By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Feb 12: The Living Labs for Wetland Forest Research (LiWeFoR) Seminar 2025, held today at the Sarawak Tropical Peat Research Institute (TROPI), featured 14 oral presentations from researchers and postgraduate students, highlighting groundbreaking studies on greenhouse gas emissions, land-use impacts, and carbon cycling in tropical peatland ecosystems.
As part of a global initiative to establish Living Labs for wetland forest research, the seminar brought together experts from Malaysia, Estonia, Finland, and Germany, focusing on peatland conservation, greenhouse gas monitoring, and soil biogeochemistry.
The seminar showcased 14 research presentations on peatland ecosystem dynamics, CO2 flux, and land-use changes:
1. Datu Dr. Lulie Melling (TROPI, Malaysia)
LiWeFoR Campaign 2024: Key Insights from the Campaign & Way Forward
2. Dr. Faustina Sangok (TROPI)
Variations in Tropical Peat Soil Chemical Properties Across Different Oil Palm Ages in Sarawak, Malaysia
3. Prof. Ülo Mander (University of Tartu, Estonia)
Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions in Tropical Peatland Forests: Synthesis of Field Campaign Results (2018–2024)
4. Assoc. Prof. Kaido SooSaar (University of Tartu, Estonia)
Eddy Covariance Measurements and Data Management in Peatland Research
5. Dr. Nur Azima Busman (TROPI)
Soil CO2 Flux in Tropical Peat Soils Under Different Vegetation and Land Use in Sarawak, Malaysia
6. Dr. Frankie Kiew (TROPI)
CO2 Dynamics Across Three Stages of Tropical Peatland Conversion to Oil Palm Plantations
7. Dr. Wong Guan Xhuan (TROPI)
Impact of Land Conversion on Environmental Conditions and Methane Emissions from Tropical Peatlands
8. Mr. Frazer Midot (TROPI)
Temporal Dynamics of Soil Microbial Carbon and Nitrogen Cycles with GHG Fluxes in the Transition from Peatland Forest to Oil Palm Plantation
9. Mr. Teo Kien Yung (University of Tartu/TROPI)
Global Patterns of Organic Matter Chemistry and Biogeochemical Cycling in Wetland Soils: ORBITRAP-Based and Microbiome Analysis
10. Mr. Nicodemus Ujih (TROPI)
Effect of CO2 Fluxes and Liming on Leaf Gas Exchange of Oil Palm in Tropical Peatland
11. Mr. Sebestian Kalang William (University of Tartu/TROPI)
Soil Greenhouse Gas Fluxes in Tropical Forests in Peru and Malaysia
12. Dr. Salla Tenhovirta (University of Tartu)
Canopy Influence on CH4 and N2O Fluxes in Peatland Forests
13. Mr. Kevin Dinggun (TROPI)
Effect of Liming on Macronutrients in Tropical Peat Soil: A 5-Year Field Study
14. Ms. Elizabeth Wangari Gachibu (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany)
Preliminary Results from the Field Campaigns in Maludam Peatlands and Oil Palm Plantations in Sri Aman and Betong
According to a press release, these research presentations provided valuable insights into peatland conservation, carbon sequestration, and sustainable land management.
The seminar, jointly organised by TROPI, Akademi Sains Malaysia, the Malaysian Peat Society, and the University of Tartu, aimed to enhance collaboration and knowledge transfer among wetland forest researchers worldwide.
Following the seminar, a field campaign in Betong from February 13 to 16 will enable researchers to conduct on-site data collection, further strengthening Malaysia’s contributions to climate change mitigation and sustainable peatland management. – DayakDaily
