Agroforestry solutions to rehabilitate Imperata grasslands

• Forest Research and Development Agency, Indonesia
• Australian National University, Australia

The Imperata grasslands of Southeast Asia represent a vast under-utilised natural resource. Where appropriate, their conversion into agroforestry systems can reduce deforestation pressures and improve agrarian livelihood opportunities. This project will classify the range of Imperata ecosystems in Indonesia, identify representative study sites, and conduct a systems analysis of the major hypothesised agroforestry solutions to rehabilitate them. The work will be conducted by a team of researchers from several institutions. It will forge the collaborative linkages necessary for a sustained research effort beyond the life of the project. The study will provide critical inputs into the longterm research strategy to be evolved at an international conference in 1994.

In Year 1 a working group composed of international and national institutions was established. This group meets bi-monthly at ICRAF, in Bogor. Identification and interpretation of results of previous mapping exercises on Imperata was the initial work focus. A number of government institutions and bilateral project were contacted and data sources collated. The working group selected 3 locations for fieldwork based case studies for the examination of the national imperata maps, the distribution of soils and climatic conditions, and several other factors. The locations selected were imperata areas in: South Kalimantan, West Sumatra, and Timor. For each of the project case study sites, CSAR produced large scale base maps of land use using satellite imagery, provincial land use maps, and aerial photos. Maps of land use at the village level for the case study sites were also being produced. A wide range of sources with specific information about the local situation of imperata grasslands in many locations were compiled into a database with a standard format. It is aimed to develop appropriate fields so that site information may be used to accumulate data for examining a range of queries about imperata environments and rehabilitation strategies. The site index will be published in hard copy and on diskette.