Alternatives of plant species for forest and land rehabilitation and their potential carbon dioxide absorption in the Wain Watershed, East Kalimantan, Indonesia

Abstract

This research was conducted in the Wain Watershed in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. The area of the Wain Watershed is around 11,225.68 ha, which includes the Sungai Wain Protection Forest area of 10,025 ha. The objective of this research was to obtain some alternatives of plant species for Forest & Land Rehabilitation and they have the potential to absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) based on the conditions of land cover types, land systems, and land criticality in the Wain watershed. The results of this research indicated that the types of land cover in the non-critical land category were primary dryland forest, secondary dryland forest, and primary mangrove forest; while the potentially critical land cover categories were secondary dryland forest, secondary mangrove forest, mixed dryland agriculture, dryland agriculture, and settlements; slightly-critical land categories, namely shrubs, mixed dryland agriculture, and open land; critical land category was open land. The alternatives of recommended plant species suitable for Forest and Land Rehabilitation, which have the potential to absorb carbon dioxide in the Wain watershed include groups of endemic plant species, multi-purpose tree species, and fast growing species.