There is an article in the December-October ECOS, pages 10-21
published by the CSIRO, titled Reinventing Rice. It covers new strains
of rice and urges Asian farmers to protect biological diversity by
swapping chemicals for intergrated pest management.
Hope that this is of some little help
Alan Leishman
______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Re: Rice paddi and biodiversity
Author: "Susan Myers" <> at mailgate
Date: 12/24/98 12:53 PM
> Wet rice paddi on Java is notoriously sterile, at least as far as birds
> are concerned. I assume this is because the switch to High Yield Variety
> rice has required prolific use of pesticides, herbicides and fertiliser.
> Wet paddi in Australia would seem to be much less a wasteland. Is this
> true? Why? And can any one point me towards relevant literature on wet
> paddi and biodiversity? A web search on rice+paddi+biodiversity has
> revealed little which i find surprising.
Sorry I can't point you to any references without a bit more research on my
part! You could try Kukila which should have the best coverage of the
region. My experience with padis in SEA is somewhat similar to your own,
however in some cases soon after the harvest I have found them to be very
rich in diversity. One experience on Lombok particularly springs to mind.
Soon after the harvest when the padis were dry we noted in one location
Wooly-necked Stork, Short-toed Eagle, Yellow Wagtail, Spotted Kestrel,
Purple heron, Javan Pond-heron, Brahminy Kite, Cave Swiftlet, Collared
Kingfisher, Sacred Kingfisher, Blue-tailed Bee-eater, Rainbow Bee-eater,
Straited Swallow, Barn Swallow, Large-billed Crow, White-winged Triller,
Pied Bushchat, Australasian Pipit, White-breasted Woodswallow and Javan
Munia etc. Fairly rich I would have thought. Then again they may have
different agricultural practices on Java.
Susan Myers
phone: +61 3 9819 2539
Email:Susan Myers
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