"Peatlands' conservation and restoration efforts are being exerted not only to achieve national climate targets but also to partake in mitigating climate change at the global level," BRIN's Head of Research Center for Environment and Clean Technology Sasa Sofyan Munawar noted in a press release sent by the Nusantara Nature Conservation Foundation (YKAN) in Samarinda, Monday.
With the area of peatlands totaling 13.4 million hectares, or equivalent to 80 percent of the total peatlands in the Southeast Asian region, Indonesia shares as much as 14 percent of the global peat carbon.
Munawar said, BRIN can recommend its research results to the government as references in the formulation process of policies related to the efforts to conserve peatlands in the homeland.
This is being said by considering the fact that Indonesia has a significant contribution in lowering greenhouse gas emissions and is home to a vast biodiversity, he remarked.
Munawar made the statements during a webinar with YKAN themed, "From Science to Policy: Tropical Peatlands as a Key Role in Mitigating Climate Change," which was held to commemorate International Day for Biodiversity 2023 on May 22.
The webinar was also held in the context of disseminating the results of the studies conducted by BRIN, YKAN, and partners regarding the potential of tropical peatlands in climate change mitigation efforts.
A researcher of BRIN's Research Center for Ecology and Etno Biology (PREE) Haruni Krisnawati confirmed that pealands are indeed a unique and rare ecosystem.
"Although they only cover about three to four percent of the planet's surface, peatlands contain a third, or 30-40 percent of the world's land carbon. In other words, peatlands contain twice the amount of carbon found in the world's forests," Krisnawati stated.
She affirmed that peatland conservation efforts are of the essence to achieve the global climate goals, regardless of the fact that 12 percent of peatlands had become dry and degraded, contributing to five percent of the human-caused global greenhouse gas emissions.
Related news: Damage to peatlands could erase local people's identity: Pantau Gambut
Related news: Liberica coffee, a black diamond to save peatlands
Related news: Realization of West Papua mangrove plantation target reaches 80%: BRGM
Translator: M. Ghofar, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Azis Kurmala
Copyright © ANTARA 2023
