s:1218:"%T Soil aspects of the lndonesian benchmark area of the global project on alternatives to slash and burn %A Murdiyarso, D. %A Wasrin, U.R. %A Hairiah, K. %A Rachman, A. %A Van, Noordwijk.M. %X The global project on 'Alternatives to Slash and Burn' agriculture was initiated by a consortium of international and national research institutes to speed up intensification of the use of convened forest land in order to help protect the f;" remairling forest areas for their biodiversity values as well as role vis-a-vis greenhouse gas emissions. In the first phase of the project benchmark areas were chosen and fun her (:;haracterized in Brazil Camerbon and Indonesia. Data for the Indonesian t)enchmark areas on Sumatera are discussed here in the light of the hypothesis that '1ntensifying land use as alterrlative to slash-and-burn farming can help to reduce deforestation conserve biodiversity reduce net emission of greenhouse gasses and alleviate poverty' We conclude that this t1ypothesis indicates only one of three necessary conditions. Apart from farmeradaptable technologies effective protection of the remaining forests is needed as well as a reduction of other driving forces of deforestation. ";