By

Marcel Silvius

About WI’s peat land programme

Mineral Soil

River River

< 1m> 3m

Peat swamp forest

Organic matter

Most of the tropical peat swamp forests are located in the lowlands of SE Asia

• Peat: organic matter accumulated over thousands of years• Lowland tropical forest peat bogs are dome-shaped • Peat is accumulated above ground water levels

A peat bog is rain water fed

Berbak National Park, Jambi.Berbak National Park, Jambi.Indonesia‘s first Ramsar site Indonesia‘s first Ramsar site

Peatlands around the world

• World wide 400 million haWorld wide 400 million ha• 3% of global land area, 40% of all wetlands3% of global land area, 40% of all wetlands• Present in all climate zones, in 126 countriesPresent in all climate zones, in 126 countries• Indonesia has almost 6 % of global peatlandsIndonesia has almost 6 % of global peatlands

Countries with most peat

Peat accumulates for thousands of years storing concentrated Carbon in thick layers

Peat from 2 meters depth

Most peatlands in lowlands of Indonesia are around 5000 to 12000 years old. Some can reach over 20m depth

Peatland values• Key roles:

– carbon stores– water retention areas– biodiversity

conservation

Associated with – higher human

poverty

Direct sustainable use:– tourism, recreation– sustainable forestry,

non-timber forest products

– grazing– fisheries

Place in the water cycle

• Globally 10% of all fresh water is in peat

• Peatlands are the source areas of many rivers

Water management functions

• Important role in water storage and supply• Crucial for mitigation of droughts and floods

Peat swamp forests are high biodiversity areas

Peatlands and carbon

• Globally peatlands store 550 Giga ton (Gt) Carbon• Equivalent to 30% of terrestrial carbon

– 75% of all carbon in the atmosphere

– twice the carbon stored in forests

All over the world the peat based Carbon stores are threatened

Peatlands store large amounts of carbon Peatland degradation leads to CO2 emissions which contribute to global warming

Some past & present WI peatland projects• Central European Peatlands Project (CEPP)

• Partners for Water & Ecosystems Air Hitam laut project

• UNEP-GEF Peatlands, Biodiversity and Climate Change project

• Rusian Peatlands Programme

• Global Peatland Initiative (GPI)

• WPRP Berbak and Sembilang National Parks

• Malaysia Peatland Quick Scan

• Malaysia Air Hitam project (Ashden Trust)

• Central Kalimantan Peatlands Project (CKPP)

• Global Peatland Fund development

• Peat and palm oil lobby

Global Peatland Initiative

GPI funding distribution

Global25%

SE Asia20%CE Europe

14%

S America14%

Russia16%

N Asia6%

Africa5%

•Support to 26 project world wide, incl:

• Peat mapping + global data base

• Support to CC-GAP + policy lobby at CBD + UNFCCC

• Ramsar guidelines

• Paramos, Andean mountains

• Peatlands & climate change, China (UNEP-GEF co-financing)

• SE Asian Peatland Action Plan

• IMPESA

• Poland peat restoration & carbon sequestration + grazing

• Restoration Yelnia, Belarus

• Russian peatlands programme

• Lapshina peatlands management, Russia

• Thailand Phru Khuan Kreng

Euro 2.3 million

CEPP

The CEPP involved 8 countries in the Baltic-Black Sea corridor

Results:

• Strategy and Action Plan for Peatlands in Central Europe

• Overview of peatlands in Central Europe

• Identification of peatlands of high value for biodiversity

• Increased awareness on values and functions of peatlands

• Follow-up projects by local networks

Peatland distribution in Central Europe

International priorities

• No further drainage of undrained mires• Establish system of well-managed peatland conservation areas• Concentrate peat extraction on degraded sites that have poor

prospects for restoration• Reduce emissions of CO2 by optimising water management• Restore peat accumulating conditions in abandoned peatlands

Tropical peatland issues

• Deforestation• Drainage• Fires

Peat swamp forest deforestation

Peatland deforestation:

• since 2000: 1.5% per yr which is double the rate for non-peatlands

• currently 45% deforested

Peat forest conservation

• < 5% of total peatland area

Relative total vs PSF area decline Insular SE Asia

90.00

91.00

92.00

93.00

94.00

95.00

96.00

97.00

98.00

99.00

100.00

Year

Are

a re

mai

ning

sin

ce 1

999

Total forest decline

Peat forest decline

Preliminary results presented at UNFCCC CoP

Nairobi, 07-11-2006

(%)

Logging and drainage

• For logging (legal and illegal) of peat swamp forests often channels are dug to transport equipment and logs

• This results in drainage of the peat soil, causing increased emissions of CO2

Impact of drainage of tropical peatlands

• Drainage to 1 meter = emission of 90 ton CO2/ha/yr

• When drained, peatlands become increasingly vulnerable to fires

Relation between CO2 emission and watertable depth

0

20

40

60

80

100

0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1average watertable depth (m)

CO

2 em

issi

on

(t /

ha

/ yr

) Tropics

Temperate

Boreal

Source: Alterra

Source: Wösten, Alterra

Drainage SE Asian peat swamp areas

A total of about 13 million ha of SE Asian peat swamps have been drained

for agriculture and agro-forestry.

Peat drainage increases the risk of fires

• Between 1997 and 2006 there were over 60,000 fires in peat swamps in Borneo in 3 out of 10 years (1997, 1998, 2002)

• Most affected were deforested and drained peatlands

Tentative estimate of CO2 emissions from fires in Indonesia

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

C e

mis

sio

n f

rom

pe

at

fire

s

(CO

2, M

t/y

)

Minimum estimate(1.42 Gt/y average)

Maximum estimate(4.32 Gt/y average)

Adapted from data provided by Siegert and Page

Some facts and figures

Peatlands globally:

3% of land area

3000 million tonnes emitted annually

Equivalent to 11.5 % of global fossil fuel

emissions

Peatlands in SE Asia:

< 0,1 % of land area

2000 million tonnes emitted annually

Equivalent to 8 % of global fossil fuel

emissions

A concentrated problem…

What has done?

Forge partnerships

Piloting hydrological restoration

Community-based techniques based on traditional knowledge

Dams help restore eco-hydrology of peat swamps

Fire prevention & control

Community-based fire brigades

Fire control

• Establishing fire brigades

• Establish permanent deep wells in high risk zones wells

• Establish early warning system

Socio-economic development

Socio-economic development• Organise or support exising farmer

groups • Introduction zero burning agriculture • Training in sustainable agriculture

and agro-forestry on peat• Improve quality and marketing of

products• Enhance health facilities• Handicrafts development• Development of village development

plans

Re-greening of degraded peatlands

Community based

Reforestation of degraded peatlands in protected areas with >40 indigenous species

Establish village based tree nurseries nursery buildings established

Development of non-drained plantations with commercial species near villages

Regreening results

Conservation of remaining peat swamp forests

Biodiversity conservation actions• Development of infrastructure and equipment of national

parks (boats, offices, research centre, guard posts)• Participatory boundary mapping with surrounding villages • Support to security patrols, jointly with communities• Anti illegal logging operations • Aerial monitoring & patrols by ULA • Biodiversity studies

Policy reform

• Support to Green Government Policy development

• Support to peatland spatial master planning

• Creating awareness on peat emissions (UNFCCC, CBD)

• Promotion of precautionary & ecosystem approach

• Promotion of moratorium on peat swamp forest conversion in context of RSPO (sustainable palm oil)

Television, Press, Radio) IKON TV, 12-15 April 2007; Reuters, 2 May 2007; Nature Alert 2 May 2007; Daily Telegraph 10 Aug 2007. NHK Japan 18-21 Nov 2007; Aljazeera International TV 22-23 Nov 2007; SCTV (National Television), 27-29 Nov 2007; Kompas (National Newspaper), 18-20 Nov 2007; Borneo TV (local television), 18-20 Nov 2007; Dayak Post (local newspaper), 18-20 Nov 2007; RRI (Government radio), 18-20 Nov 2007; Radio Senara (local private radio), 8-20 Nov 2007; La Presse (Canada), 16-18 Dec 2007

OPPORTUNITIES

Potential• Monetise international

values of peatlands – Carbon credits – Biodiversity offsets

• Alternative finance mechanisms– Global Peatland Fund– Bio-rights– Local revolving funds

Options for private sector involvement• Global Peatland Fund

– VERs from peat degradation– Involvement banking, insurance & biofuel

sectors

• Cooperation:– Corperate social responsibility– Joint management of buffer zones for

high conservation value forest areas– Use of plantations in buffer-zone areas

• Consider possibilities of:– Carbon offsets– Biodiversity offsets– Joint hydrological management– Joint fire control– Joint patrol against poaching and illegal

logging

Involvement of local communities• Incentive mechanisms needed to compensate for opportunity costs of local stakeholders

– Access to micro-credits in exchange for community services (Bio-rights approach) including:

• Peatland restoration: Regreening, building and maintaining dams

• Fire prevention and control• Guarding conservation zones and sustainable

development of adaptive management zones

Getting to the bottom of the

issue

Conditions for up-scaling• Adequate planning and policy framework

– Spatial planning laws– Implementation & enforcement of plans– Good governance

• Address local tenure and resource use rights issues:– E.g. Recognition local customary rights– Enable community based conservation & carbon concessions

• Address weak policies– Remove perverse and conflicting policies

Prepare of opportunities: REDD• REDD needs guarantees,

assurances, permanence: – Solid backing by policy and

legislation

– Long-term carbon concessions

– Land purchase

– Insurances (against e.g. fire)

– Community involvement and ownership is essential part of guaranteeing sustainability of results

• Need for contracts that:– Span multiple governance periods

– Require commitments of several generations

• Need for environmental security– Stop fires– Improve water management

Improve science basis technically sound approaches

• Proper science base– Resource inventory; Socio-

economic valuation– Baseline development – Assessment and monitoring of

emissions– Accredited methodologies – Capacity in local science

agencies

• Need for common standards and criteria, especially related to:– Special eco-hydrological

qualities of peatlands

– Complex socio-economic conditions

Peatland restoration and conservation is the lowest hanging fruit on the REDD tree

– Climate change mitigation

– Biodiversity conservation

– Poverty reduction

– Reduced land & water degradation

Added value

A WIN4all

Cost effectiveness

Willingness to pay

1. Europe: permit price: $15/t (EUA 2008)2. Kyoto Protocol energy: $12/t (CER)3. Kyoto Protocol forestry (BioCarbon Fund): $ 5/t (tCER; 10 years’ )4. Voluntary markets: $ 5/t

Cost benefit of investment for reducing carbon emissions

Germany: € 5000 million for 50 Mt/y

World Bank in China: € 1500 million for 19 Mt/y UK: € 3000 million for

88 Mt/yIndonesian CKPP: € 10 million for 5 Mt/y

RISKS• Pilots are needed, but will fail if they lack political

and social embedding, and integration with current experience and expertise

• Absorption capacity is limited; donor attention should spread to multiple priority areas in Kalimantan, Sumatra, Sulawesi and Papua

Build on existing experience