IEA 504 - Ecosystem Services

Group D
Restoration Project of Amanjaya Site
Team members Matric Number Task in-charged
NURUL KHAIRANI BT ABD HALIM S-IM0080/19 Study site & study profile

KUMUTHARANI A/P ANNAMALAI S-IM0068/20 Existing environment & land

SAMBO GODSWILL NATHAN P-IM0071/20 Propose restoration activity

Propose restoration activity

FAZILLAH BT KHAZALI S-IM0069/20

BOUIDA LEILA P-IM0064/20 Soil texture

DU HONGBO P-IM0054/20 What to propose

Site study
• Our study site is in Amanjaya Sungai Petani, Kedah at
coordinate of 5°41'07.0"N 100°31'18.9"E.
• The site is location approximately 3.4km from Bandar
Aman Jaya. The site assigned is marked with the blue line.
• Total area of the site: 4,134,470m²
• There are oil palm plantation, forest, deforested land and
a few of fish ponds in this area.
 Site History (2011 – 2015)

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

• History of the site area is studied from 2011 to 2020. In 2011 and 2012, the area was filled with forest and a few of palm oil plantation
areas.
• Starting from 2013, there were two areas of land within the site that undergo deforestation activity, as shown in the two red boxes
with dash lines.
• Then, in 2015 there was one more area undergo deforestation activity which can be observed in the red box at 2015 image.
 Site History (2016 – 2020)

2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

• From 2016 to 2018, there is no changes on the site. The area that has been deforested were left without any activity run,
that these areas return to green.
• But starting in 2019, there is one more area with deforestation activity which can be seen in the red box at 2019 image.
Half of the deforested area is starting to grow tree without any activity run in 2020.
 Elevation Profile

• Our study site in Amanjaya mostly comprises of uneven land surface, but there is no hill and mountain inside the site
• The range of ground level at the site is between 2 meter elevation and 27 meter elevation.
• Picture 1 pinpoint the location of the lowest ground level (2 meter elevation), and the surrounding area is among the lowest
ground level in the site location. While picture 2 pinpoint the location of the highest ground level (27 meter elevation) with red
arrow.
 Site Profile

• At less than 10km within the range from our site, there is MDC Precast Industries Sdn. Bhd., a manufacturer and supplier of ready-made
concrete in the construction sector. The location of this concrete industry is marked with red box while our site is marked with light blue
line at the third picture above.

• Cement is made by firing limestone, clay, and other materials in a kiln. CO2 is emitted from the energy used to fire the material, and the
chemical reaction produced from the mixture when it is exposed to heat. According to the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association,
each pound of concrete releases 0.93 pounds of carbon dioxide. Since concrete is such a widespread item, the amount of CO2 released in
the industry continues to grow. The process of producing concrete material also will effect the surrounding by releasing dust and noise.
 Site Profile

• At the left side of picture, it can be observed that there is industrial

area within 10 km from our site (marked with red box).

• The industrial area is known as Taman Perindustrian Ringan Bukit

Makmur. The industries that located within the industrial park are
small industries.

• These industries do not cause major environmental impact, except

the rubber component industry, where the rubber manufacturing
will release wastewater contains high biological oxygen demand
and ammonia, which without proper treatment, discharge of
wastewater from rubber processing industry to the environment
may cause serious and long-lasting consequences. The effluent
from latex rubber processing industries is basically acidic in nature
will affect environment if discharge without proper treatment.
Besides, high level of odor also will come from the rubber factory
and recycle industries.
Existing Environment and Land Use at Amanjaya

• Amanjaya is situated in the second most largest city of

Kedah which is Sungai Petani which is located 55km
south of Kedah and 33km northeast of Georgetown.

• Based on the latest observation from Google Earth, the

existing environment of the site comprises of several
condition:
•
1. Forest – most area of the site.
2. Palm oil plantation – 31525 m², 45257 m², 105572
m², and 78392 m².
3. Deforested land – 166760 m² and 7148 m².
4. Fish ponds.
 Land use Map

1) Physical and
5) Flora and fauna
land resources

4) Noise levels, air &

2) Geological water quality

3) Mineral resources
 Existing Environment and Land Use at Amanjaya

1) Physical and land resources

The land resources of existing project site is mainly imposed of stranded and recreational land, bareland, institutional and
community facilities which are Lembaga Hasil Dalam Negeri, Sungai Petani branch, Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital, Amanjaya Fire and
Rescue station. Within 1- 2 km of the land, there is housing areas, industries of frozen chicken, meat and seafood, electrical
components, food production, rubber component manufacturer, a few recycle industries.

2) Geological

The proposed project sedimentary rocks are silurian devonian which is mainly agrillaceous, slate, phyllite, schist and pelitic hormfels,
calcium silicate facies, calcium silicate hornfels and impure limestones, sandstone and metasandstone and can cause texture of soil
to be sandy.

3) Mineral resources

The geology at the project site is known as Carboniferous which contain phyllite, slate, shale and sandstones, agrillaceous rocks are
commonly carbonaceus. Locally prominent development of limestone. The project site is rich in metallic mineral of Manganese and
Iron which are due to the sedimentary rocks.
 Existing environment and Land use at Amanjaya

4) Noise level, air and water quality

Nearby the project site there are 2 air and noise stations, located at east and south respectively. The water quality
stations surrounding is near the project site. Water quality flowing from selected river and drain were determined for the
existing site. All this parameters can be obtained through direct measurement or on-site.

5) Flora and Fauna

As the proposed site have forest reserve within 5km which are Gunung Jerai, Merbok & Sungkop. In depth studies can
be conducted to determine the flora and fauna within the area’s vicinity. Gunung Jerai is one popular spot for hikers to
enjoy the abundance of nature. Merbok consist of a mangroove forest which is an essential during flood or high tide.
Soil Texture at Amanjaya

According to the geological picture

of project site, it shows that the soil
texture is: mainly argillaceous; slate,
phyllite, schist and pelitic homfels,
calc-silicate facies, calc-silicate
hornfels, and impure limestone, and
sandstone and metasandstone.
Amanjaya soil properties:

• From the physical properties the type of the soil in this area is sandy
soils, one of the advantages of sandy soil is that warms up quickly in
spring. However, nutrients and water often leech away with rainfalls
and can be acidic sometimes.

• Also it’s recommended to apply fewer water and less fertiliser to sandy
soils, but more frequently to achieve the best results. The soil can be
modified using the organic matter, so the nutrients stay maintained in
the soil. For instance, compost and fertiliser resources rich in carbon
and materials rich in soil microbes should be used to improve organic
matter (if the purpose in agricultural use).
 What to propose?

The site is dominated by forests and oil palm plantations. In recent years, although there has been deforestation, but the
destruction of the forest is not serious and the types of vegetation have not changed much. We should protect and restore the
local forest. There are many industrial parks and roads around the area. Restoring the forest ecosystem in the area can purify
the air, isolate noise and protect soil erosion.
 What to propose?

Some ideas of carrying out forest ecological restoration

• Strengthen the protection of forest resources and promote the recovery of existing forests.
Stop all commercial logging activities and carry out prevention of forest diseases and
insect pests and forest fires so that existing forest resources can recuperate and recover
naturally.

• Artificial promotion of vegetation succession. To increase the number of tree species that
are beneficial to both succession development and economic benefit by supplementary
sowing and planting.

• Artificial improvement of vegetation growth external environment. Local soil preparation

and weeding were used to improve the conditions of seed germination, eliminate
excessive sprout, promote sapling growth, adjust species composition and density
regulation, and improve stand structure.
 Proposed Restoration Activity for Amanjaya Site Location

1. Reforestation of the bare land area

 Yellow boxes with dash lines on the map of Amanjaya showed that
this site undergo deforestation activity since 2013, but were left
without any activity run.
 Therefore, we planned to restore the bare land area by replanting
native plant species seedling to reforest the barren land damaged
by mixed human activities.
Land Use Map of Amanjaya
 Proposed Restoration Activity for Amanjaya

2. Restoration of riparian buffer zone

 This map of the Amanjaya water location
showed that these areas had been disturbed by
agricultural activities (oil palm plantation).
Image of River at Amanjaya Location of River and Lake at Amanjaya
 Drone image of Amanjaya also showed that the
oil palm plantation is too close to the riparian
buffer zone, which will disturb riverbank
stability and habitats for streamside living
organisms.
 The expansion of oil palm plantation until it
reaches the riparian buffer zone area will cause
destruction to the water quality of rivers
because it can not filter out pesticides and
chemical fertilizers used in oil palm plantations.
 Restoration of the riparian buffer zone will
provide ecotourism opportunities as riparian
habitat for various endangered or threatened
species of plants and animals.
 Our choice of area for this restoration is along
the river channel as shown in the map.
 This can be done by replanting native grasses,
forbs, shrubs and tree, as well as control
invasive species in riparian areas.
 States, local governments and federal agencies
should apply strict requirements to permits for
activities impacting riparian areas
 Proposed Restoration Activity for Elevation Map of Amanjaya
Amanjaya
3. Lake restoration

 Elevation map of Amanjaya showed that this area has

lake and river. This lake is located within agricultural
area (oil palm plantation).
 However, image showed this lake and stream are
getting murky and cloudy due to flowing through oil
palm plantations.
 Therefore lake restoration is critical to bring lake back
to its original state. This lake restoration will be done
on the existing lake in the area and it has the lowest
elevation as shown in the elevation map.

Image of Stream and Lake at Amanjaya

 Land Use Map of Amanjaya

Proposed Restoration
Activity for Amanjaya
4. Converting agricultural land to recreational park
 Land use map showed that residential, industry and
community institution cover most of the upper part of
Amanjaya. On the right side, mixed development
consists of industry, residential, commercial and
community institution. The lower part of Amanjaya
comprises of community institution, commercial,
residential, and industrial area. While at the left side
of Amanjaya include of agricultural and industrial
area.
 Therefore, the conversion of agricultural land to
recreational park could offer opportunities to the
Location of River and Lake at Amanjaya
people in Sungai Petani to escape from crowdedness
in the city. Moreover, there are lakes and river in the Recreational Park
agricultural land that have been disturbed by oil palm
plantation.
 By converting to recreational park, this area will be
protected and maintain by the MPSP (Majlis
Perbandaran Sungai Petani). So, the people who visit
this recreational park can not arbitrarily destroy or
pollute the surrounding of the recreational park.
 Road Map of Amanjaya
Proposed Restoration Activity for Amanjaya
Legend

5. Converting existing road to streetscape Road

 Amanjaya is located in Sungai Petani town, and it is experiencing heavy

traffic jam everyday especially during peak hours.
 Streets are public areas crucial for social life of cities. Thus, converting
the existing road in Amanjaya area to a streetscape view enable a
shared ecosystem because streetscape ecosystem is able to mimic
nature, building reciprocal relationships within an interconnected
system to sustainably enhance the local environment, its resources, the
community, and the local economy.

Streetscape View
 Proposed Restoration Activity for Amanjaya

6. Installation of artificial nesting sites

 Natural nest sites are quickly disappearing in most urban areas, contributing to a decline in bird and bat populations. Amanjaya also experiencing
rapid urbanization thus decreasing the birds and bat population.
 Therefore, artificial nest boxes are propose to be installed at several locations in the Amanjaya area so that they can provide nesting and roosting
sites for a wide range of birds and bats.
 The boxes can be used on walls or vertical surface, under eaves, or on trees.

Artificial Nesting Sites

 Proposed Restoration Activity for Amanjaya

7. Introduce carbon farming to existing and new oil palm plantation in Amanjaya area

 Malaysia is the second largest producer of palm oil in the world. Oil palm cultivation in Malaysia had expanded
from 54,700 hectares in early 1960 to 5.64 million hectares by the year 2015, and Malaysia’s Ministry of
Primary Industry has proposed to cap the oil palm plantation area to 6.5 million hectares by 2023 (Yusuf, 2019).
 This proven that there is something should be done to prevent abundant of carbon losses to the atmosphere.
 Therefore, it is suggested to the farmers to practice carbon farming in managing oil palm plantation in
Amanjaya area. Few things that farmers can employ to help sequester carbon include:
 Leftover biomass is returned to the soil as mulch after harvest instead of being removed or burned.
 Conventional tillage practices are replaced by conservation tillage, no till, and/or mulch farming.
 Cover crops are grown during the off-season instead of leaving croplands bare.
 Continuous monocultures are replaced by high diversity crop rotations and integrated farming
practices.
 Intensive use of chemical fertilizers is replaced by organic fertilizers.
 Intensive cropping is replaced by croplands integrated with trees and livestock.
 Surface flood irrigation is replaced by drip, furrow, or sub-irrigation.
 The indiscriminate use of pesticides is replaced by integrated pest management techniques.
 Marginal and degraded soils are restored to their natural states instead of being used as cropland.
AMANJAYA PROPOSED RESTORATION MAP
AERIAL EXTENT
RESTORATION ACTIVITIES
(square meter)
Recreational park 1,177,702

Restoration of riparian buffer zone 1,165,709

Restoration of bare land 605,756

Carbon farming in oil palm plantation 1,154,238

Restoration of lake 31,065

TOTAL AREA 4,134,470m²

LEGEND
Artificial nesting sites
Restoration of lake
Recreational park
Carbon farming in oil palm plantation
Restoration of bare land
Restoration of riparian buffer zone
Converting road to streetscape
 REFERENCES

Gao J, & Gu X. (2017). Preliminary study on forest ecological restoration in

Baishan City. Agricultural Development and Equipment, 000(011), 111.

Song X B, Sun C, & Zong X H. (2014). Preliminary study on forest ecological

restoration in Tonghua County. Land greening (11), 40-41

Yusuf, A. Malaysia to Cap 6.5 m ha of Oil Palm Plantations by 2023. New Straits
Times. 4 March 2019. Available
online: https://www.nst.com.my/business/2019/03/466143/malaysia-cap-
65m-ha-oil-palm-plantations-2023