Innovation of Channel Blocking on Tripa Peat Swamp; Perceptions

and Trust of Community

Monalisa

, Fikarwin Zuska

, Zulkifli Nasution

and Delvian

Students of Doctoral Program of Natural Resources and Environment Management Study Program (PSL),

Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan 20155, North Sumatra, Indonesia

Lecturer of Anthropology Departement of FISIP Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan 20155, North Sumatra, Indonesia

Lecturer of Doctoral Program of Natural Resources and Environment Management (PSL),

Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan 20155, North Sumatra, Indonesia

Keywords: Tripa Peat Swamp, Innovation, Blocking Canal, Perception and Trust.

Abstract: Innovation is something new in terms of ideas, ideas and technologies introduced. Blocking canals, channel

blocks or blockages are bulkheads made in a canal where the canals contain peatlands. This research uses

descriptive explorative qualitative research method. Based on the research results found various obstacles in

the construction of channel canals in peatland occurred in Rawa Tripa. These constraints include, among

other things, the understanding of the benefits of a canal block. This condition is also influenced by the

perception and public confidence in the presence of programs that previously existed in Rawa Tripa.

1 INTRODUCTION

Indonesia is one of the countries that has large

peatlands, the Head of Indonesia's Peat Restoration

Agency (BRG) said that the current peat land area in

Indonesia is 18.9 million hectares. Of the total area,

12.9 million hectares of land are located in the

provinces of Riau, South Sumatra, Jambi, Central

Kalimantan, West Kalimantan, South Kalimantan

and Papua. Of the seven provinces, about 50 percent

of the peatland have been cleared and drained, while

the remaining 45 percent are intact and good, must

be maintained according to the President's order, so

BRG's top priority is 2.5 million hectares in the

seven provinces (Kompas online, 2017).

Peatland is a land with peatland criteria that can

be classified into organic soil categories. The

distribution of peatlands in the world varies

considerably, with almost 60% of the tropical

peatlands in Southeast Asia, most of them in

Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Thailand and the

Filipinos and Vietnam (Rieley et al., 1996; Joosten

2004; Rose et al 1996, Adriesse 1988, Posa et al.,

2011). According to Ratmini (2012), the main

physical characteristics of peatlands in the use of

peatlands as agricultural land include moisture

content, bulk density (BD), bearing capacity,

subsidence (surface drop) and non-irriversible

drying).

Restoration of degraded peatland usually begins

by restoring the water surface to moisten the surface

to control the fire and initiate reforestation. A

channel blocking strategy is a potential way to

achieve this. In the experimental plot in the northern

part of Block C of the Rice Mangku Project (MRP),

a series of dams constructed and surface soil and rate

of decline are monitored to assess the effects of dam

construction on hydrology of peatland. The higher

water table generated does not fully offset the

negative effects of subsidence enhancement near the

channel. The canals, which "feed" themselves into

peatland, create depressions on the surface of

peatland leading to overland and interflow

interception and an increased risk of dam runoff

during extreme precipitation events. Lessons learned

are used to improve blocking and dam design

strategies. Topographic changes in peatland caused

by drainage (Ritzema et al., 2018).

Tripa Swamp is one of the peat swamp areas

located in Nagan Raya and Southwest Aceh districts.

60% of Tripa Swamp area is located in Darul

Makmur sub district, Nagan Raya. While remaining

in Babahrot sub district, Aceh Barat Daya (Abdya)

from three swamp forests located on the west coast

of Aceh with an area of ± 61,803 hectares.

270

Monalisa, ., Zuska, F., Nasution, Z. and Delvian, .

Innovation of Channel Blocking on Tripa Peat Swamp; Perceptions and Trust of Community.

DOI: 10.5220/0009901300002480

In Proceedings of the International Conference on Natural Resources and Sustainable Development (ICNRSD 2018), pages 270-273

ISBN: 978-989-758-543-2

Administratively, the Tripa Peat Swamp Function is

one of regulating the freshwater and flood cycle and

natural fortress for the tsunami disaster. In addition,

Tripa can also maintain local climate stability, such

as rainfall and air temperatures that play a positive

role for agricultural production in the vicinity. But

after the entry of palm oil into Tripa Swamp, the

physical condition of peatlands in the area is

changing. The number of channels (canals) built in

oil palm plantations causes dry and flammable peat

during the dry season, while in the rainy season the

Tripa Swamp area is flooded.

Based on the results of field monitoring of

several environmental NGOs conducted in May

2009 and NOAA satellite spot (burnout) reports in

November 2008, February and April 2009, until

early October 2012 still found hot spot spots in the

HGU area located in Swamp Tripa. The Tripa

Swamp Rescue Coalition Team (TKPRT) noted that

during March of 2104 there were at least 69 fire

points on the west coast of Aceh, especially the

Tripa Peat Swamp area within the area of the

Plantation Business License.

The Tripa Swamp Rescue Coalition Team

(TKPRT) also noted during March of 2014 there

were at least 69 fire points on the west coast of

Aceh, especially the Tripa Peat Swamp area within

the Plantation Business License (TKPRT Report,

2014).

Improvement of peat hydrology in Tripa Swamp

can be done one of them through channel blocking

(canal block). Canal blocking or blocking canals are

barriers made in a canal in which the canals contain

peatlands. The benefits of this canal is one of them is

to keep peatlands wet and difficult to burn. In

principle, the channel canal does not have a large

discharge (wastewater), but only a water overflow

(Ministry of Environment and Forests, 2015).

Based on the research results UNSYIAH (2013)

in Tripa Swamp about the condition of Tripa Swamp

waters. There are several factors that strongly

support some of the technical requirements required

in reclaiming swamps into plantations in Tripa

Swamp, among others, with the following

considerations:

a. As an outfall on the built drainage system is the

Krueng Tripa river, Krueng Seumayam and

Krueng Tripa of the Krueng Tripa river, Krueng

Seumayam and Krueng Batee at the downstream

pias having a lower elevation than the elevation

of the land that needs to be drained.

b. The availability of three peat domes where the

surrounding land makes it possible to create a

water storage pond that is used to accommodate

rainy season waters and is used as a water supply

to the duct system during the dry season to avoid

over-drained in the reclamation field.

c. If the availability of water in the container pond

is insufficient then it is necessary to find a new

water source as water recharge which in Tripa

water system can be taken from river Krueng

Tripa and Krueng Batee.

2 THEORITICAL BACKGROUND

Definition of perception according to Robbins

(1999) is the impression obtained by the individual

through the five senses and then analyzed

(organized), interpreted and then evaluated, so that

the individual gets a meaning. Individual perceptions

are influenced by several factors. According to

Irwanto (1991) understanding of perception is the

process of receiving stimuli (object, quality,

relationship between symptoms, and events) until

the stimulus is realized and understood. A person's

reaction to an object can be manifested in a person's

attitude or behavior about what is perceived.

As expressed by Toha (2003), the factors that

influence one's perception are as follows:

a. Internal factors: individual feelings, attitudes and

personalities, prejudices, desires or expectations,

attention (focus), learning process, physical

condition, psychiatric disorders, values and

needs are also interests, and motivation.

b. External factors: family background, information

acquired, knowledge and needs around, intensity,

size, vulnerability, repetition of motion, novelty

and familiarity or non-existence of an object.

According to Mitchell (1994), there are three

characteristics of social cohesion, namely:

1. individual commitment to norms and general

values,

2. the interdependence that arises because of the

intention to share (shared interest), and

3. individuals who identify themselves with a

particular group.

According to Fukuyama (2001), trust is an

attitude of mutual trust in the community are united

with each other and contribute to the improvement

of social capital. According to Pretty and Ward

(2000), there are two kinds of beliefs: the belief in

the individuals we know, and the belief in people we

do not know, but will increase because of our

comfort in the knowledge of social structure. Mutual

trust in others in a community has more hope to

participate in solving environmental problems (Liu

Innovation of Channel Blocking on Tripa Peat Swamp; Perceptions and Trust of Community

271

et al., (2014), Krisnhna and Uphoff, (1999), Jones

(2005, 2010); Pretty and Ward (2001).

According to Bryk and Scheider (2002), people

who own the trust are marked with:

a. Consistency, namely the provision in givin a

message to others without distinguishing one

from another. Thus a person’s confidence level

will be even greater because of the sense of

security of that provision produce a trust.

b. Compassion, which is a high concern is

important in mutual relationships believe with

mutual compassion, it is a form of protection so

it will not appear the feeling of harming others.

c. Communication, which focuses on how to share

which information the information will not be

exploited freely. In other words, this is refers to

openness as a strategy in maintaining that

confidentiality is private.

d. Competency, which is the responsibility and

konsitensi someone in a work and how well the

results obtained.

3 METHODS

The location of the research is in Sumber Makmur

and Sumber Bakti Village in Tripa Peatswamp Area

of Nagan Raya District. Selection of these two sites

with the consideration that in these two villages have

implemented peat-channel blocking and there has

been community organizing for the construction of

channel blocking. The object of research is the

community and groups of organizing the

construction of blocking channel in the two villages.

This research uses qualitative approach, with

explorative descriptive research approach.

Information was obtained through in-depth

interviews with informants with participant

observant approach. Researchers observe and follow

the blocking activities of the canal in Tripa Swamp.

4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

One of the innovations that enter into this region is

blocking the canal or commonly referred to as a

channel canal. The presence of the channel block

(block) in the Tripa Swamp area stems from the

blocking of canals on the plantation land owned by

PT.Kalista Alam in Kecamatan Darul Makmur,

Nagan Raya District, Aceh. This staging is done by

Yayasan Ekosistem Lestari (YEL) at 17 points. The

length of the canal is about four to five kilometers

which limits the former land of PT. Kalista Alam

with PT.Surya Panen Subur 2. As for the impact of

this channel blocking can be seen that along the rise

of water level, secondary forest began to grow in the

second layer.

Asmadi, one of the villagers at Seunaám 3 or

Sumber Bakti village acknowledged that the

existence of the canal is very helpful to the residents,

especially during the dry season and the rainy season

arrives. The function of the canal itself is to regulate

water in peatlands, keeping the wetlands of peat soil

constant.

Various obstacles in the construction of channel

canals in peatland occurred in Tripa Swamp. Among

others related to the understanding and knowledge of

the benefits of the canal insulation. For example as

in Sumber Bakti village, where there are pro citizens

and there are Villagers who cons will the

construction of a canal blocking. The opposing

group feels if the canal can block the rate of water in

their palm plantations that will inhibit the growth of

oil palms. While the pro groups feel a lot of benefits

from the existence of these canals, where their area

is no longer flooded during the rainy season and not

drought during the dry season arrived.

The perception of the opposing citizens was then

changed, where they then saw that in the rainy

season, there was no flooding around their land area,

since then the people agreed to the canal

construction and demand for the construction of the

canal is increasing. Another acknowledgment of the

benefits of these canals is that citizens acknowledge

that prior to the entry of this innovation, people have

difficulties during the climate change. During this

time residents can only surrender when the dry

season arrives or during the rainy season arrived

their land conditions changed drastically.

There is a game against the canal, the difference

in the number of canals built up. At the time of the

project will be executed the channel of the

community canal signatures who agree that the land

is made of insulation so will be given goat assistance

so that many people who agree to their land in doing

the canal blocking construction.

Trust is one of the main capital that must be

owned in a development process, especially

involving the community. In Tripa, the concept of

trust is still very minimal. The authors found, where

when the authors settled there and engaged in in-

depth communication with the community at Tripa it

was clear that their belief in immigrants who would

bring a program to their village was very low.

Especially if the intended institution is derived from

the NGO (Non-Governmental Organization). In

ICNRSD 2018 - International Conference on Natural Resources and Sustainable Development

272

addition, their level of trust in the district

government is also low. Among other things, there is

one NGO currently based in the Alue Bilie area, but

during the working period of the NGO, from 2008 to

2016, this NGO felt by the community has not

brought changes to the village condition and changes

people's lives.

Some informants stated that during this time they

felt cheated, the presence of institutions and staff of

these institutions was only using the data of their

village, which is the community itself. As an

example that occurred in the village of Kuala

Seumayam, they have been visited several times by

parties from certain institutions, whether it is

conducting surveys or interviews to the community.

Therefore, every new innovation offered by these

institutions, the community is not convinced, this

has resulted in the inhibition of innovation adoption

process to improve the condition of peatland in

Rawa Tripa.

5 CONCLUSIONS

Innovation of channel blocks is particularly

applicable in Rawa Tripa peatland with the aim of

improving the biophysical condition of peatlands

through improved water governance in peatlands.

The public perception of channel blocking

innovation in Tripa Swamp is strongly influenced by

the level of community knowledge and

understanding about channel blocking. Positive

perceptions are influenced by the public's trust in the

presence of institutions and parties who have had

programs in Rawa Tripa. It is also influenced by the

positive impact of the development of channel

blocking for regulating water in peatlands of citizens

land.

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