Peatland restoration requires suitable measures to restore the health of this type of ecosystem. These include mapping, determining the restoration approach, who will be responsible, implementation, and specific approaches to improve peatland functions for local communities.
Peat mapping is necessary to determine the total area of peatlands in Indonesia and the priority restoration target areas. Identifying the type, depth, and severity of degraded peatland is a crucial first step in peat restoration. Mapping, combined with field verification, is important to determine the most appropriate restoration efforts for each type of peatland.
Determining the types of restoration, restorers, and implementation timeline Based on the severity and type of peat, some peat must to go through the wetting cycle first, while some can be directly replanted (revegetated). In addition, it is also necessary to identify the parties responsible for restoration and formulate the appropriate implementation timeline.
Rewetting is needed to restore the soil moisture to its near natural condition. At this stage, water can be sourced from canal blocking, backfilling, boreholes and/or water retention techniques used for rivers or canals.
If necessary, peatlands can be replanted with some types of native peat ecosystems such as jelutung, ramin, island swamp, gaharu, and meranti. Revegetation will maintain the moisture of the peatlands and the sustainability of the peat ecosystem.
Peatland restoration doesn’t just stop at ecological restoration and revegetation, empowering the local economy (revitalization) is just as important. Restorers must work with local communities to protect peatlands while improving their welfare through environmentally friendly peatland management. This includes honey bee farming, introducing farming techniques and farming without burning, and the promotion of conservation-based nature tourism (ecotourism). This is important to ensure the community can still earn a living while supporting peat restoration efforts.
