Aim

To mobilize public interest in monitoring and supporting government’s commitment in restoring peatland

Where

Riau, South Sumatera, Jambi, Central Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, West Kalimantan, Papua, and West Papua

Why

Healthy peatland is an enormous carbon storage, which makes it a hero to mitigate climate change. However, the massive conversion into other functions, such as plantations or infrastructure development, has degraded the peat ecosystem. As a consequence, the degraded peatlands will be vulnerable to heat and easily turn to fires. During the forest fires in 2015, 52 percent of the fires occurred atop the peatlands. The fires caused the loss of people’s source of livelihood, serious health problems, and financial loss to the country. The 2015 fires have triggered the government to protect and restore peatlands through the establishment of Peat Restoration Agency and the issuance of various government regulations. Despite various government’s commitment, society has not yet had easy access to a platform that can monitor the progress of restoration commitment pledged by the government and other restoration actors.

How

WRI Indonesia, along with other local NGOs, creates a coalition to monitor the progress and implementation of government’s commitment in peat restoration on the ground. The monitoring report and analysis are made available on the online platform (www.pantaugambut.id).

Results

In 2018, our reports of peatland fires in Jambi prompted local police to begin investigations into the perpetrators.

Partners

23 local NGOs. See the complete list here.