Post on 03-Feb-2022
Mineral SoilRiver RiverOrganic matter
Peat: organic matter accumulated over thousands of years
storing carbon in thick layers
Peatlands are wetlands where waterlogging delays decay, and
dead plant materials form an organic soil: peat soil
What are peatlands?
A peat bog is rain
water fed
Peat swamp forest
Peatlands represent a key part of global biodiversity
Different climatic and biogeographic conditions have
resulted in many peatland types including the tropical
peat swamp forests of South-east Asia
Ecosystem servicesTropical lowland peat swamp forest
• High biodiversity
• Water regulation & provision
• Carbon storage
• Drought mitigation
• Prevention saline intrusion
• Income diversification Fish
Wood / timber
Rattan
Tourism
Peatlands in the water cycle
• Peatlands perform key role in watersheds of many rivers
– Important role in water storage and supply
– Crucial for mitigation of droughts and floods
• Globally 10% of all freshwater is in peat
Peatlands are threatened carbon stores
• Globally peatlands store 550 Giga ton (Gt) C
• Equivalent to 30% of terrestrial carbon
–75% of all carbon in the atmosphere
– twice the carbon stored in all forests of the world
• 15% (or 50 million ha) is threatened and degrading
• releasing 2 Gt CO2 per annum (25% increase since 1990)
• 6% of global emissions
Peatlands store large amounts of carbon Peatland degradation leads to CO2 emissions
which contribute to global warming
All in the balance
Water
PlantsPeat
Peatland
Intense relationship “plants”, “water”, and “peat”
This makes peatlands vulnerable & difficult to manage
Peat swamp deforestation
Peatland deforestation:
In SE Asia:
• 1.5% per year or double the rate for non-peatlands
• Currently > 50% deforested and < 5% protected
In Sarawak:
• Deforestation of all forest types: 2% per year
• Peat swamp deforestation: 8% per year
• In 2005 – 2009: 287,362 ha or 27% were deforested
Relative total vs PSF area decline Insular SE Asia
90.00
91.00
92.00
93.00
94.00
95.00
96.00
97.00
98.00
99.00
100.00
1999
12
2000
12
2001
12
2002
12
2003
12
2004
12
2005
12
Year
Are
a r
em
ain
ing
sin
ce
19
99
Total forest decline
Peat forest decline
Preliminary results
presented at UNFCCC CoP
Nairobi, 07-11-2006
(%)
Logging and fire susceptibility
• Well managed forests are much less
susceptible to fire
• Logging and drainage dramatically
increase fire risk
• Earlier burned areas have very high
fire risk
Drainage SE Asian peat swamp areas
A total of about 13 million ha of SE Asian
peat swamps have been drained for
agriculture and agro-forestry, including
over 2 million hectares for oil palm.
Impact of drainage of tropical peatlands
• Drainage of 60- 80 cm = emission of 50-70 tCO2/ha/yr
• When drained, peatlands become increasingly
vulnerable to fires
Relation between CO2 emission and watertable depth
0
20
40
60
80
100
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1
average watertable depth (m)
CO
2 e
mis
sio
n (t
/ h
a /
yr)
Tropics
Temperate
Boreal
Source: Alterra
Source: Wösten, Alterra
Drainage leads to subsidence
CO2 CO2
CO2
CO2 CO2
Emissions and peat loss
will continue until no
further drainage is
possible or when the
peat is finished
Peat dome
Clay / sand
CO2
Impacts of upstream
peatland drainage
for oil palm:
• Diversion of half of
the catchment area
• 50% reduction of
river flow
• Increased saltwater
intrusion
• Decrease of
freshwater
availability to
agriculture
downstream
• Enhanced
acidification of Acid
Sulphate soils
The Air Hitam Laut exampleExample landscape impact
Sungai Air Hitam laut, Jambi
Upstream oil palm
developments
Air Hitam Laut river, Jambi, Sumatra
CO2 emissions from SE Asian peat fires
• In Borneo, between 1997 and 2006 there were over 60,000 fires
in peat swamp areas in 3 out of 10 years (1997, 1998, 2002)
• Most affected were deforested and drained peatlands
Tentative estimate of CO2 emissions from fires in Indonesia
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
C e
mis
sio
n f
rom
pe
at
fire
s
(CO
2, M
t/y
)
Minimum estimate
(1.42 Gt/y average)
Maximum estimate
(4.32 Gt/y average)
Hotspots of CO2 emissions from drained peat
Annual global peatland emissions 2 Giga ton CO2
Russia
160 MtEU
174 Mt
115 Mt
Central Asia
USA
72 Mt
1000 Mt
SE Asia
Disproportionate impact
Peatlands
in SE Asia< 0,1 % of global land area
1 GT CO2 emitted annually
3 % of total global
emissions
A concentrated problem…
Impacts on people
Biodiversity
loss
Poverty Climate
Change
Land / Water
Degradation
Tropical peatlands are most rapidly degrading
Major socio-economic consequences
• Floods
• Droughts
• Loss of natural resource assets
• Economics
• Public health
Economics of 1997/98 peat fires
• 1,5 – 2,2 million ha peat swamp
forest burned
• 1108 flights cancelled in
Indonesia, Singapore & Malaysia
• Economic damage by smoke:
> 1.4 billion US$
• Economic losses (tourism &
timber) > 7 billion US$
Socio-economic impact of peatland fires on people
• Hundred thousands of
hospitalisations and outpatient
treatments
• Millions of working & school days
lost
• Natural resource base, business and
property loss (US$ 8.4 billion)
• Enhanced poverty:
more over-exploitation
• Social & ethnic
tensions
• Vicious cycle of
environmental
degradation & over-
exploitation
Social impacts
• 30% of children under 5 have
respiratory illnesses and
stunted growth
• High poverty rates
Smog and smoke
over SE-Asia
22 Oktober 1997
International tensions
© NASA TOMS
Malaysia in September 2005
Sustainability issue
Palm oil production on peat:
– Emissions from drainage 50-70 t CO2/ha
– Use as biofuel (3 - 6 tonnes CPO per ha/year) compensates 9 - 18 t CO2
from fossil fuels
– Palm oil from peat as a biofuel thus results in 3-8 times more CO2 emissionsthan use of fossil fuels
EU RED: No biofuels from wetlands and peat
Crop Emission tCO2/TJ Fuel Emission tCO2/TJ
Palm oil 600 Fuel oil 73.3
Alternative development
• Consider other development options
• Potential of carbon marketing
• Palm oil plantations as buffer zones for HCVF
• Tourism