Greater urgency for peatland protection in South-east Asia

THE muddy, swampy peatlands of South-east Asia may not seem like much, but these wetlands are in fact a crucial element of the fight against climate change. New research has added urgency to the need to protect these ecosystems from degradation.

Peatlands are a type of wetland that form over thousands of years, as decomposing plant matter turns into an organic, carbon-rich substance known as peat. While peatlands cover just 3 per cent of the earth’s surface, they store about a third of the world’s carbon, double that in all the forests worldwide. More than half the world’s peatlands are in South-east Asia, particularly in Indonesia.

The value of peatland has unfortunately been underappreciated, with 25 million hectares of these ecosystems destroyed in South-east Asia over the past 30 years, according to a 2022 report by the World Resources Institute (WRI). They are typically drained to make way for palm oil plantations and other agricultural activities.