Strengthening regional experiences on sustainable peatland management (ASEAN-REPEAT)

Tropical peatlands are valuable ecosystems for animal and plant species, and are one of the most efficient types of natural land-based carbon sinks. However, peatland loss is increasing as a result of non-sustainable management and drainage. This project is financing successful approaches to sustainable peatland management and scaling these up regionally. The project is evaluating approaches in pilot areas in Indonesia and Malaysia in terms of their effectiveness and financial viability, and building on these results to develop specific financing schemes, business models and fiscal policy recommendations. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is being utilised to scale up the insights gained to the regional level and international negotiations. EU co-financing totalling EUR 14.6 million is being used to support regional programme management by ASEAN and implementation in ASEAN member countries.

Project data

Countries: Indonesia, Malaysia
IKI funding: 4,000,000.00 €
Duration: 06/2018 till 01/2024
Status: open
Political Partner: Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN)
Implementing Partner: ASEAN Secretariat

Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) - Indonesia

Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (NRE) - Malaysia
Online: https://www.giz.de/en/worldwide/81673.html

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State of implementation/results

The project has completed baseline studies at the pilot site in Aceh for land use (change) and burn area mapping, and conducted the socio-economic assessment of the selected pilot villages. The results were discussed with the partners and the annual work plan was adjusted. In some peat swamp areas of the target region, there is a need to work more with the private sector as there is a high proportion of oil palm plantations on the peat swamp areas. A special focus will be placed on gender issues in the implementation of the work plan.

ASEAN REPEAT is supporting two new projects in Malaysia with the Forestry Departments of Sabah (SFD) and Sarawak (FDS). The activities in Sarawak focus on biodiversity and participatory conservation of peat swamp forests in the Simunjan Forest Reserve, which is home to many endemic species, such as iconic proboscis monkeys found only in Borneo. The reserve is largely surrounded by oil palm plantations and is under heavy deforestation pressure. The project aims to work with local village communities to develop viable alternative economic options for sustaining livelihoods in line with the protection of the reserve.
The project in Klias Peninsula, Beaufort, Sabah, focuses on establishing an integrated forest fire monitoring and prevention system and raising awareness of peatlands and fire among local communities. -Another project with the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) aims to identify the economic value of Pahang's peat swamp forest ecosystems through inventory and enhance it through sustainable management.

The project is implemented by the Department of Freshwater Wetlands Conservation with a focus on peatland mapping and management, forest fire and emissions control measures, and local capacity building.

Jointly implemented by IUCN and the Department of Water Resources of Lao PDR, the project focuses on peatland survey in specific wetlands, improving the livelihoods of local village communities, and capacity building for site management. After a peatland mapping by remote sensing and a terrestrial inventory, some peatlands with a depth of up to 5 metres were identified for the first time in Laos. In support of the above project activities, a biodiversity survey was conducted by ASEAN REPEAT in the central and southern peatland areas. Another nationwide peatland mapping is planned for 2022 as part of the EU Coperni-cus programme.

The International Peatland Initiative was represented at COP 26 in Glasgow with a peatland pavilion; the project participated virtually in events together with ASEAN Peatland Partners and the BMZ-funded ProPeat project. www.youtube.com/watch?v=huA8FQwuuJs.
On 9 December 2021, ASEAN REPEAT hosted a well-attended online-seminar on Combating forest and peatland fires in Indonesia and Malaysia: from risk assessment to field action. This online seminar discussed how firefighting activities are organised on the ground in Indonesia and Malaysia. Link: www.facebook.com/… For more up-to-date information on SUPA/ASEAN REPEAT, visit the project's social media presence on Facebook and Instagram.

Latest Update:
03/2023