The Importance of Indonesia’s Peatland Forests in Battling Climate Change

Written by: Stacy Sada

© Ulet Ifansasti

Forests are the Lungs of the World

The forest ecosystem is home to over half of the world’s terrestrial species and sustains life for humans in many ways. Aside from providing food/shelter for various species of plants and animals, forests play a crucial role in maintaining rainfall patterns and soil fertility. Moreover, they act as a form of carbon storage, absorbing over 7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) each year. Preserving their trees will prevent further severity of the climate change crisis. This article on the value of forests further explores the distinctive traits of tropical moist forests, focusing on peatlands in Indonesia and ways to nurture a sustainable environment. 

Climate Crisis Mitigation and Adaptation 

According to the book “Why Forests? Why Now?” by Frances Seymour and Jonah Busch, a global initiative focused on forests is a faster and more affordable method than most carbon-reducing energy solutions. Indeed, trees capture carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere through the natural process of photosynthesis and store carbon in living biomass, dead organic matter, and soils. The actions of afforestation (establishment of new forests) and reforestation (restoration of forest areas that have undergone deforestation/degradation) have proven to be effective strategies for mitigating the impacts of climate change. Recognizing the vitality of these carbon sinks is essential to understanding the urgency of controlling the drastic escalation of the world’s temperature and achieving international climate goals such as the Paris Agreement. The Paris Agreement involves 195 parties aiming to limit the global average temperature to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, and crossing the 1.5°C threshold risks unleashing more severe climate change impacts, including more frequent and intense droughts, heatwaves, and storms, which is why it is crucial now more than ever to reduce emissions. 

Causes and Effects of Forest Destruction

Conversely, deforestation and forest fires release harmful greenhouse gases into Earth’s atmosphere, causing around 10% of global warming. The Ministry of Environment and Forestry's data indicates that from January to October 2023, up to 994,313.18 hectares of land in Indonesia, which is 15 times the size of Jakarta, burned. The cause of the increase in these devastating fires is the climate pattern El Niño, which significantly changes the weather when warm waters push back and the Pacific Jet Stream shifts southward. The result of this phenomenon regarding Indonesian grounds is prolonged dry seasons. The data shows that the fire seasons in Indonesia seem to follow a four-year cycle, as the most severe forest fires occurred in 2015, 2019, and 2023. Hilman Afif, a campaigner at the environmental NGO Auriga Nusantara, fears that the country can expect another major fire episode four years from now, with that four-year cycle “potentially becoming shorter and more unpredictable due to climate change.” Likewise, other environmental specialists worry about the uncertainty of forecasting these events and the consequences they may bring in the future. In the 2019 fires alone, 708 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) were released, primarily due to the burning of peatlands.

The Significance of Peat Forests

With these facts in mind, swamp forests that remain permanently wet are known to store more carbon dioxide (CO2) than dryland forests with well-drained soil. Therefore, the destruction of swamp forests creates more severe damage, especially burning peatlands, the most influential contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the Indonesian pulp sector. Yoshi Amelia, a climate program officer at the environmental NGO Madani, stated, "Fires on peatland need to be immediately handled because they could create smog that’s hazardous to public health and could lead to economic loss.” Peatlands consist of plant remains living in waterlogged conditions formed by incomplete decomposition. Peat soils are defined to have a composition of more than 75% of organic matter. Within the last five years, the area of industrial plantation development on peatlands in Borneo, Sumatra, and the Malaysian Peninsula has grown by 37%. Its expansion more than doubled in Kalimantan alone. Currently, 5.2 million hectares (12.8 million acres) of tropical peatland in Indonesia and Malaysia are covered in plantations. As a result, the drained regions' annual CO2 emissions amount to 263 megatonnes (Mt), or the same amount as emissions from 70 coal plants. It is hazardous for the organic matter below to run tinder-dry as the peat layer inevitably becomes highly flammable. Thus, peatlands must remain flooded to limit the risk of fires. A study based on the most extensive data set of cultivated peatlands in Sumatra, Indonesia, concluded that regulating water tables in these plantations at a mean of 40 centimeters could reduce current mean subsidence rates by 25–30%, contributing to meeting national carbon reduction targets– a possible solution to raging peatland fires. 

REDD+ Projects, Rimba Raya

Preserving peatlands is essential for reducing carbon emissions, and initiatives like REDD+ are crucial in incentivizing and supporting these conservation efforts. “REDD” stands for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries. The “+” represents additional climate-protective forest-related actions, such as sustainable forest management and preserving and enhancing forest carbon stores. Under the framework of these REDD+ operations, developing countries that reduce deforestation are eligible to earn carbon credits for their emission reductions. The world’s largest REDD+ project, Rimba Raya Conservation, is based on 64,000 hectares of peat swamp forest in central Kalimantan, Borneo, Indonesia. The project promotes sustainable land-use practices and provides alternative livelihoods to reduce dependence on deforestation. Additionally, Rimba Raya employs sustainable forest management and the REDD+ mechanism to earn carbon credits, which companies can trade to further support environmental and social efforts. This holistic approach contributes to significant reductions in carbon emissions, fosters local economic development, and supports the conservation of endangered species like the Bornean Orangutan, demonstrating the power of collaborative efforts in achieving long-term sustainability and community goals. 

Monitoring Forest Growth

Tracking the progress of forests’ growth is one method that conservationists utilize to identify problems and plan management decisions. Forest quality can be analyzed using geospatial data through remote sensing/satellite imagery to ensure the quality of the forests. In my interview, Leo Wibowo Seta Nugraha, the Senior GIS Specialist at Rimba Raya Conservation, specifies that he gathers data monthly from the USGS Landsat 8&9. The Landsat 8&9 can record images up to 30 meters of any landscape size. According to NASA, Landsat is the only U.S. satellite system designed and operated to repeatedly observe the global land surface at a moderate scale that shows both natural and human-induced change. The data is updated every 16 days, keeping it highly relevant, and consists of 11 spectral bands, including thermal and infrared, which in essential to finding out the health condition of Rimba Raya’s forest and the density of its trees, also serving as a solution to the limitations of the use of mini quadcopter drones which covers a total area of only around 100 hectares. Forest monitoring enables better management of forest resources by providing detailed information on forest composition and structure, which can aid sustainable land-use planning and decision-making. By leveraging remote sensing technology, environmentalists can ensure that forests are enhancing their role in carbon sequestration.

Prioritizing Peatland Preservation

To conclude, peatland forests in Indonesia play an instrumental role in the battle against climate change. These unique ecosystems act as meaningful carbon sinks, taking millions of tons of CO2 out of the atmosphere annually while regulating local and global climate patterns. In addition, the devastating impacts of deforestation and forest fires emphasize the urgency to conserve them. Maintaining and rehabilitating peatland forests also protects biodiversity and the lives of those living in forest areas. REDD+ programs and initiatives like the Rimba Raya project indicate that sustainable land use practices and methods, such as forest monitoring, play a part in preserving these critical habitats. It is, therefore, essential to recognize that by prioritizing the conservation of peatland forests, we are taking a crucial step towards a better future.

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