The Rimba Raya Biodiversity Reserve REDD Project

Table 2. (cont’d) Rimba Raya Land Use/Land Cover ClassesClass NameRiver andcoastal forestKerangasforestOpen sandscrubBare groundor sparselyvegetatedCultivatedland withshrubsOil palmplantationOpen waterDescriptionNarrow patches of riverine forest along theSeruyan on mineral or mixed soils. Includesone small mangrove patch on the Java Sea.In the south, short, even-canopied scrubforest on sandy soils. In the north, tall, richtropical heath forest on predominantly sandsoils. Both types visually distinct on satelliteimagery and occurring in small patches.Open sand soils with sparse kerangas scrubvegetation, locally known as “padang”. Thesemay be former kerangas forests that haveburned. In the north, open sandy soilsdominate. In the south, vegetation cover ismore dense and may be intermediate tokerangas forest. Some of these shrublandpatches border burned peat swamp forests inthe south and recovering vegetation may besecondary peat swamp on peat soils.Large bare areas in open sand scrub areclassified as bare ground, as are peatlandareas recently deforested by fire. The lattermay have low or sparse vegetation regrowth.Repeatedly burned cultivation land, locally“ladang”, often abandoned after severalyears of cultivation. Active cultivation landmay have appear bright on imagery frompost-fire herbaceous growth. Inactive fieldsmay have woody shrubs and scattered trees.At Rimba Raya oil palm is the only cropplantation and is confined to the KUCCconcession in the north.Deep water with no vegetation occuring onmajor rivers.Figure 7 – Rimba Raya Project Area Vegetation and Land Cover17