The Ecology of Sumatra (Ecology of Indonesia Series)

Sumatra is the focus of a large number of agricultural, social and industrial developments and yet the possible biological impacts of these are largely only guessed at by local and foreign scientists working on those projects. One reason for this is that the biology of Sumatra and its surrounding islands is poorly known. Another reason is that the information that does exist is spread through a disparate array of Dutch, English, German and Indonesian journals and reports. The Ecology of Sumatra has brought together nearly 1500 references relevant to understanding the components and functioning of the wide range of natural and man-made ecosystems on Sumatra. It was originally written in 1983 by a team at the Centre for Resource and Environmental Studies (CRES) at the University of North Sumatra and the team members have conducted field work throughout Sumatra to supplement existing information. This new edition includes a commentary on the last 17 years of development on Sumatra, as well as an additional bibligraphy of recent publications. The Ecology of Sumatra will prove useful to resource managers, ecologists, environmental scientists and local government personnel, and will be enlightening to Sumatra's inhabitants and visitors. It should also be of great interest to anyone wanting to learn about Southeast Asian Biology. Intro......Page 1 Table of Contents......Page 8 Acknowledgements......Page 12 Foreword to the Original Edition......Page 14 Preface to the Original Edition......Page 16 Reflections on Sumatra: 1983-1998......Page 18 Part A: Introduction......Page 36 Chapter I: Background......Page 38 Part B: Natural Ecosystems......Page 100 Chapter II: Mangrove Forests......Page 104 Chapter III: Other Coastal Ecosystems......Page 150 Chapter IV: Rivers and Lakes......Page 164 Chapter V: Peatswamp Forests......Page 202 Chapter VI: Freshwater-Swamp Forests......Page 214 Chapter VII: Lowland Forests......Page 224 Chapter VIII: Uncommon Lowland Forests......Page 320 Chapter IX: Mountains......Page 344 Chapter X: Caves......Page 380 Part C: Man-Made Ecosystems......Page 404 Chapter XI: Effects of Disturbace......Page 406 Chapter XII: Agricultural Ecosystems......Page 450 Chapter XIII: Urban Ecology......Page 468 Notes......Page 486 Bibliography......Page 490 Index......Page 526 The Ecology of Sumatra distills for the first time the information found in nearly 1,500 scholarly works relevant to an understanding of the full range of natural and man-made ecosystems on the island—many of them available only in Dutch, German or Indonesian. It was originally prepared by a team working at the Centre for Resource and Environmental Studies (CRES) at the University of North Sumatra to supplement existing documents. This new version is aimed at general readers and includes a section on recent development on Sumatra, as well as an additional bibliography of recent publications. It contains hundreds of line drawings, tables, maps and photographs.It is hoped that The Ecology of Sumatra will prove useful to resource managers, ecologists, environmental scientists and local government personnel, and be enlightening to Sumatra's inhabitants and visitors. It should also be of great interest to anyone wanting to learn about Southeast Asian biology. The Ecology of Sumatra has brought together nearly 1,500 references relevant to understanding the components and functions of a wide range of natural and man-made ecosystems on Sumatra. It is a highly useful reference tool for resource managers, ecologists, environmental scientists, Sumatra's visitors and inhabitants, and anyone interested in learning about Southeast Asian biology. About 250 million years ago, at the beginning of the Mesozoic era (table 1.1), the earth's continents formed a single land called Pangea.