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The Regional Physiographical and Land Management Context of the Hydrology of Danum Valley

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Water and the Rainforest in Malaysian Borneo

Part of the book series: Ecological Studies ((ECOLSTUD,volume 242))

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Abstract

The DVCA stands on the geologically heterogeneous melange unit known as the Kuamut Formation, whose siltstones, sandstones, cherts, spillites and tuffs contain many easily eroded lithologies. To the east are outcrops of mafic and ultramafic rocks including serpentinite, which occur in the Rafflesia study catchment. These extremely variable parent materials give rise to abrupt variations in soil chemistry and soil erodibility. The DVCA area is influenced by seasonal monsoons, mainly from November to March (north-east monsoon) and less so during June and July (south-west monsoon). Variations in the intensity of wet and dry seasons from year to year are driven by both the global fluctuations caused by El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events and by regional weather producing mechanisms. These events are highly significant for 1–3-year experiments which may coincide either with El Niño or with La Niña periods and thus yield quite different results. At Danum valley, around 43% of average daily rainfall falls between 1400 and 1800 hours, with relatively little falling at night and in the morning. Selective timber extraction in tropical rainforests typically removes only a relatively small percentage of timber trees, but incidental damage caused by log haulage, bulldozing and othere log-extraction related activities, may be severe, drastically altering forest structure and composition. Much damage can be avoided by reduced impact logging (RIL). Road and skid trails cause runoff and erosion problems that persist for years after logging ceases.

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  1. The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK

    Ian Douglas

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Douglas, I. (2022). The Regional Physiographical and Land Management Context of the Hydrology of Danum Valley. In: Water and the Rainforest in Malaysian Borneo. Ecological Studies, vol 242. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-91544-5_4

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