EU project to protect tropical peatlands
Improving our understanding of tropical peatlands and how their destruction could contribute to climate change is a central goal of the EU funded project CARBOPEAT (Carbon-Climate-Human Interactions in Tropical Peatlands: Vulnerabilities, Risks and Mitigation Measures). The project partners, who come from Europe as well as Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam, will also work to disseminate the latest knowledge on these valuable ecosystems to those who are responsible for managing them. 'The CARBOPEAT project will identify key issues and critical gaps in our understanding of tropical peatland carbon dynamics, analyse implications for policy, and formulate guidelines for optimising the tropical peat carbon store that can be understood readily by policy-makers and decision-takers in both European and Southeast Asian countries,' said Dr Susan Page of the University of Leicester, coordinator of the project. CARBOPEAT has received €458,000 in funding from the EU. Tropical peatlands are found mainly in Southeast Asia, and store up to 70 billion tonnes of carbon, equivalent to 3% of total global soil carbon. They also play an important role in water storage and flood prevention, and contain a startling array of biodiversity, including the endangered orang-utan. These tropical peat swamp forests also contain valuable timber-producing trees, along with other products which are of use to local communities, such as bark, resins and latex. However, this important ecosystem is being destroyed by deforestation and fire; when the trees are removed the surface peat oxidises and the stored carbon is released into the atmosphere, contributing to climate change. 'Peat swamp forests in Southeast Asia are one of the last wildernesses on this planet with a large reservoir of biodiversity and carbon, both of which are being destroyed needlessly without producing socio-economic benefits,' said Professor Jack Reiley of the University of Nottingham, one of the project partners. As well as identifying gaps in our understanding of tropical peatlands, the partners will set up an international network of experts in the field, and investigate the potential for carbon offset and trading mechanisms with respect to tropical peatlands. The project partners will also organise high profile events to raise awareness of the issue among policy-makers and land managers. The first project congress will be held in Indonesia in August this year, and there are indications that the Vice-President of Indonesia may attend. 'This demonstrates the high level of commitment that the government of Indonesia is paying to the environmental value of its natural resources, including peatlands,' said Professor Bostang Radjagukguk of Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. In 2008 a similar event will be held in Malaysia. 'Information disseminated through CARBOPEAT will not only provide valuable guidelines but also reinforce some of the initiatives undertaken by Southeast Asian countries like Malaysia and Indonesia in the rehabilitation and restoration of degraded peatlands,' said Professor Wan Sulaiman of Malaysia Sarawak University. 'One exciting dimension is the commitment to increase stakeholder awareness on how wise use and restoration efforts contribute to increased carbon sequestration that in turn will have a positive effect on global climate.' 'Tropical peatlands are a globally significant source of carbon emissions to the atmosphere,' said Dr Page. 'Hopefully, through this project, we can promote urgent international action to enable Southeast Asian countries to conserve their peat resources better.'
Countries
Indonesia, Malaysia, Viet Nam