Improving community fire management and peatland restoration in Indonesia

Smoke haze from the burning of peatlands has become a major issue in southeast Asia in recent decades, negatively affecting public health and the economy of several countries in the region.
The problem mainly stems from the burning of rural lands associated with the expansion of oil palm and timber plantations as well as smallholder agriculture. Peatland systems in their natural state do not burn because they are continuously wet with elevated water tables, but degraded peatlands, due to logging, clearing and draining, are susceptible to fires during the dry season.
Peatland restoration has not been attempted in tropical regions on a large scale. ACIAR-supported research has been assisting Indonesia to reduce peatland fires and restore the peatlands in an effective and equitable way, and by so doing, help to mitigate the smoke haze problem and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Learn more www.aciar.gov....
#Biodiversity #Peatlands #GreenhouseGases #FireManagement

[@KristinAbt-SecondaryScience]

So useful for my high school Environmental Systems and Societies students here in Indonesia. Thank you!