THIS NOTES BELONG TO:
SEC 3 GEOGRAPHY
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A GEOGRAPHER
NATURAL VEGETATION (SET 4)
Objective:
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To explain the causes of deforestation in Kalimantan
To discuss the problems caused by deforestation in Kalimantan
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What is deforestation?
 The permanent clearing and destruction of forests is known as deforestation.
 The reduction in the area covered by forest is due to human activities such as
agriculture, settlement, transport and industry.
 The rate of deforestation is increasing rapidly in the world today with only 50% of the
original forested area remained.
CASE STUDY: KALIMANTAN
Explain the causes of rapid deforestation in Kalimantan.
Increase in demand for agricultural use
 The increasing scale of agricultural activities is due to the increasing population in
Kalimantan.
 The population increase in Kalimantan was due to the Indonesian government's
population resettlement programme to ease overcrowding in islands such as Java
and Sumatra.
 These new settlers permanently clear the forest to make small farms where crops
such as rice, vegetables, coffee and cocoa are grown for subsistence.
 But some families venture into small scale commercial farming by clearing more
forested areas to extend their profits.
 In addition, the growth of cheap and highly profitable oil palm in Kalimantan has
resulted in the clearing of extensive areas of the rainforest.
Growth of settlements
 In parts of Kalimantan, people are moving from rural settlements such as villages to
urban settlements to live and work because there are more opportunities for
employment in these areas.
 As more people are concentrated in the cities, more rainforests are being cleared for
the expansion of towns and cities, in the process called urbanisation.
 Example: Balikpapan is one of the largest cities in Kalimantan as it is a business
centre for many national and international companies dealing with logging, mining
and oil extraction. The settlement in Balikpapan has expanded into a protected forest
known as the Sungei Wain Rainforest.
Improved transport networks
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PREPARED BY: MISS SUHAILA MOHAMED NOOR
SEC 3 GEOGRAPHY
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Transport networks like roads and railways tracks are constructed to link
settlements in Kalimantan.
Improved accessibility have caused people to destroy even more areas of the
rainforest
Example: The Trans-Kalimantan Highway cuts through rainforests to improve
accessibility between the two cities of Banjarmasin and Balikpapan.
Growth of industries
Logging
 Logging is the action of cutting down trees and selling it as timber.
 Heavy logging is a result if the rapid pace at which wood is processed and exported.
 Rapid deforestation is also worsened by illegal logging.
Mining
 Minerals such as gold, silver and copper are found in the ground underneath the
Kalimantan rainforest and they are extracted through the mining process.
 During the mining process, large expanse of the rainforest is cleared. Vegetation is
first cleared once minerals are discovered in the ground. Machines are then used to
dig up the ground to bring the minerals to the surface.
Forest Fires
 Forest fires have caused destruction in the rainforest.
 Most of the forest fires are deliberately set by people to clear large areas of the
rainforest to prepare the land for plantation farming as this is cheaper than employing
labour.
 During the dry season, forests that has been previously cleared catches fire easily
due to the presence of the vegetation debris that are left on the forest floor such as
twigs and leaves.
Explain the problems caused by deforestation in Kalimantan.
Loss in biomass
 The earth's biomass refers to the combined weight of all organisms which is
measured in terms of kilocalories of stored energy.
 This stored energy represents the total amount of food available on Earth and hence
the ability of the Earth to support life.
 Tropical rainforests have the highest biomass compared to other vegetation types as
it has the highest store of nutrients with the dense and tall vegetation growth.
FOOD CHAIN AFFECTED
 Deforestation in Kalimantan has contributed to the reduction of the Earth's biomass
and the rainforest can no longer support various plants and animal life because the
food chain is adversely affected. If the plants are removed, they affect the survival of
animals higher up the food chain.
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PREPARED BY: MISS SUHAILA MOHAMED NOOR
SEC 3 GEOGRAPHY
Plants
Green plants
photosynthesize to
produce food
Herbivores
The plants provide
food for the
herbivores or
animals that feed
on plants.
Carnivores
Herbivores are the
source of food for
carnivores or
meat-eating
animals.
AMOUNT OF NUTRIENTS REDUCED
 If the amount of biomass is affected, it will reduce the nutrients in the rainforest. The
ability of the Kalimantan rainforests to support various plant life is also reduced.
 If vegetation is cut down, the biomass is affected, reducing the amount of stored
nutrients. The amount of nutrients stored in the leaf litter is reduced as there are
lesser leaves falling onto the forest floor. In turn, the amount of nutrients stored in
the soil is reduced, affecting the growth of vegetation.
Loss in biodiversity
 A reduction in biomass will affect the rainforest's ability to support a diverse range of
plants and animals (biodiversity)
 The Kalimantan rainforest are home to more than 380 bird species and 10 000 plant
species.
 Due to deforestation, the biodiversity of plants and animals in the Kalimantan
rainforest is reduced, which leads to extinction of species. Some of the plants and
animals are already endangered.
Changes in nutrient cycle
 The removal of vegetation results in the loss of leaf litter and affects the nutrient
cycle.
 Soils are also leached due to the absence of roots, where the absorption of rainwater
is reduced. As a result, the soil becomes infertile and cannot support vegetation
growth.
 Once the original vegetation is cleared, it is difficult to replace and it becomes
unsuitable for the cultivation of crops over time.
Changes in quantity of water
 When trees and other plants are removed, less transpiration takes place. This
reduces cloud formation and results in low rainfall.
 Floods can also be triggered by deforestation. The removal of forest vegetation could
loosen and erodes away the soil. The bare slopes that remain after the removal of
vegetation increases the surface runoff. This increases the volume of water flowing
into rivers.
 At the same time, soil and mud are also washed into the rivers. The deposition of
these materials on the river bed causes rivers to become shallower. As a result,
flooding occurs.
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PREPARED BY: MISS SUHAILA MOHAMED NOOR
SEC 3 GEOGRAPHY
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Example: Severe floods occured in 2001 in the East Kalimantan cities of Samarinda
and Balikpapan, which is located near Taman Nasional Kutai, a forest reserve which
had been affected by logging activities.
Changes in quality of water
 In areas where rainforest are cleared, the water quality in rivers is poor because the
soil is eroded and washed away easily by rain into the nearby rivers.
 This increases the sediment level of the rivers and makes the water very muddy.
 The high amount of sediment also makes the water very acidic and it will affect the
aquatic life in the rivers of the Kalimantan rainforest.
Air pollution
 Forest fires will release dust and smoke into the air, causing air pollution and this can
lead to haze.
 The widespread burning of rainforests in Sumatra and Kalimantan have brought
smoke and dust particles to the nearby countries due to strong winds.
 Due to haze, many people in the region suffered from health problems such as eye
irritations, coughs and headaches. It can also affect the tourism industry as flights
were cancelled due to poor visibility and tourists avoid visiting these regions.
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PREPARED BY: MISS SUHAILA MOHAMED NOOR