HISTORY OF TROPICAL PEATLAND IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

摘要

Coastal plains of the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo bordering the Sunda Sea were, and still are partly, the realm of swamp forests which included mangrove at seaward outskirts, freshwater swamp forests in the tidal zone, and peat swamp forests inland. Under natural conditions, the ground surface is covered by tropical woody peat layers of varying thickness. These peatlands emerged through the Holocene submersion of the vast and flat terrains at the periphery of the former Sunda Land, and the productive tropical rain forests which expanded over the region. The tropical peatlands inhabited only by mammals, apes, birds and reptiles, remained miasmic for long periods against human interferences because of dense forests, high humidity, numberless mosquitoes, often submerged and bumpy ground surface. Now amidst the worldwide industrialism, they are swiftly changing into one of the important agro-industrial bases, and no one cannot deny that industrialism is a powerful engine to make a people richer and more free. On the other hand, we have seen negative effects of industrialism so often. London was famous for its smog by the mid 20~(th) century. Japan in the 1960s to 1970s was an emporium with so many kinds of environmental pollution and induced diseases. These issues were met, and even now are met through dialogs, scientific studies and legislative measures supported by our own accord. Now, as everyone knows, there is a serious discord on the size of CO2 emission from the drained tropical peatlands. Apparently, too many things are unknown to make a decisive judgment. The critical issue how to balance the economic growth and environment conservation is not only limited to the people and society living there, but also addressed to all of us who live in industrialized countries. This brief historical retrospect aims to understand how the people have been struggling to transform the miasmic lands, the natural and regional assets, into sustainable agro-industrial resources through trials and errors in the past and with ongoing improvements. I would be happy if my speech could make a voice to call for calm, sensible and fair discussions based on ecological and creative perception.