Classification of tropical lowland peats revisited: The case of Sarawak
2014
Veloo, Ramesh | Paramananthan, Selliah | Van Ranst, Eric
The mapping and classification of peats, particularly those in the tropics, have lagged far behind that of peats in temperate areas and that of mineral soils. Classification systems based on Keys to Soil Taxonomy and the World Reference Base for Soil Resources (WRB) although universal are believed to be more suitable for temperate peats. This study compares these classification systems with the latest Malaysian classification system for classifying and characterising tropical peats. The three classification systems were then tested using five soil map units to compare and evaluate the usefulness and suitability of each system. The results showed that the latest Malaysian classification system has an advantage for classifying and characterising tropical peats. This latest classification describes well the presence of decomposed and undecomposed wood, which is a distinct feature of tropical peat which cannot be adequately described by using the Soil Taxonomy and the WRB. The Malaysian system also supports classification of tropical peats up to soil series and phase level. Both the Soil Taxonomy and the WRB classification can possibly be improved to also describe tropical peats by adopting some of the criteria of Malaysian classification. Such changes will add value to the two systems to be more global in their application for classification on tropical peats which comprises 8% of global peatland. This will be useful in making major land use decisions involving tropical peat conservation and development for agriculture. The findings will also provide an avenue to explore further on the current views on greenhouse gas emission on tropical peatlands.
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