The Technical Meeting on Integrated Management Plans for Peatlands was held at the Legend Hotel, Cherating, Pahang on 9-10 July 2012.

On 9th July, a field visit was held, taking the participants first to Penor, where they were briefed on the operation of a tube well, fire tower and check dams in the area.

The tube well was put in by the Drainage and Irrigation Department, and managed by the Department of Geology and Minerals. The well is operated by electricity, supplied from a mobile generator. The water is pumped into a canvas/geotextile tank, and the overflow fills up canals that connect to the surrounding areas. Water is taken up by fire trucks from either the tank or canals when there is a fire in nearby areas. The water level is checked once a week.

The fire tower is managed by the Pahang State Department of Environment, and manned by volunteers from the Malaysian Volunteer Corps (RELA). 15 x 70 binoculars are used to assist in detecting fires in surrounding areas. When fire is detected, the person on duty will inform DOE and the Fire Department for immediate assistance.

Next, participants visited 4 check dams built to control the water level in 2 canals nearby. 2 of the older dams were made from sand bags, while the other 2 are concrete.

The group then proceeded to Pekan Forest Reserve, where they were briefed on the operations of Reduced Impact Logging (RIL) in the area. They also witnessed a demonstration of RIL using a modified excavator/crane to extract timber from the peat swamp forest.

On 10th July, an indoor session was held, where participants from Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Vietnam shared the Integrated Management Plans in their respective areas.

Click here for the event report.

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