Carbon Stock and Tree Diversity in Tripa Peat Swamp Forest

Peat swamp forest currently gets great attention owing to its high storage capacity of belowground carbon. Tripa peat swamp forest is a part of Kawasan Ekosistem Leuser (KEL) in Aceh province has a high conservation value as a habitat of the endangered species of Sumatran orang-utan (Pongo abelii). Aboveground carbon stock was measured in an agro forest area and three forest types, viz. undisturbed, disturbed and secondary forest using standard protocol. Average density of aboveground carbon stock in the 4 different land use types ranged from 28.5 t/ha to 193 t/ha, in agroforest area and undisturbed peat forest respectively. Besides its capacity to store carbon, Tripa peat swamp forest had a high diversity of tree species with Shannon Wiener index of 3.61. Many species of food source for orang-utan occurs in the forest with high Important Value Index, such as Eugenia jambos, Eugenia curtisii, Litsea cubeba and Laurus nobilis. Forest clearing and conversion to oil palm plantation were two threats of the lost of Sumatran orang-utan habitat in Tripa.