INDONESIA'S PEATLAND RESTORATION PROGRAM LAUDED INTERNATIONALLY by Fardah

Jakarta, May 23, 2017 (Antara) - Indonesia's ambitious program for the restoration of its peatland areas that is spread across two million hectares has attracted the attention of several advanced countries.

         Countries such as Norway, Germany, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Australia, Canada, Japan, and South Korea have lauded Indonesia's efforts and pledged to provide financial assistance for the program.

           "Restoration of peatland areas has gained global attention, apart from reforestation. So far, the world's response has been positive toward Indonesia," Nazir Foead, head of the Peat Restoration Agency (BRG), said while speaking to the press on the sidelines of the first Asia Bonn Challenge High Level Round-table Meeting held in Palembang, South Sumatra, recently.

        For Indonesia, the Bonn Challenge has strengthened its commitment toward preserving peatland areas in particular, and tropical forests in general.

         Taking into account the importance of tropical peat protection and restoration, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) has launched the Global Peatland Initiatives (GPI), along with the member countries that have peatlands, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo and Peru.

         The GPI was launched at the 2016 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Morocco.

            "The GPI is a foundation that allows Indonesia to serve as an example in the efforts to restore peatlands and lowland landscapes where peat domes are located," Tim Christophersen, UNEP's Senior Programme Officer, Forests and Climate Change, stated in Jakarta on May 15.

         The UNEP considers Indonesia as the world's model for peatlands restoration program.   
     Furthermore, Indonesia is seen to be the most compliant country in the Paris COP21, as it has become the first nation to conduct massive peat restoration activities and is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions to one gigaton.

        Christophersen made the statement at the second meeting of GPI partners that was also attended by the representatives of the three countries, UN agencies, donors, universities, as well as civil societies.

         The meeting aimed at updating global peatland-related databases, and compiling sustainable peatland management experiences and peat restoration strategies.

          Foead is expecting that the GPI would open great opportunities for the agency to share its experiences and take a cue from other countries on the protection and recovery of peat ecosystems appropriately, effectively and efficiently.

            "We are the most progressive country in terms of the policies to manage peatland areas. Other countries will be looking at Indonesia, on how we have been implementing conservation policies and arrangement points under the supervision of the UNEP," he remarked.

         The government has set aside a fund of Rp865 billion to continue the national peatland restoration program, particularly in seven priority provinces this year. 
     The fund will be used to restore peatland covering an area of 400,000 hectares in 2017 in the seven priority provinces of Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, South Kalimantan and Papua.

          The BRG has set itself the target of restoring 30 percent of the 2,492,527 hectares of peatland in 2016, 20 percent in 2017, 2018 and 2019 each, and 10 percent in 2020.

         Meanwhile, Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) has been carrying out a long-term study on the condition of peatland in Tanjung Leban, Bengkalis District, Riau Province, to monitor the dynamism of carbon circulation on peatland that were restored after being gutted in fire.

            "The study will be carried out for three to five years, by measuring several parameters in three different monitoring plots," said Prof Daniel Murdiyarso, senior CIFOR scientist in Tanjung Leban village, 256 km of Pekanbaru, Riau, recently.

            The three different plots of peatlands are located in a mixed forest, oil palm plantation and rubber plantation, respectively.

           The peatlands are about five to eight meters deep. The parameters being monitored include carbon reserve, peatland depth, water level fluctuation, net primary production (NPP) and surface elevation change.

            CIFOR has installed devices for the study since February 2017 and involved students and lecturers of Riau University, as well as local villagers.

            Restoration efforts would not be able to restore the peatland to its previous condition, but at least it would ensure the peatland does not dry off and is able to maintain its functions and prevent fire.

             The study is also expected to provide information on how replanting of trees having economic value such as rubber and oil palm on peatlands could provide long-term benefit to the local villagers.

           Muhammad Nus, a local villager, said his one-hectare peatland had improved after being restored with the United Nations Development Programme assistance in 2015.

             "Previously, this land was planted with oil palm trees and was gutted by huge fires in 2008. Later, it was flooded for four months, so oil palm would not grow anymore," he said.

            After undertaking studies on his peatland, "jelutung" trees (Dyera spp) were planted by Japanese researchers and others from the University of Riau.

         Since then, his peatland has remained moist and free of fire.

         Indonesia's peatlands are estimated to cover an area of 20.6 million hectares, or about 10.8 percent of Indonesia's total land area.

         Peatlands help to preserve water resources, mitigate flooding, prevent sea water intrusion, support biodiversity, and control the climate through carbon absorption and storage.   ***3***
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(T.F001/A/BESSR/A. Abdussalam) 23-05-2017