Peatlands, which make up more than half of all wetlands worldwide, store a surprising one-third of the world’s soil carbon. Coastal blue carbon ecosystems, such as mangroves, seagrasses and salt marshes, are also major carbon reservoirs and protect shorelines from erosion.
Conserving or restoring these ecosystems can be a clear emissions-saving strategy for peatlands- rich countries – so why have so few nations included peatlands in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement?
COP25 – the 2019 United Nations global climate conference held in Madrid – was the first ‘blue COP’, where the potential role of oceans and blue carbon in climate action was acknowledged. As countries work to submit revised NDCs in 2020, CIFOR shared lessons on peatland restoration at several events, strengthening the investment case for the sustainable management of wetlands.
Considered a leader in peatlands research, Indonesia has committed to restore 2.4 million ha of degraded peatlands. It is part of the Global Peatlands Initiative and is the founding country of the International Tropical Peatlands Center, which includes the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Congo (Peru has also been invited to join).
Podcast
Daniel Murdiyarso on the role of blue carbon and peatlands at the climate talks
The recognition of oceans in COP Decision 1/CP.25 will pave the way for blue carbon to enter climate debates.
Daniel Murdiyarso
CIFOR Principal Scientist/IPB University Professor, Department of Geophysics and Meteorology
Related links
Forests News
- Putting people at the heart of peatland conservation efforts in Borneo
- Innovative peatland restoration efforts key to mitigating climate change
Video
Publications
- Is Indonesian peatland loss a cautionary tale for Peru? A two-country comparison of the magnitude and causes of tropical peatland degradation
- Effect of land-use and land-cover change on mangrove blue carbon: A systematic review
Photo
Website
Project info
Project
Sustainable Wetlands Adaptation and Mitigation Program (SWAMP)
Country
Global
Funding partners
United States Agency for International Development (USAID), FTA
Project partners
United States Forest Service
CIFOR focal point
Daniel Murdiyarso, Principal Scientist