One of the challenges related to efforts in preventing forest and land fires in Indonesia is the difficulty of increasing public awareness on the dangers of using fire on peatlands. Land burning is still practiced by the community and companies to clear land since it is considered the easiest, cheapest, and fastest way.
In addition, implementing commitments and policies for peat restoration remains a challenge, specifically in terms of coordination among stakeholders to ensure that the peat restoration program can run in a sustainable manner. Overlapping peatland ownership and permit status is often a barrier in implementing peatland restoration programs.
Peat restoration programs also require substantial funding and long-term commitment. Restoration of degraded peat to its near-natural condition takes a long time. Furthermore, in Indonesia, there is no detailed peat map that can assist in the preparation of an effective peat restoration plan.
Beyond planning, implementing the commitment for peat restoration also requires community participation in contributing their local knowledge of sustainable traditional peat management, and in monitoring the continuity of peat restoration programs on the ground.
