Soil CO2 flux of rewetted small-scale agricultural peatlands in West Kalimantan, Indonesia

Rabbirl Yarham Mahardika, Suria Darma Tarigan, Dwi Putro Tejo Baskoro, Hummaira Hasnaya Siregar, Muhamad Noor Azizu, Sultan Aziz Barai

Abstract

Indonesia hosts one of the largest tropical peatlands and several parts of which have been converted for agriculture, including small-scale systems. These practices have altered soil and ecological function, shifting their role from long-term carbon sinks into sources of carbon emissions. For years Indonesia employs rewetting as strategies for peatland restoration. This is implemented by constructing canal blocks to elevate the groundwater table (GWT), thereby mitigating carbon emissions. Furthermore, this study analyze soil CO₂ fluxes in rewetted small-scale agricultural peatlands, separating peat- and root-derived emissions to support emission factor refinement. The study conducted in four land uses—horticulture (HOR), rubber (RBB), oil palm (OPP), and secondary forest (DSF) in West Kalimantan, Indonesia. Soil CO₂ fluxes were measured using an Infrared Gas Analyzer with closed-chamber and devices to measured environmental factors. The result shows that the highest soil CO₂ flux was recorded in OPP, while the lowest was observed in DSF. Soil CO₂ flux in HOR, RBB, OPP, and DSF were 46.69, 44.46, 64.55, and 21.68 Mg CO₂ ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹, respectively. GWT was the feature importance influencing soil CO₂ flux in all sites except DSF, where the soil moisture was the feature importance. These findings indicate that the moisture regime plays a crucial role in regulating soil CO₂ flux. When compared with default emission factors from national (2nd FREL) and global systems (IPCC), these findings revealed varying result. These differences explain the complexity of peatlands and highlight the potential value in refining emission estimates, especially for small-scale agricultural systems.

Keywords

Carbon flux; CO2 emission factor; Peatland rewetting; Smallholder agriculture; Tropical peatland

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References

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.20961/stjssa.v23i2.110137

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