case study

KALIMANTAN: CASE STUDY

(car-lee-mun-tarn)

•Occupies 2/3 land in Borneo
•Mainly,Kalimantan West, East, Central and South

Did you know?
Kalimantan is..
•780times Singapore
• tropical climate
•average daily minimum temperature of 23 degrees C,
maximum daily temperature of 31 degrees C.
•high annual rainfall of 2000mm min.

Vegetation
•Sparse undergrowth- due to thick canopy (little sunlight below)
•Decomposing fungi on logs
•Dense and abundant vegetation on the whole
•Broad, large, waxy, drip tipped leaves
•Many produced fruits- max. pollination rate
•1/3 tree tops have branches
•buttress roots to support great weights

Importance
•habitats for living organisms
•give out majority oxygen by photosynthesis
•decent quality of wood for furniture
•food source (fruits)
•Medicines- >1/4 medicines come from rainforests






Causes of deforestation



•forest cleared by burning produces ash which fertilises soil for agriculture
•increasing demand for land for settlement
•industrial logging
•industrial mining
•hydro-electrical powering
•Shifting cultivation (agriculture)
•better transport network
•natural forest fire


<u>Effect/Causes/Result

•loss in biomass- loss of energy (food chain broken)
•Soil lose fertility (when rain absorbed)- not suitable for cultivation
•prolonged dry seasons- lesser transpiration takes place due to absence of vegetation
•poor quality of water - sediments from upper course contaminate river, increase pH
•air pollution caused by burning - haze
•health problems - tubercolosis, eye irritation, breathing problems (CO)



Measures


•Banning of logging to unauthorised personnel
•monitor of activities of timber companies
•regulating different recreational activities occuring in forests
•implemented policies
•careful use of resources to minimise wastage
•community involvement- afforestation
•talks/campaigns/advertisements to educate people

Success
•people are now more aware
•people become environmentally friendly
•logging has been controlled
•less deforestation
•more recovery of destroyed forests