ITPC EXPECTED TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE PEATLAND ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT BY Fardah

   Jakarta, Nov 17, 2018 (Antara) - Peatlands, which are natural areas of the accumulated decayed plant material known as peat, have huge importance as carbon sinks and are believed to hold 30 to 40 percent of global carbon despite covering only three percent of the world's land area.

      Indonesia's peatlands store a huge amount of carbon of up to 60 billion metric tons, which makes it a virtual carbon bomb. Globally, the amount of carbon held in tropical peat is around 88.6 billion metric tons.

       Peatlands also act as giant sponges, soaking up water and helping to mitigate flooding.

       During the dry season, peat releases water slowly and can be a source of fresh water for surrounding communities.       
  Indonesia's peatlands are also habitats for endangered species such as orangutans and tigers.

       The country used to have 22.5 million hectares of peatlands, but nearly half of them have already been deforested and drained.

        Given the important functions of peatlands globally, Indonesia and the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo have joined with international organizations to push forward a sustainable peatland agenda at a launch event for the new International Tropical Peatland Center (ITPC) in Jakarta on Oct 30, 2018.

         The three countries - all home to extensive areas of tropical peatland - comprise the founding member states of the center, which are expected to become a holistic platform for peatland science and practice.

         ITPC is also a center for information and knowledge about peat management that can be accessed by countries across the world.

         When managed sustainably, tropical peatlands offer not only substantial environmental gains but also potential livelihood benefits to those living in and around them.

PARTNERSHIP CRUCIAL TO ACHIEVE INDONESIA'S PEATLAND RESTORATION TARGET by Fardah

Jakarta, Nov 11 , 2017 (Antara) - Peatland restoration is one of the priorities of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi)'s environmental agenda, which is aimed at partly preventing forest fires and addressing climate change impacts.

        In January last year, Jokowi established a Peatland Restoration Agency (BRG), through Presidential Regulation No. 1/2016, in order to coordinate and accelerate the recovery of peatlands.

       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 seawater intrusion, support biodiversity, and control the climate through carbon absorption and storage.   
   According to BRG's target, a total of 2,492,527 hectares of peatlands would be restored within a five-year period, with the completion target set at 30 percent in 2016; 20 percent each in 2017, 2018, and 2019; and 10 percent in 2020.  
     This year, the BRG plans to build some 5,600 canal dams that could wet 400 thousand hectares of peatlands, thereby preventing forest fires.

         The restoration program in that area is carried out in cooperation with the local people trained to build water canals in line with the concept of the BRG to wet the dried peatlands.

         Forests and peatland fires in 2015 affected the health of millions in Sumatra and Kalimantan, in particular, as well as in several neighboring countries. The forest fire disaster has cost Indonesian economy an estimated US$16.1 billion.

        The agency has allocated some Rp152 billion, or some 36 percent of its total budget this year.

        "Some Rp117 billion (of the Rp152 billion) will be channeled to build infrastructure and revitalize the economy, while Rp35 billion will be allocated to strengthen the agency, as well as to boost its capacity and empower the agency," Myrna Safitri, BRG's deputy of education, socialization, participation, and partnership, noted in Jakarta on Nov 1, 2017.

        According to Safitri, the BRG has maintained partnership with some civil groups and the local governments to restore peatlands in several targeted provinces, such as Riau, Jambi, South Sulawesi, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, and Papua.

       Safitri revealed that the peatland office, along with the civil groups, have built some supporting infrastructure, such as canal partitions and wells in dozens of villages.

        She remarked that the office has launched a pilot project to manage land without setting fire to trees and initiated the development of the local commodity, maritime and livestock businesses, and honey culture.

INDONESIA'S PEATLANDS HOLD HUGE CARBON RESERVES by Fardah

 Jakarta, June 30, 2017(Antara) - Indonesia has played a crucial role in curbing the impacts of climate change, as the country has vast forest and peatland areas that can store huge amount of carbon emissions.

        Around 50 percent of the world's total carbon reserves are reportedly in Indonesia's forests and peatlands. The country's tropical rainforests have a total carbon storage capacity of 60 gigatons (billion tons).

        Its tropical peatlands are annually able to hold one gigaton of carbon reserves due to which they should be preserved to help address the impacts of climate change.

        Indonesia has 20 million hectares of peatlands, or the world's largest. The country's peatland areas are located on the islands of Sumatra, Kalimantan, and Papua.

        "Peatlands in Indonesia play a significant role in coping with the impacts of climate change," he confirmed.

        Nazir Foead, head of the Peatland Restoration Agency (BRG), said recently that peatland areas existing in seven Indonesian provinces and the damaged ones that are being restored could reduce carbon emissions amounting to one gigaton annually.

        President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) installed Nazir Foead, former conservation director at the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), as head of the BRG on January 20, 2017.

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.

PEATLAND RESTORATION TARGET ACHIEVABLE by Fardah

Jakarta, Feb 22, 2017 (Antara)-  When delivering his State of the Nation Address on August 16, 2016, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) vowed to not tolerate arsonists of peatlands and forests because their acts are considered crimes against humanity.

        The statement particularly referred to the devastating forest and peatland fires of 2015,  which impacted the health of millions in Sumatra and Kalimantan in particular as well as in several neighboring countries. The forest fire disaster cost Indonesia¿s economy an estimated $16.1 billion.  
   The President  has so far kept his promise, as since then the Government has  taken various steps to conserve and restore peatland and prevent it from being set on fire.

        "No more concession permits for palm oil plantations in peatland areas. The government will impose a moratorium," the president said last year.

         In addition, Jokowi also established a Peatland Restoration Agency (BRG)  through Presidential Regulation No. 1/2016 in order to coordinate and accelerate the recovery of peatlands.

           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.    

PEATLAND RESTORATION HELPS PREVENT FOREST FIRES by Fardah

Jakarta, Dec 24, 2016 (Antara) -  Set up nearly a year ago, Peatland Restoration Agency (BRG)  has wasted no time in protecting and restoring peatlands and, consequently,  preventing wildfires in Indonesian forests.   
   The destruction of peatlands and forest fires are closely linked, because clearing and draining peatlands for oil palm and pulpwood plantations are major causes of Indonesia's recurring fire and haze crises.

        Last year, haze produced by forest fires impacted the health of thousands of people in South-East Asia, particularly in Sumatra and Kalimantan Islands, and cost Indonesia's economy an estimated $16.1 billion, according to data from the World Bank.

        And this year, Indonesia remains haze free, after two decades of experiencing annual forest fires that triggered haze and chocking much of the public, Environmental Affairs and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya has confirmed.

        "For the first time, in 2016, we did not experience major forest fires, thanks to the joint hard work of many in the regions. The number of hotspots decreased by 80 to 92 percent, according to the NOAA and Terra satellite methods," the minister said on Dec 10, 2016.  
   The government has set up an integrated forest fire control team comprising, among others, military and police officers, as well as a preventive and early detection mechanisms to curb forest fires.

        Additionally, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), under Presidential Regulation No. 1 of 2016, dated January 6, 2016,  established BRG to prevent forest fires, particularly those affecting peatlands, and to restore areas destroyed by fires.

AGENCY TO RESTORE OVER 800 THOUSAND HECTARES OF PEATLAND AREAS by Fardah

Jakarta, March 31, 2016 (Antara) - Two months after its establishment, the Peatland Restoration Agency (BRG) has claimed that it is now initiating on-field activities to restore over 800 thousand hectares (ha) of peatland areas spread across four districts. 
    "The (restoration) cost is estimated to reach Rp12 million per ha for five years," BRG Head Nazir Foead informed the press here, Thursday.

         The World Bank and the Center for International Forestry Research had estimated the restoration cost to reach between Rp6-36 million per ha, he remarked.

         Foead explained that the agency had completed the mapping of the peatland areas in the districts of Meranti Islands in Riau; Ogan Komering Ilir and Musi Banyuasin in South Sumatra; and Pulang Pisau in Central Kalimantan, which need restoration work.

        Of the 834,491 ha areas, 77 percent lie within cultivation areas while 23 percent are located in protected areas.

ESTABLISHMENT OF INDONESIA'S PEATLAND RESTORATION AGENCY LAUDED by Fardah

Jakarta, Jan 27, 2016 (Antara)- President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) installed Nazir Foead, former conservation director at the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), as head of the Peatland Restoration Agency (BRG) on January 20.         The agency, which has been set up based on Presidential Regulation Number 1 of 2016, is chiefly tasked with preventing forest fires that particularly occur in peatlands and to restore such areas gutted by forest fires, particularly on Sumatra and Kalimantan Islands.          While announcing the establishment of the agency on January 13, Jokowi, who described Foead as a competent and experienced figure, assigned the body to immediately draft an action plan to demonstrate to the world that Indonesia is serious about handling the damage caused to peatland areas.       After graduating from the University of Gadjah Mada in Yogyakarta, Foead began his career at WWF in 1992 and has since then dedicated himself to forest conservation efforts.

PEATLAND RESTORATION AGENCY ESTABLISHED TO PREVENT FOREST FIRES by Fardah

 Jakarta, Jan 14, 2916 (Antara) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), under Presidential Regulation No. 1 of 2016, dated January 6, 2016, has established a Peatland Restoration Agency to prevent forest fires, particularly affecting peatlands, and to restore areas destroyed by fires.

         The president ordered the body to draft an action plan to immediately demonstrate to the world that Indonesia is serious about handling the destruction caused to peatland areas.   
    Jokowi announced the appointment of Nazir Foead as chief of the new agency on January 13, 2016, describing him to be a competent and experienced figure.    
    The agency is a non-structural body under the president and is answerable to him.

        Environmental Affairs and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar explained that the agency is tasked with restoring the landscape of the peatland ecology with regard to saving and protecting them as well as preventing them from fires or being burnt down.