“Peatlands are dynamic and diverse and the underlying causes of their degradation are as complex as the ecosystems themselves,” said Nazir Foead, head of Indonesia’s Peatland Restoration Agency (BRG). He made these remarks at the fourth and final webinar in a series convened by BRG and the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), which sought to explore and develop criteria and indicators for peatland restoration in Indonesia.
The country has pledged to restore over 2 million hectares of degraded peatlands in response to the U.N. Paris Agreement adopted as an effort to hold global warming in check. However, as Foead said in his keynote address, it is not a simple task. One possible solution to this complex endeavor is to measure progress through an appropriate, easy-to-use set of criteria and indicators that are locally relevant and internationally recognized.
Putting people first is a vital part of the equation for protecting and restoring Indonesia’s vast tropical peatlands.
This was the resounding message from the third in a series of webinars exploring criteria and indicators for tropical peatland restoration hosted by the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) in collaboration with the Indonesian Peatland Restoration Agency (BRG). The webinar, attended by 145 people from 18 countries, explored best governance and socio-economic attributes underpinning successful peatland restoration practices and identified guidelines for appropriate monitoring criteria and indicators.
Indonesia is home to over a third of the world’s tropical peatlands, half of which have already been altered through drainage, deforestation and agriculture-related burning, and the country is working to reduce emissions and restore landscapes.