Dam-busting forest, water 'myth-understandings'<\/p>\n
Meine van Noordwijk and Fahmuddin Agus, Bogor<\/p>\n
Given that the recent tragic floods in East Java's Blitar
\nregency are being blamed on upstream deforestation, it is timely
\nto look at some of the myths surrounding trees and water.<\/p>\n
Recent analysis shows that misunderstandings -- sometimes
\ncalled \"myth-understandings\" -- about forests and water are the
\nunderlying cause of a number of problems. Further, the
\nperpetuation of these \"myth-understandings\" is a major cause of
\npoverty.<\/p>\n
Thousands of small-scale coffee growers in Indonesia have been
\nforcibly removed from upper watersheds in the name of protecting
\nforests for hydroelectricity projects or for soil conservation.<\/p>\n
Research now shows their coffee gardens did not reduce water
\nflow. Despite this scientific evidence, we continue to see
\ngovernments around the world remove people from forests or
\nprohibit them from pursuing their traditional tree-based
\nagroforestry livelihoods.<\/p>\n
Recent power failures in West Sumatra's hydroelectricity
\nsupply have been blamed on deforestation attributed to small-
\nscale farming in the Singkarak catchment. The real cause is the
\nlack of rain.<\/p>\n
The technical design of the dam assumes a dry season of no
\nmore than two months. If the dry season lasts longer, the water
\nneeded to generate the electricity dries out. Recent years have
\nseen longer-than-average dry periods and has thus caused
\nincreasingly more blackouts.<\/p>\n
Would planting trees help? Probably not. Longer dry seasons
\nreflect climate change, which happens at a global level -- it
\ncannot be undone locally. Blaming the people who live in the
\nupstream areas for deforestation only increases their poverty and
\ndoes nothing to encourage them to protect the environment.<\/p>\n
In Lampung, blackouts were caused by landslides that buried
\nthe access road to the Way Besai hydroelectric power station --
\nnot by deforestation in the catchment.<\/p>\n
As for the media's oft-reported argument that upstream
\ndeforestation causes downstream flooding, this \"myth-
\nunderstanding\" contradicts blaming upland farming -- such as
\naround the hydroelectricity plants -- for causing drought.<\/p>\n
The scientific argument is too complex to cover properly here.
\nPut simply, the main causes of flooding are changes in riverbeds,
\ndestruction of wetlands, loss of ground cover that supports
\nearthworms, compaction of the soil around houses and on roads,
\nand loss of temporary storage areas.<\/p>\n
The removal of trees in watersheds is just one of the many
\nfactors that cause flooding as river water flow increases, and as
\nforest canopy decreases. Planting trees may lessen the intensity
\nof floods, but are unlikely to eliminate floods.<\/p>\n
Avoid flooding, increase dry season river flow seems to have
\nbeen one of the key assumptions underpinning the GERHAN\", the
\nGovernment's National Movement for the Rehabilitation of Land and
\nForest.<\/p>\n
With a budget of Rp 1.473 trillion (US$163 million), GERHAN's
\naim in 2004 is to rehabilitate 500,000 hectares across Indonesia.
\nIn 2003, the budget was Rp 1.114 trillion ($123 million) for
\n300,000 hectares across 15 provinces, 29 watersheds and 145
\ndistricts.<\/p>\n
But the notion that replanting trees will \"avoid flooding and
\nincrease dry season river flow\" is another \"myth-understanding\"
\nthat deserves questioning.<\/p>\n
The simple scientific explanation is that generally, more
\nwater transpires from most trees species than from field crops.<\/p>\n
This \"myth-understanding\" could have been avoided by
\nquestioning the received wisdom about trees increasing dry-season
\nflow by hypothesizing on the possible short- and long-term
\nimpacts of planting trees in watersheds.<\/p>\n
The standard solution around the world to rehabilitating
\nwatersheds is to plant trees in the hope of recreating natural
\nforest. Again, the myth prevails and fantasy overrides fact.
\nNatural forests provide livelihood options only where the
\npopulation density is very low.<\/p>\n
The fact is, there are many examples of densely populated
\nareas providing the watershed functions expected from \"forests\".
\nAreas with mixed land use and, generally, many trees planted by
\nfarmers, can support medium- to high-population densities before
\nthe watershed functions are affected.<\/p>\n
What farmers need in these areas, where they have long-term
\nland-use rights, is help in getting more access to their
\npreferred trees in areas. Providing secure access to land
\nencourages farmers to participate in watershed management.<\/p>\n
Our research in Sumatra and Java show that when it comes to
\nofficial tree-planting schemes, no shared understanding exists as
\nto the underlying problem and how it can be solved.<\/p>\n
In the priority setting process, the government should ask
\nfarmers for their opinions. In many places in Indonesia, a major
\nproblem is the lack of clarity regarding regulations on the use
\nand care of large areas designated as national forests.<\/p>\n
The field of forestry is full of unquestioned management
\nmantras. It is time to examine some of their underlying
\nassumptions seriously, and it is time that some hard facts
\nreplaced the myths, not just in the minds of officials making
\ndecisions about land use, but also in the community at large.<\/p>\n
Farmers have limited access to information about markets or
\nlivelihood opportunities using unfamiliar trees. They know about
\nerosion and filter effects on the landscape, but not what happens
\nafter water infiltrates the soil. People living in the city and
\npolicymakers may not know any better, and have difficulties
\nexplaining the process of water flows that start with rainfall.<\/p>\n
There are many good reasons to plant trees, but do not expect
\ntrees to stop floods or landslides immediately. Choosing trees
\naccording to the farmer's preference will go a long way towards
\nimproving watershed quality while also providing them with a
\nlivelihood.<\/p>\n
The GERHAN program is making strides in listening to farmers
\nand supporting them -- this needs to become the standard approach
\nacross the country.<\/p>\n
Meine van Noordwijk is Regional Coordinator of the World
\nAgroforestry Centre, Southeast Asia Regional Office, Bogor.<\/p>\n
Fahmuddin Agus is a researcher and head of the Soil Research
\nInstitute, Bogor.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/dam-busting-forest-water-myth-understandings-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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