In the past decades, large areas of forest in Sumatra, Indonesia have
been replaced by cash crops like oil palm and rubber plantations. New
research, published in the European Geosciences Union journal Biogeosciences,
shows that these changes in land use increase temperatures in the
region. The added warming could affect plants and animals and make parts
of the country more vulnerable to wildfires.
Palm oil is the most
widely used vegetable oil in the world, appearing in the ingredients’
list of many consumer goods, from chocolate to soap. Indonesia, the
world’s largest producer of palm oil, has seen large swathes of
rainforest cleared away and replaced by oil palm plantations at rates
that exceed those of Brazil. On the island of Sumatra, which has had the
highest loss of native rainforest in all of
Indonesia, the changes in
land use have meant a substantial loss of animal and plant diversity.
However, the impact of these changes on the region’s temperatures had
not been studied until now.
An international team of researchers,
led by Clifton Sabajo and Alexander Knohl from the University of
Göttingen in Germany, have published a new study showing that the
expansion of oil palm and other cash crops in Sumatra has made the
region warmer. “Land use change from forest to cash crops such as oil
palm and rubber plantations does not only impact biodiversity and stored
carbon, but also has a surface warming effect, adding to climate
change,” says Knohl, a professor in bioclimatology.
The team
studied differences in surface temperature for various types of land
cover, such as forests, clear-cut land, and cash crops, in the Jambi
province of Sumatra. They used satellite data collected between 2000 and
2015 by the NASALandsat missions and the MODIS instrument, as well as
data collected on the ground.
Read more at European Geosciences Union
Image: This
clear-cut land, cleared for a small-holder palm oil plantation, is
characterised by remains of previous vegetation and a patchy landscape.
The image, taken in December 2013, is distributed under a Creative
Commons, Attribution, Share-Alike license. (Credit: Clifton Sabajo)
Post Top Ad


Home
Deforestasi
English Version
Environmental News
Hutan
News
Palm Oil
Terkini
Deforestation Linked to Palm Oil Production is Making Indonesia Warmer
Deforestation Linked to Palm Oil Production is Making Indonesia Warmer
Share This
Tags
# Deforestasi
# English Version
# Environmental News
# Hutan
# News
# Palm Oil
# Terkini
Share This

About Editor
Terkini
Label:
Deforestasi,
English Version,
Environmental News,
Hutan,
News,
Palm Oil,
Terkini
Langganan:
Posting Komentar (Atom)
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar