For transparency purposes, the following are the methodology for selecting and examining pledges featured in the Pledge Monitor.

Pledge selection

The pledge and public figure selection process begins with a preliminary analysis of the latest developments in peat restoration. This includes analyzing various official policy documents issued by the government, followed by a series of focused discussions among the Pantau Gambut team members.  

There are several criteria for peatland restoration pledges featured on Pantau Gambut: 

  • Pledger
    Pledges must be stated by national or regional government officials, as well as business or organization leaders.
  • Pledge type
    Pledges can take the form of policies (contained in official institutional documents), public statements, transcripts, manuscripts, or circulars.
  • Official source of information
    Pledges must refer to official sources of information that can be verified and accessed by the public.
  • Pledge format
    Pledges must be expressed in the form of a complete sentence containing at least a subject, verb, object, and based on concrete actions.

Pledge progress monitoring

Monitoring the progress of pledges is carried out by the Pantau Gambut team by:

  • Following updates in various credible, tier one media resources.  Tier one media criteria include:

    • The journalist includes various citations that are balanced (covering more than one source) in their writings

    • The media circulation is at the national level

    • The news coverage must appear in more than one news media

  • Processing information related to peatland restoration obtained from local networks, a group of civil society organizations at the regional level as Pantau Gambut-appointed representatives. 

  • Triangulating information (rechecking) from various external parties, including businesspeople, regional government agencies, and media publications.

  • Monitoring social media channels and the Insights feature on the Pantau Gambut platform. Stories is a tool for users to monitor and provide feedback regarding restoration pledge compliance. Users can also comment on the challenges faced, as well as recommendations for peat restoration efforts.
     

Pledge Progress Assessments and Developing Recommendations for Solutions

Pledge progress assessment involves analyzing issues related to peatland ecosystem protection and management. Making recommendations for pledge solutions is carried out by the Pantau Gambut team in several steps, including:

  • Identifying developments on a given issue
  • Identifying challenges faced by the government, environmental organizations, and other parties involved in peat restoration efforts.
  • Assessing the initial results based on the identification process, and incorporating them in a brief analysis by utilizing other data sources, including:
    • Official sources in the form of audio-visual or written documentation from government or institution websites and various tier one media publications as reference materials. 
    • The latest monitoring technology (e.g, satellite imagery, public or government platforms, etc.)
    • Two-way communication mechanism, which involves analyzing various findings at the site level or policy level (through verified sources)
    • Field verification work on all initial findings, which includes following up on community reports or other strategic and verified information.