Fire, livelihood and swamp management: evidence from Southern Sumatra

This study reveals that the relative importance of livelihood as sources of income in Southern Sumatra swamp has been change dramatically over the last 30 years. The change of the livelihoods was resulted from the degradation of natural resources. A high rate of land covers change from forest to large-scale plantation and transmigration settlement program, as well as a poor forestry practice and ignored the sustainability of swamp forest cause a degraded of land that use by communities. Sonor, traditional rice cultivation, in which farmer only plant rice during after considerable drought, usually associated with an El Niño event, has become larger in areas and important as a sources of income. The resultant fires burn large areas of wetland forest well beyond the boundaries required for rice production, and without a conscious effort to maintain environmental services. The negative environmental impact from the sonor (smoke/Haze) has increased. One alternative policy to improve environmental services in wetland areas is through longer period of fallow by allowing natural tree species growing to reach mature production. A common tree growing in wetland areas in Southern Sumatra is Gelam (Melaleuca cajuputi), a fast growing, and high light demanding species with a wide range of end uses. The adoption of this alternative practiced, however, is almost zero. It seems that the alternative land practice is less profitable but has bigger positive environmental impacts. Here, a trade off problem between increasing social benefit and financial benefit occurs.

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