff estimation in protected peatland areas is 447.1 mm/year and protected peatland area converted to oil palm plantation is 990.1 mm/year. The water balance estimation reveals the protected peatland areas will not experience water defisit in the whole month, but the protected peatland area converted to palm oil plantation will have water defisits from July to December with a total estimation of water defisit is 169 mm/year. Potential fires estimation in protected peatland is are from June to July while in protected peatland converted to oil palm plantation is from September to October. <p align="justify">