Forest restoration progress and lessons learned in gunung palung national park, Indonesia

Abstract

Restoring forests, especially within deforested or degraded protected areas, is critical to prevent global biodiversity loss and climate change. In this article, we explore the current conditions and progress of forest restoration in Gunung Palung National Park in Indonesian Borneo. The aim of this research was to review forest restoration projects and their success in the park, and to analyse lessons learned from those projects. From 2009 till 2018, nearly 5000 ha of damaged forest in Gunung Palung National Park were replanted, but with only a 1% restoration success rate. The main reason for failed restoration is wildfire. We found four issues that should be resolved in forest restoration projects: fire management, weed management, cost calculation and defining an appropriate restoration strategy. Restoration projects in the park have estimated the price per seedling at around USD0.36 to USD0.78 for one year. We proposed a revised price per seedling of USD1 for the first year, with an additional 10 cents per year for the following three years, to account for maintenance and labour costs. One-time projects that focus only on planting are likely to fail, especially without fire prevention management. Successful forest restoration projects should do more than simply planting trees by also including care and maintenance after they are planted. With this in mind, we provide a standardised framework to guide decision-making and successful forest restoration. Our results should help increase forest restoration success, improve sustainability and allow for the persistence of forested landscapes.