nan Parikesit

Commercialization of homegardens in an Indonesian village: vegetation composition and functional changes

We examined structural and functional changes in the homegardens of Sukapura village, located in the upper Citarum Watershed of Indonesia, in relation to the increasing commercialization of agriculture. Our main purpose was to examine the structure and function of these homegardens during the rapid economic development of this area and the ecological, social, and economic implications of changes. A standard vegetation survey was used to describe the compositional and structural patterns of vegetation in the sampled homegardens, and interviewed 94 randomly selected respondents to help us understand the functions of their homegardens. The results suggest that commercialization in the agricultural sector has changed the structural patterns and functions of these homegardens. Plant diversity in commercialized (intensively managed) homegardens has decreased owing to the use of monocultures. The change from subsistence towards commercial farming has been accompanied by decreased plant diversity, higher risks, higher external inputs, increased instability, and reduced social equitability. The specific needs and preferences of the owners and market pressures were the main factors that triggered the development of intensive agriculture in the study area, leading to increased commercialization of homegardens.

Traditional perennial crop-based agroforestry in West Java: the tradeoff between on-farm biodiversity and income

Agroforestry systems have been re-evaluated with a renewed scientific interest as appropriate models for achieving sustainable production while maintaining planned and associated biodiversity and agroecosystem functioning. Traditional bamboo-tree gardens in West Java are known to play substantial ecological and socioeconomic roles. In this study, we attempted to elucidate the relationship between income generation and biodiversity by studying 83 bamboo-tree gardens that varied in species composition and degree of commercialization. We conducted a survey of the vegetation and interviewed the owners or managers of each plot. We identified 42 planned and utilized species and 19 associated non-use species. Eight vegetation groups were identified by two-way indicator species analysis (TWINSPAN), each of which varied in individual densities of different utilization species types, Simpson’s diversity index, management intensities, and potential annual gross income. The group with the highest potential income generation was dominated by clove trees (Syzygium aromaticum); however, this group also had a lower level of diversity and higher levels of management intensity than the other groups, but all of the pairwise groups were not significantly different. About 60% of the villagers used at least some fuelwood as a domestic energy source, and almost all of them collected fuelwood from bamboo-tree gardens regardless of ownership. There were no significant differences in density of potential fuelwood species among the vegetation groups. There were significant positive correlations between income and most management activities. The regression model between gross income and Simpson’s diversity index with the best fit was a unimodal curve, which strongly suggests that maximum diversity can be conserved at an intermediate level of income. Nevertheless, this intermediate level of gross income is probably not adequate as the primary source of income for garden owners, although some gardens had the potential to achieve higher income levels with no decline in diversity. We suggest that maximizing individual density and multistratifying canopy layers could improve profitability within perennial crop-based agroforestry systems in West Java.

Kebon tatangkalan: a disappearing agroforest in the Upper Citarum Watershed, West Java, Indonesia

A comprehensive study was carried out on a typical indigenous agroforestry system, called kebon tatangkalan, in the changing agricultural landscape of the Upper Citarum Watershed, West Java, Indonesia. The main objectives of the study are to elucidate the structural patterns, multidimensional functions, and dynamics of this multi-layered agroforest. The study has identified 12 groups of different plant assemblages indicating that this type of agroforest contributes considerably to the heterogeneity of the agricultural landscape in the study area. Multivariate analysis suggests that elevation and slope are the biophysical factors that correlate most significantly with the distribution of plant species in kebon tatangkalan. The presence of this man-made vegetation is currently declining from the landscape due to population growth and rapid regional economic development. Serious effort to revitalize this traditional agroforest is needed to prevent its disappearance. Introduction of highly productive species and establishment of integrated policies in regional land-use planning and management are measures that should be taken into account in preserving this traditional agroforestry system.

Non-forest fuelwood acquisition and transition in type of energy for domestic uses in the changing agricultural landscape of the Upper Citarum Watershed, Indonesia

Abstract Despite of energy transition — from traditional to commercial fuels — that has been occurring in the last three decades, the role of non-forest fuelwood in fulfilling domestic energy in rural areas of Indonesia is still significant. A study on fuelwood use and the contribution of agroecosystem components in fulfilling fuelwood requirements was carried out in the Citarum Watershed, a watershed that has been experiencing very rapid development in agricultural and industrial sectors in West Java, Indonesia. The study examines the importance of non-forest sources of fuelwood for domestic energy and estimates the subsidy gained from fuelwood use (in kerosene equivalent and US

Land use/cover classification of a complex agricultural landscape using single-dated very high spatial resolution satellite-sensed imagery

equivalent). The results indicate that, even though there has been a transition in the type of energy used in the study area, fuelwood use is still significant. Although, the agricultural landscape in the watershed is rapidly changing, the existing agroecosystem components, bamboo-tree gardens in particular, still play a substantial role in fulfilling the fuelwood requirements of the local people. The study concludes that the decline of non-forest fuelwood sources will affect considerably the magnitude of ‘free’ energy subsidy which in turn will affect the livelihood of the villagers, especially those with lower income. Therefore, to ensure the sustainability of fuelwood supplies from the present agroecosystem components, efforts in maintaining these sources should be undertaken.

Biodiversity Issues in Indonesia, with Special Reference to Biodiversity in Human-Dominated Landscapes

Monitoring land use/cover changes in humid tropical agricultural landscapes is crucial to establishing sustainable rural developments. However, the characteristic spatiotemporal complexity of mosaic landscapes makes it difficult to obtain accurate land use/cover maps using single-dated and moderate-resolution remotely sensed images. In this study, we attempted to classify land use/cover by utilizing texture measures to improve object-oriented classification based on a single-dated QuickBird image. The procedure consists of two steps: (1) assessing the spatial size of image objects to be segmented that is adequate for obtaining discriminable textural features among land uses/covers calculated by Haralicks texture measures based on a grey-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) using the panchromatic band, and (2) developing a hierarchical classification rule set with a classification and regression tree model (CART) using the textural and spectral information. The best discrimination was derived from the largest windows when separability among land-cover types was calculated in window sizes from 3 × 3 to 31 × 31 pixels. GLCM texture measures, especially entropy, improved classification accuracy in delineating paddy fields irrespective of the stage of rice growth. The classification rule set derived from the CART modelling was intuitively understandable: a whole image was divided into green and nongreen texturally homogeneous or heterogeneous land use/cover classes, which seems to describe the fundamental nature of the characteristics of various land uses/covers of agricultural landscapes.

Urban–Rural Interrelations in Water Resource Management: Problems and Factors Affecting the Sustainability of the Drinking Water Supply in the City of Bandung, Indonesia

Indonesia has the world’s third largest area of tropical rain forest (after Brazil and the Democratic Republic of the Congo). Indonesia is estimated to have 90 ecosystem types, from alpine (snow peaks at Jayawijaya in Papua) to subalpine, from montane to lowland rain forests (including grasslands, savannah, and wetlands), and from marine and coastal ecosystems (including estuaries, mangroves, sea grasses, and coral reefs) to deep sea ecosystems (The National Development Agency 2003). Indonesia’s diverse geographic, geological, and topographical conditions make the country’s forests home to a great diversity of flora and fauna.

Living close to forests enhances people׳s perception of ecosystem services in a forest–agricultural landscape of West Java, Indonesia

Urban areas in Indonesia frequently rely on the water supply from rural areas located outside their administrative boundaries. This urban–rural interrelation through water resources and the problems related to sustainability of the supply apply to the Indonesian city of Bandung, where the demand is increasing for clean water for daily needs. This provincial capital relies on water supplies generated in catchment areas located in different towns and districts outside the city. A multidisciplinary study was carried out to elucidate the present and future conditions of the water supply for Bandung as well as factors affecting the sustainability of that supply. This study demonstrates that the present situation in the catchment areas is a cause for concern, and environmental conditions are worsening in some parts of the catchment. Among the measures adopted to deal with the current problems are reforestation and land conservation; however, other essential factors relating to agricultural practices and efficient water use have not been properly considered. A conceptual plan needs to be implemented at the landscape level—a plan that takes into account both biophysical and social aspects of the area where the rehabilitation program for maintaining sustainability of the water supply will be carried out.