Threats is a feature on the Peatlands Map which displays data and information on various types of threats against peatlands. Information on Threats is displayed through map visualizations, geospatial data, and stories. It will cover many of the questions you might have about the biggest threats to peatlands.
The biggest threat to peatlands is land conversion. Land conversion involves destructive activities, namely logging, draining, and massive burning, which cause peatland degradation, resulting in carbon emissions being released into the air.
Logging on peatlands can be observed from tree cover loss data, which refers to the loss of tree canopy. Tree cover loss is used as an indication of land clearing.
Cleared peatlands are usually drained by making canals or waterways so that the land can be used for planting dryland trees such as oil palm or acacia.
© Pantau Gambut
Degraded peatlands must be restored. In Indonesia, peat restoration is mandated under Government Regulation Number 1 of 2016. Restoration activities begin with the process of rewetting peatlands, followed by replantation of native peat vegetation. Peatland restoration infrastructure includes canal blocking and drilled wells.
© Pantau Gambut
mediacenter.palangkaraya.go.id (2019) © Isen Mulang
Local communities are most affected by peat damage, which causes flooding as well as soil and air pollution.
But beyond that, we are all exposed to these threats even if we do not live near peatlands. Peat damage causes the loss of habitat of flora and fauna. Furthermore, the release of carbon into the atmosphere eventually contributes to the climate crisis.
The conversion of peatlands into monoculture plantations of dryland tree species, such as oil palm and acacia, results in the release of carbon emissions and reduced biomass.
Between 1985 and 2000, as much as 20 percent of peat forest trees were cut down for the conversion of industrial oil palm plantations. Each year, the average conversion rate is 1.3 percent of the total peatland areas, or 47,932 square kilometers. This area is equal to the size of 6,190 soccer fields.
Over the past 18 years, the draining of peatlands has resulted in an average of 632 Mt CO2 being released into the atmosphere every year. This amount is equivalent to burning 71,115 liters of gasoline.
© CIFOR - Fire and Haze, Kalimantan, Indonesia
Carbon release can cause biomass to decline in the long term. The world’s ecosystems are also changing due to an increase in Earth’s temperature.
Let's explore the impacts of peatland degradation on carbon emissions and the biomass!
© CIFOR - Fire and Haze, Kalimantan, Indonesia
People who are living around the peatlands are directly affected by forest and land fires during the dry season.
They are especially vulnerable to flood and haze. Air quality is also getting worse. Haze contains particulate matter (PM) 2.5 and PM 10, which increases the risk of acute respiratory infection. Perhaps the worst case of fires was the one that occurred in Jambi back in 2019. Fires turned the Jambi sky red for two whole hours, from 11.00 to 13.00 Western Indonesia Time.
© CIFOR - Fire and Haze, Kalimantan, Indonesia
Peat damage has a bigger impact on the local community and less on those responsible for causing the degradation. A flood caused by peat damage also attracted public attention in South Kalimantan in 2021.
pantaugambut.com (2021) © Agus R.
Various types of endemic flora or paludiculture plants grow on peatlands, including gelam (Melaleuca cajuputiI), ramin (Gonystylus sp.), meranti (Shorea sp.), and damar (Agathis dhammara). Unfortunately, the population of these endemic plants are in decline due to habitat loss.
If peatlands are damaged, these faunas face the threat of extinction. Habitat destruction can trigger the hunt for the remaining endemic fauna as they become increasingly exotic.
Explore peatland flora and fauna on the map.
© CIFOR - Indonesian Peatlands
Concession areas are areas that have been allocated by the government to individuals or corporations within a certain period.
Non-concession areas are those that are not licensed. These areas are designated to be managed by the local community or government.
Non-concession areas on peatlands are areas outside the concessions held by the government, namely the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK). The Peat and Mangrove Restoration Agency (BRGM) is involved and is also responsible for implementing restoration.
Observations conducted by the Pantau Gambut team are based on samples obtained using spatial analysis and remote sensing technology.
Selected samples are then verified on the ground for non-concession monitoring based on each point of the restoration implementation plan. This is issued by the Peatland Restoration Agency as well as visual interpretation in areas with significant hot spot clusters.
© Photos Bararawa Purun
Threats to peatlands include land drainage that causes peat to become significantly more vulnerable to fire. Land conversion also has a significant impact on peat conditions.
Eventually, this will lead to peatland degradation, such as subsidence (the sinking of peat surface). The community and local government have an important role to play in restoring the peat in non-concession areas. This is to reduce the damage caused by all these threats.
© CIFOR - Indonesian Peatlands
The Pantau Gambut network in Riau and Aceh has carried out monitoring in non-concession areas where these threats have been detected.
Explore the Map to discover all non-concession peatland areas where threats have been identified
© CIFOR - GCS Kalimantan Field Trip, 2014
Peat management and utilization activities are carried out by individuals, corporations, or business concession holders within the Timber Forest Product Utilization Permit areas (IUPHHK-Natural Forest, IUPHHK-Industrial Plantation Forest, IUPHHK-Ecosystem Restoration of oil palm plantations). These permits are issued by a central or local government authority.
An analysis by Pantau Gambut shows that 39 percent or about 5.2 million hectares of the total 13.43 million hectares of peatland areas in Indonesia are designated for corporations in the forestry or plantation sector.
The authority to supervise peatland restoration activities in concession areas lies in the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) and the Peat Restoration Agency (BRG).
KLHK focuses on overseeing the restoration of concessions located in forest areas. Meanwhile, BRG cooperates with the Ministry of Agriculture to supervise peat restoration in plantation areas, especially oil palm plantations.
The draining of peatlands makes them vulnerable to fire. Likewise, land conversion also has a significant impact on the peatlands. All these threats lead to the degradation of ground water table or subsidence.
The private sector plays a very important role for peat restoration in concession areas. Private corporations are also prohibited from clearing the land in the protected Peat Ecosystem Functions (FEG) for extractive activities.
The Pantau Gambut network team across seven provinces monitors all concession areas where violations have been indicated.
Explore the Map to discover which concession areas have been identified as having violations.
© CIFOR - Indonesian Peatlands
The Joko Widodo administration plans to establish food estate areas in several provinces. The plan is part of the National Strategic Project (PSN) in response to a warning by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) regarding the threat of a food crisis in Indonesia.
The first province where the food estate project was designated was Central Kalimantan, in the former Peatland Development (PLG) area. Under the food estate project, these areas will be converted into rice fields. The government is also planning food estates in West Kalimantan, South Sumatra, East Nusa Tenggara, and Merauke.
© CIFOR
The food estate is intended for large-scale production of commodities that are considered capable of supporting the national economy and maintaining food security. These food commodities include rice, cassava, and various horticultural crops. However, if you look at the data and consider actual related to the current condition of Indonesia’s food security, food estate does not answer the problem.
To find out more about the food estate program and its progress, visit the microsite Food Estate: What’s the Rush?.
© CIFOR
The exact detailed locations of the food estate are not yet known. However, in Central Kalimantan, it is revealed that the location for the new rice field conversion is on the former Peatland Project (PLG) area, where 64 percent of its total area, or about 883,000 hectares, is a Protected Peat Ecosystem Function (FEG).
Protected peat ecosystem functions should not be used for agricultural or plantation purposes since it risks making peat less ideal and prone to degradation due to peat domes. The use of land for agricultural activities should only be carried out in cultivated peat ecosystem functions. Even so, commodity management must be done in an eco-friendly manner, such as paludiculture and other practices that do not cause the peat to become further degraded.
© CIFOR
Running the food estate program continuously threatens to damage peat ecosystem areas, including areas that have been restored.
These threats include:
The no-go zone is an indicative map of conservation peat areas that must be protected and should not be used for food estate projects
Indicators of peat areas to avoid for food estate projects:
Threats
Overview
Potential