Botanical progress in the Tropenbos Kalimantan Project

During the last three years the Rijksherbarium/Hortus Botanicus (L) has been involved in the Tropenbos Kalimantan Programme, a co-operative programme between AFRD (Agency of Forest Research and Development, Indonesian Ministry of Forestry) and the ‘Tropenbos’ Foundation. The implementation of this programme is executed by AFRD and its institutes on the Indonesian side and the IBG-DLO (Instituut voor Bosbouw en Groenbeheer – Dienst Landbouwkundig Onderzoek), Wageningen, and L on the Dutch side. UNESCO-MAB has funded research in soil science. The programme is supported by the forestry state enterprises Inhutani I and II, and other concessionaires. A close co-operation exists with the Faculty of Forestry of the Mulawarman University, Samarinda. The research of the ‘Botanical Research Group’ focused on the following main points: 1. Preparation of a manual of forest trees in the Wanariset research forest and surroundings; 2. A study of non-wood forest products and their socio-economic relevance; 3. Establishment and management of a computerized database; 4. Comparative wood quality studies of plantation-grown Shorea; 5. Botanical training and training in forest tree recognition; 6. Establishment and management of the ‘Wanariset Herbarium’