Restore Peatlands,
Prevent Haze
Southeast Asia is home to over 54% of the world’s peatlands!
Unfortunately, around 25 million hectares of these tropical peatlands have been deforested and drained over the last three decades alone, and only 6% of peatlands remain untouched.
In these natural wetlands, the peat soil, which comprises of decomposed plant and animal material that have accumulated over many years, can easily burn and catch fire once the water is drained out and the peat dries up. The fires are often happening well below ground (since peat deposits can go down to 40 meters deep!) which makes them hard to identify and put out.
Image credit: Global Environment Center
What We Do
Community-led Peatland Restoration
Since 2017, we have been working with the Sungai Tohor community in Riau, Indonesia, to support their peatland restoration efforts and the development of alternative livelihoods.
Our local NGO partner, Ekonomi Kreatif Andalan (EKA), has built capabilities to carry out restoration activities such as rewetting and revegetation on degraded peatlands, shifted to peat-friendly livelihoods such as beekeeping and paludiculture, and reduced the risk of fires. Building on the success of Sungai Tohor, rehabilitation efforts were expanded into the nearby village of Sungai Tohor Barat. After visiting the restoration efforts in Sungai Tohor, representatives from Kubu Raya Regency, West Kalimantan also allowed us to establish new restoration sites at the villages of Permata and Permata Jaya in mid-2023.
To sustain the positive impact of our work, it is essential for the local community to be empowered with the necessary skills and motivation to maintain the benefits achieved through our program and, where possible, to enhance them. As our partnership with PM.Haze and EKA evolves, we will focus on building organizational capacity and supporting sustainable livelihoods.
In addition, to broaden the reach of our program and make peatland restoration more accessible to other communities, we are creating a comprehensive toolkit that documents our approaches, methods, and lessons learned.
Foraging seedlings from the indigenous peat swamp forest & replanting on burning peatlands
Monitoring to improve our approaches to peatland restoration and fire management
Rewetting of peatlands through the building and maintenance canal blocks
RE.Peat:
a Regional Expedition to Experience Peatlands
Building off our past expeditions to the Air Hitam forest reserve in 2016 and 2019 (PEEP), we decided to scale them up, and RE.Peat was born.
Recognizing the need for interregional collaboration to solve a transboundary crisis, RE.Peat 2024 was the first multi-country and multi-stakeholder expedition programme for youths in the ASEAN region, starting with Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore.
The 10-day program brought together 20 youths and served as a learning platform to explore the interconnections between climate change, haze pollution, and sustainable agriculture.
What RE.Peat participants gain:
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A better understanding of a complex issue through an intercultural lens
An intercultural exchange is facilitated to understand the
socio-political and economic factors that lead to haze across the region.
Hear from local communities on the progress and challenges faced to prevent fires and protect peat swamp forests.
Forge new friendships with participants from other countries and develop project proposals together
Exchange perspectives on how their different governments are tackling and can prevent haze through different policy measures.
2. Scientific and indigenous knowledge exposure
A practical expedition will allow participants to experience peatlands and learn about fire ecology, sustainable land management practices, and ecosystem services from a variety of experts, from local orang asli (indigenous) communities to businesses (palm oil plantation smallholders and corporations).
Learn and understand the importance of community-led solutions and nature-based solutions from local NGOs
Support peatland revegetation and restoration work through the planting of saplings.
Acquire technical knowledge on peatlands, land management, and carbon sequestration through expert-led workshops and presentations.
RE.Peat participants are:
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Youths aged 18-35
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Young leaders residing in Southeast Asia who want to make a difference in their communities
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Interested in solving complex environmental and social challenges
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Curious to learn more about forest management and restoration practices
Interested in joining future trips to experience Peatlands?