The lowland rainforest ecology.

 The lowland rainforest ecology.

The preservation of lowland tropical rainforest at the park while at the same time being integrated into agro-forestry practice in the Kambatik tradition has for the last 15 years brought renewed hope in an ecological oil palm farming model.  This model is sustainable even without any government help or subsidy and goes a long way to prove that competitive posture by small holders is a better bet for the preservation of ecological diversity in Sarawak.  

The richness of the flora quality here even at lowland level i.e. about 30 meters above sea level (baseline= mouth of Kemena River) amazes me.  The resulting freshness in the air is beyond description when compared to the air quality in Bintulu town.  The hiatus of music from the birds at any time of day and the company of small animals (tree shrews, frogs, crickets, squirrels etc) are a boon to normal living.

Though the trees have been the main reason for preservation of the evergreen jungle,  other plants like epiphytes, climbers, stranglers or lianas add much needed interest.  Orchids (especially the ground ones), tree ferns, bird's nest ferns, fungi and herbs ( e.g. wild gingers species) excite me when exploring the jungle.

 The biggest animal that still roam the forest (at night ) is the Sambar Deer.  Monkeys are very rare now but squirrels, snakes and monitor lizards are constantly being encountered.  Carpenter bees and colourful butterflies spring many surprises in the park.

I believe the presence of water as in the swampy locations of the valleys and the frequent rains have life-sustaining qualities ans as such are not to be disturbed. The swamps and tall grasses mix well with the shrubby dillenia treelets and become increasing attractive to small birds that establish their nests in their thickets.

 I observe too that the Ong Lumok trees seem to thrive better now that they are transplanted in many locations where the ground is wet and dry at the same time.  It is like saying that the Ong Lumok tree prefers to have one foot in water and the other on dry land.

Living in the Kambatik Park over the last 12 years have given me a rare opportunity to intervene in nature's development, while at the same time enjoying its presence for the air it produces and the company of its noisy and sometimes stealthy denizens that depend on the forest to thrive.  The lowland rainforest ecology is a jewel to keep for posterity. 

Its harvesting time

Its harvesting time.

Average weight of ffb is 15 kilos

 The fortnightly schedule for  harvesting the oil palm bunches has started this morning.  I look forward to this activity because it provides an excellent physical workout that is at the same time rewarding.  I wish I could continue the activity after lunch but due to heavy rains I had to cancel my afternoon workout.  The average weight of the fresh fruit bunches (ffb) is 15 kg.  Of course there are those that are in the range of 20 - 30 kilos and are harder to lift and carry on the wheelbarrow.  But that is merely part of the occupational hazard.  For those trees that are between 7 - 8 years old the degree of difficulty increases when you need a much longer pruning pole to cut the fruit stalk.  For trees that are 3 - 6 years old a sharp harvesting chisel will do fine as the cutting operation is done at human height.  Below is shown the cutting operation of the leaf bases before finally cutting the fruit stalk.

Two leaf bases below the fruit bunch are  cut first

The pruning pole's cutting blade is fixed at the fruit stalk and with a little pull will remove the bunch from the trunk.

Done. The fruit bunch has been removed and other fruit bunches will be pruned once the fruits  show signs of ripening.

Views of the park

Views of the park  @ 30 May'16

Tropical plants

Fresh fruit  bunches of the oil palm(Elaeis guineensis)

Oil palm fruit

Both the oil palm tree and the Cempedak tree are chiefly tropical plants.  The oil palm belongs to the Palmae family and though majority are tree-like there are others in the family that are climbing, a characteristic common in the rattan or 'Rotan' in Malay .    The  Cempedak is a species of woody plant and placed under the Fig family (Moraceae).  Members of the  fig family that are planted for their fruits here are the Artocarpus - Cempedak (Artocarpus integer), Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus), Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis) and the Ong Lumok or Terap (Artocarpus odiratissimus).

 Cempedak tree (Artocarpus integer)

Sawit success

Two big bunches can fully load a wheel barrow with average weight of 20 kilo per bunch.

It sounds familiar - sweet success.  After a while, after proper care and maintenance of the oil palm trees you can achieve the standard of 20 kg and above per fresh fruit bunch.  The trees that can reach this standard are those that have been grown for about 7 years or more.  Now more and more trees at the park are able to produce 20 kg per bunch of oil palm fruits.  There is no secret to this sawit success.  It is just plain fertilising.  Oil palm trees react well to fertilising.  On the average  the standard is 1 kg of fertiliser per tree per month.  It is very much left to the wisdom of the planters whether to apply the fertiliser per 2 or 3 month basis.  Now don't try to over-fertilise the plants.  This is because you don't want the fruit bunches to weigh 30 or 40 kg per bunch.  Reason?  Who's gonna lift the bunches that heavy during harvesting, carry them on the wheel barrow or load them on the pick-up or lorry?  Imagine harvesting and lifting 50 bunches of 40 kg bunches a morning.  And another 50 bunches in the afternoon.  And who's going to repeat the work tomorrow?  Over-fertilising is not only a waste of money but can play havoc to soil long-term health and a major attraction for pests that devour the tempting fat and very green oil palm leaves for delicious breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Rendang is the perfect arch

Fruiting head have male and female flowers, but its the female flowers that bear the fruits.
The male inflorescence is a cluster of furry, simple spikes which resembles a hand.

 The oil palm tree is a tough plant that can live for more than 100 years.  The species Elaeis guineensis is the one planted here. This species is also called African Oil Palm.  Besides having a long life it is also the most productive oil crop in the world.  Here it is expected to give an economic life of about 20 -25 years.  The Malays have a good word to describe the health of the oil palm tree.  The conditions of the leaf especially the bottom most ones  must look graceful, curved in a semi-circular arch by the weight of the combined leaflets which is best described by the Malay word - " Rendang".  It is partly due to this Rendang arch that the oil palm tree can be made into an ornamental plant provided it is well-maintained, of robust growth, with a crown of shiny, green fronds or leaves.  The Rendang look also symbolizes gateway or protection  and for thousands of small holders in Bintulu the oil palm is thus a passport to prosperity.  Depending on the size and age of the holdings, this  'green gold' can be harvested on daily or weekly basis.  The demand will keep on increasing with unstoppable growth of world population because the minimum a breadwinner needs to keep his or her family happy and alive is cooked vegetables or fish on the dinner table.  The cheapest commercially available cooking oil in the world now is the palm oil.

Lines of graceful curves

Oil palms thrive exceeding well in the Bintulu for its tropical climate.  Epiphytes such as erns and orchids grow on them.

Less is more

 I am a fortunate guy.  The park is my lab for understanding nature in my private time and place.  Living in a lowland dipterocarp forest environment has provided me with the opportunity to internalize the global concerns of global warming, rainforest destruction, disappearing natural wildlife and untoward corporate greed.  For example the capitalist model of massive consumption has brought much destruction of nature.  In oil palm monoculture, whole original forests in Sarawak are stripped to ground zero only to be replanted with a single oil palm crop.  This unimaginative capitalist urge in corporations is largely driven by quantitative results in the name of  maximum profits.   But in the Kambatik philosophy less is more.  Here oil palm is well-integrated into the existing agro-forestry practices that resulted in increased bio-diversity, more value to the land as in potential economic spinoff in eco-tourism.  In particular this concept can uplift Sarawak into the only state in the world to possess a string of  park lands and nature reserves that can sustain itself through oil palm integration.  Imagine the total length of 800 km of Sarawak's country side situated along the trunk road turned into a continuous  band of wildlife, rainforest biodiversity, eco-tourism centers and the longest learning lab in the world.  This is my hope.

Oil-palm integration into native agro-forestry practices...

A pair of Brown -throated Sunbird finds home at the Kambatik Park...

Kambatik Park - an appreciation (Part 2)

The future happens here at the Kambatik Park

Eight years in days and nights of rain, sunshine, humidity and drought have gradually brought the park to its envisioned state.  It has become a sanctuary of wildlife.  A place where work is fun and joy to be.  A lowland dipterocarp forest environmental habitat enhanced with ecological diversity where oil palm farming is well-integrated into the culturally inspired native  agro-forestry practices.  It is here that I learn the meaning of ecopreneurship.  I am not the conventional planter  because I forever aim to  harvest 'green gold' together with a wealth of teeming wildlife every week in a month for the next 20 golden years (economic life of the oil palm trees) and more.   And this is made possible even without any single loan from the banking or financial institution in the development of the park since day one.  It is a fine example of where there is a will there is a way. 

I have answered the question that bugs and begs me. 
What is your contribution to the future, especially its environment and climate?  Is your contribution unique and of consequence?  I am getting ready to handover an environment where nature thrives ecologically and able at the same time to sustain itself commercially.  When all  the mainstream media currently report about  oil palm farming is the prevalence of  monoculture cultivation  and in its wake the destruction of whole forests, my experience has taught the contrary.  At the park oil palm farming is carried out in an eco-friendly manner.  It has passed the acid test of ecological diversity.  It is my hope that the authorities will see the model experimented here as iconic of the contribution of smallholders in the state in their safe practice of oil palm cultivation.  This model can make Sarawak into a destination with the broadest band of park lands and nature reserves  in Malaysia, if only leaders have the political will.

Overview of oil palm and agro-forestry integration - many more golden years ahead...

 This blog is testimonial enough on the practice of oil palm cultivation the eco-way, something that I would be pleased to pass on to my children and grandchildren and lovers of nature for posterity.  The future happens here at the Kambatik Park.