Brunei Darussalam’s peat swamp forests boast an extraordinary aboveground biomass (AGB) ranging from approximately 470 to 560 tonnes per hectare, significantly surpassing the average AGB of 350 tonnes per hectare observed in other tropical rainforest countries in insular Asia. This highlights that the Sultanate’s peat swamp forests are old growth forests and hold high biomass stocks.
These findings were presented by President of the Climate Change and Sustainability Work Group Leader at the ASEAN Federation of Land Surveying and Geomatics (ASEAN FLAG) Gerry Ong and head of Carbon and Biodiversity at Arkadiah Technology Pte Ltd Dr Deepthi Chimalakonda during Plenary Session 2 of the second day of the Brunei Darussalam Conference on Biodiversity yesterday.
The conference, themed ‘Biodiversity: Nature’s Blueprint for Sustainability’ continued to shed light on the significant environmental value of Brunei’s peat swamps.
The session, discussing research opportunities in Brunei’s peatlands’, featured three presenters from local and international institutions.
Curator of Botanical Research Centre, Institute for Biodiversity and Environmental Research (IBER) at Universiti Brunei Darussalam Associate Professor Dr Rahayu Sukmaria binti Haji Sukri delivered the first presentation on ‘Exploring the biodiversity and Ecology of the Badas Peat Swamps’.
“Covering a whopping 16 per cent of the country, these swamps are some of the best-preserved in Southeast Asia. The Badas peat dome, connected to Sarawak’s Baram basin, is a haven for diverse wildlife, yet largely unexplored,” she said.
Senior Principal Scientist at the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART) Dr Alex Cobb delivered the second presentation on ‘Carbon Sequestrian in Peatlands as Ecosystem Service’.
He emphasised the ecosystem services of habitats such as carbon sequestration, highlighting their role in mitigating climate change.
Drained peatlands have alarming emission rates, he added, making it urgent to preserve their waterlogged state to prevent decomposition and fires.
Project Manager at Lunima Sdn Bhd Dr Borhan Mohd delivered the third presentation on ‘The Peat Swamp Forest of Brunei Darussalam: Some Preliminary Findings from the National Forest Resources Inventory 2023-25 and Opportunities for Research’.
Collaborating with the Forestry Department, their ongoing project, initiated in May 2023, aims to comprehensively evaluate and document the nation’s forest resources.
His presentation offered a glimpse into their initial findings, with a focus on the belowground carbon stock of Peat Swamp Forests, revealing a preliminary estimate of 3,264tC/ha.
The panellists urged the audience to explore the frontier of peatland research especially at Badas, where opportunities await in the mission to protect the planet’s carbon reservoirs.
Acting Deputy Permanent Secretary I at the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism Noralinda binti Haji Ibrahim was present. – Rokiah Mahmud
