Euroconsult Mott MacDonald has been appointed by MCA-Indonesia to lead a consortium that will design, develop and implement approaches for the sustainable management of smallholder oil palm production and peatland use in Sumatra, Indonesia.
Berbak National Park in Indonesia’s Jambi province is one of the most important peat swamp forest reserves in south east Asia and unique in its biodiversity. However degradation and unsustainable development are major challenges to its future.
Split into four components, the project will aim to improve sustainable management in the region. The first component will focus on peatland, land use zoning, hydrological rehabilitation and water management by establishing the biophysical basis for greenhouse gas emission reductions and land use. The second component centres on improving yields and income for smallholder enterprise and farm systems, while the third aims to ensure that private sector companies operating in the area understand sustainability and apply relevant policies and practices. The final component involves working with district and provincial level stakeholders to expand the impact of the project.
Hero Heering, Euroconsult Mott MacDonald’s project director, said: “We are delighted to be working with our international partners Zoological Society London, Deltares and SNV, as well as the three local universities and five local non-governmental organisations we have partnered with, on this project.”
“Part of this project will involve the rewetting and rehabilitating of degraded peatland and the replanting of some of the rewetted peatland areas with species that are of economic interest. This will aid the operations of smallholder oil palm farmers by helping make their operations more sustainable and productive,” Hero added.
Euroconsult Mott MacDonald’s commission is due to end in the first quarter of 2018.