Tropical modern pollen collection as a tool to interpret the quaternary fossil pollen records in Sumatra (Indonesia) (ABS Funds)

Following the establishment of the palynological laboratory in UNJA, new ideas came up in the past few months on how to develop the laboratory and improve the quality of the research. In particular it became clearer and clearer how important is to have an extensive vegetation survey for pollen of the area under study (Jambi province). Sadly Indonesia lack a collection on modern pollen and spore grains, and this, together with the little facilities available on the territory, have greatly limited the potential of modern- and palaeo-palynological analyses. Currently palynology is only implemented in the exploration of oil and gas reserves which is carried out by few agencies centralized in Java. A mere shadow of the potentialities of the discipline of palynology.
The present proposal is compiled bearing in mind what would be needed to develop the A01 research, while at the same time, increasing the quality of the palynological laboratory in UNJA. The creation of the modern pollen and spore collection, first one in Indonesia, and the establishment of pollen-rain vegetation studies using pollen traps and vegetation analysis will be of a great benefit for both the CRC 990 project and the research capacity at UNJA.