Can an oil palm holding retain bio-diversity? Preserve nature? Enhance the environment?These questions are pertinent in view of the trend to open up more land in Sarawak for oil palm plantations, which are of the mono-culture kind. However all is not lost. As an example, an eco-farm in Bintulu has attempted to do more to nature than just mono-cropping. The kambatik eco-farm has applied these basic guidelines:
1) Retain 30 % of land for natural preservation and landscaping( natural landscaping ) e.g. stream or river courses, wildlife preserves, reintroduction of local plants for gene banks
2) Advanced planting techniques introduced to allow for various plants , trees and shrubs to colonise the areas to act as soil erosion measures, attract wildlife, provide shade( esp to workers), multiple harvest in the interim 1-3 years before the oil palm trees bear sufficient fruits to bring the hard cash
3) Suitable areas should be planted with herbs, medicinal plants, and other edible fruits that have both commercial and export values
4) Keep usage of chemical fertilisers to the very minimum, instead optimise good cultural practise
5) Plant better clones and obtain professional advise on technical and management matters
No comments:
Post a Comment