Tropical peatland conservation in Indonesia as a nature-based solution

Abstract

<p>The importance of the land sector in addressing the climate and nature crises has gained worldwide attention. Nature-based solutions were a key topic at the recent United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees. The conservation, restoration, and improved management of peatlands play a significant role in Indonesia's nature-based solutions.</p><p>The eddy covariance measurements of net ecosystem carbon dioxide and methane exchanges from a coastal peatland in Sumatra, Indonesia indicate that the GHG balance increased from 20.0 ± 4.5 tCO<sub>2</sub>e ha<sup>−1</sup> yr<sup>−1</sup> at the intact site (undrained and undisturbed forest cover) to 43.8 ± 1.5 tCO<sub>2</sub>e ha<sup>−1</sup> yr<sup>−1</sup> at the degraded site (drained with canal system and selectively logged). The significant carbon dioxide emissions from the intact site, during an extreme drought caused by a positive Indian Ocean Dipole phase combined with El Niño event, highlight the potential importance of climate regime in determining the GHG budget of tropical peatlands.</p><p>Although the measurements indicate that both intact and degraded peatlands in this study are warming the atmosphere, it remains clear that protection of the remaining intact tropical peatlands offers a viable way to avoid substantial GHG emissions from this globally important ecosystem, which for our study in Sumatra was 24 ± 5 tCO<sub>2</sub>e ha<sup>−1</sup> yr<sup>−1</sup>. These results highlight that protecting all remaining intact peat swamp forests in Indonesia (6.2 Mha) from degradation will avoid GHG emissions of around 0.15 GtCO<sub>2</sub>e yr<sup>-1</sup>, this equates to ~10% of Indonesia’s GHG emissions in 2016.</p><p>Additionally, tropical peatland conservation contributes directly to the UN Sustainable Development Goals by fostering unique biodiversity and ecosystem services.</p>