Most of the world’s tropical peatlands are found in Southeast Asia. The two largest peatland countries in the region are Indonesia and Malaysia. Indonesia alone accounts for over 30% of the world’s tropical peatlands, with Malaysia accounting for a further 6%. These peatlands are mainly found on the islands of Sumatra, Kalimantan and the Malay Peninsula.
Peatlands support the livelihoods of local communities: more than 10 million people in Indonesia directly depend on peatland ecosystems, according to a 2018 report by researchers at the National University of Singapore.
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Endangered orangutans face greater danger as Indonesia plans to move its capital to East Kalimantan on Borneo
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Several global and regional initiatives have been launched to respond to the peatland crisis: The Global Peatlands Initiative, funded by the German government’s International Climate Initiative, aims to improve the conservation, restoration and sustainable management of peatlands.
Between 2018 and 2023, the company will be working with the United Nations Environment Programme to assess, measure and conserve peat carbon in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Republic of Congo, Indonesia and Peru.
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Peatland restoration, particularly rewetting and revegetation, is becoming an important strategy in Southeast Asia to achieve the goals set by various initiatives. Rewetting involves strategically blocking drainage channels to raise groundwater levels and recreate a waterlogged environment, while revegetation focuses on reintroducing native plant species, which helps stabilise peat soils and increase biodiversity.
Malaysia is also making progress. The Selangor State Forestry Department has led collaborative efforts with NGOs, local communities and other stakeholders. Since 2008, they have worked together on a community-based program to restore 1,000 hectares of degraded peat swamp forest in Raja Musa Forest Reserve, North Selangor. This work continues today, demonstrating Malaysia’s commitment to the long-term conservation of its peatlands.
In addition to scaling up restoration efforts, we need to recognize that peatland restoration is a marathon, not a sprint: peatlands take thousands of years to form, so we can’t expect to restore them overnight.
A large-scale reforestation experiment in South Sumatra, documented in a seven-year study published in the journal Scientific Reports, monitored re-wetted peat forests and found reduced subsidence and reforestation.
This shows that with patience and consistent management to reduce pressure on peatlands, significant improvements in carbon stocks and biodiversity can be achieved within 10 years.
We need to scale up restoration efforts and implement long-term strategies to both regenerate these vital ecosystems and alleviate the pressures that threaten them. The road ahead will undoubtedly be difficult, but the rewards will be enormous: a stable climate, thriving biodiversity, and resilient communities.
Mohammad Yunus is an independent researcher currently pursuing a Masters in Biological Sciences at Khon Kaen University, Thailand.
