InfoSAWIT, JAKARTA – A latest research by Yayasan Konservasi Alam Nusantara (YKAN) revealed that peat restoration by rewetting delivered the positive to climate change mitigation significantly. The research that involved the collaboration among University of Tanjungpura, Institut Pertanian Bogor (IPB) University, Badan Nasional Riset dan Inovasi (BRIN), Ministry of Environment and Forestry and famous universities in many countries, was published in the journal of ‘Science of The Total Environment’.
Tropical peat in Indonesia where many was conversed to be palm oil plantation, would massively and potentially keep the carbon in the land, much bigger than it in tropical forests in mineral or mangrove areas. But the degradation and peat drying activity significantly contributed to green-house gas emission in the globe.
The research studied the effects from the peat rewetting in the degraded areas. The results showed the intervention reduced carbon dioxide emission without escalating methane emission. The method by developing canals in the rewetting activity in palm oil plantation, proved to slow down peat decomposition up to 34% to the peat with no rewetting.
“The study really proved that rewetting activity could be the effective solution in climate change mitigation,” Wahyu Catur Adinugroho from BRIN, said, as in the official statement to InfoSAWIT, Thursday (12/9/2024). Nevertheless, the contribution from peat restoration would not be fully described to nationally determined contribution of Indonesia because of the limited data available.
By this good result, Indonesia would potentially realize emission reduction significantly through natural climate solution in natural base, including the forest protection, sustainable forest cultivation/management, and peat ecosystem restoration. The researchers predicted this would potentially contribute up to 13% of the total natural climate solution mitigation.
“It needs to remember that even though peats where there was not activity, would deliver bigger climate advantages, peat restoration in the degraded areas, positively proved the positive,” Nisa Novita from YKAN, said. It is hoped this would encourage Indonesia to realize its ambitious emission reduction targets in national scale.
The research would be not only the practical success from the peat rewetting, but also mean to continue and expand peat restoration to protect the environment to be better and more sustainable in the future. (T2)
