A common‐sense approach to tropical peat swamp forest restoration in Southeast Asia

Abstract

Tropical peat swamp forests (TPSFs) are found mainly in Southeast Asia and especially Indonesia. A total of 61% were lost between 1990 and 2015 and 6% remained in a pristine condition by 2015. Tropical peat swamps store vast amounts of carbon in their peat, but peat degradation, through drainage and fire, leads to high greenhouse gas emissions. This is gaining much international attention and, with it, policy initiatives and funding for restoration from local to landscape scales are being promoted. Unfortunately, although there is a now strong desire and need for TPSF restoration, methods are lacking. Ecological understanding is still at an early stage, and, even more so, in its applied use. There is an imbalance between the activities of TPSF restoration and sound ecological application. Furthermore, while many activities are underway and knowledge is being gained, these techniques are yet to be published. This article has been written to provide a common‐sense, practical guide to tropical peatland forest restoration which summarizes what we know to date, while acknowledging the gaps in our understanding. Topics covered include species selection, land assessment, land selection, and appropriate nursery, transplanting, and monitoring methods. The authors make no apologies that in places this reads like a manual as, given the importance of tropical peatland recovery and the recent attention and funding opportunities available, it is essential we now provide techniques to restoration practitioners working on the ground, and a basic common‐sense approach must be the starting point.

Tropical forest and peatland conservation in Indonesia: Challenges and directions

“…In shallower peat areas, different actors are likely to have different preferences in relation to this, with conservationists (and potentially also outside funders) likely to favour revegetation towards more natural forest conditions and local communities (and governments?) likely to prefer selection of species that relatively rapidly provide economic benefits (Giesen, ; Graham et al, ; Giesen & Sari, ). Furthermore, planting of many alternative crop species used in peatland revitalization programmes is associated with only partial, rather than full, rewetting and may therefore be unsustainable in the long term (Giesen & Sari, ).…”

A comparison of satellite remote sensing data fusion methods to map peat swamp forest loss in Sumatra, Indonesia

“…The best method for a mapping project depends to a great extent on the land cover dynamics in the study area, but also on how the information will be used. Land cover maps can support a range of decision-making in a conservation context, such as helping identify suitable sites for peatland restoration (Graham et al 2017). In our study site, for example, the areas of fern are of particular interest for restoration work because they are not economically productive and need tree planting, alongside hydrological restoration, if they are to return to a peat swamp forest (Page et al 2009).…”

“…The economic impacts combined with fragmentation of habitat, release of a major carbon sink and threat of fire and smoke, has made peatland restoration a priority in the region (Graham et al. ). Restoration aims to reinstate the environmental and economic services that tropical peatlands provide (Page et al.…”

“…Fires affect drained peatland regularly in Indonesia, and during the very severe El Niño events in 1997 and 2015 very large areas of peat burned, causing hazardous levels of air pollution, posing a risk to human health (Chisholm et al 2016) and causing economic losses estimated at 16.1 billion USD in 2015 (World Bank, 2016). The economic impacts combined with fragmentation of habitat, release of a major carbon sink and threat of fire and smoke, has made peatland restoration a priority in the region (Graham et al 2017). Restoration aims to reinstate the environmental and economic services that tropical peatlands provide (Page et al 2009).…”

“…Restoration aims to reinstate the environmental and economic services that tropical peatlands provide (Page et al 2009). In Indonesia there is currently a focus on canal blocking in cultivated areas to re-wet drained peatland (Ritzema et al 2014) and selecting appropriate restoration sites to replant with natural vegetation (Graham et al 2017).…”