Greetings, Wetlands International - Asia Pacific is currently implementing a project on the integrated management of Tasek Bera, Malaysia's first Ramsar Site. It is an alluvial freshwater swamp which is surrounded by a narrow band of lowland rainforest, situated in a catchment which now consists mostly of intensive oil palm and rubber plantations. The area is low-lying, but the topography is very dissected with some steep short slopes. Annual rainfall is around 1200-2500mm, with a pronounced wet season during the NE monsoon.
Rains can be very heavy.
One of the major site management concerns is non-point source pollution from the agricultural estates, where sediments, nutrients and agrochemicals enter the stream systems feeding the wetland. The large scale replanting of oil palm blocks is a particular concern as it involves more or less total land clearance, with the associated soil erosion and siltation problems. One means of combatting these problems is the introduction of riparian buffer zones along streams - at present there are practically none. We would like hear from anyone who knows of existing guidelines or experience of implementing such riparian buffer zones in the humid tropics. Any information relating to environmental management practices for oil palm or similar plantations would also be of value.