To tackle persistent environmental challenges like fire, transboundary haze and global greenhouse gas emissions, Southeast Asia must focus on its peatlands. The second iteration of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Peatland Management Strategy (APMS) for 2023-2030 represents a significant step forward in addressing these issues.
Peatlands – a distinctive and unique wetland composed of partially decomposed plant material – are unsung heroes in the fight against climate change. They store substantial amounts of carbon and provide key environmental, social and economic benefits, such as boosting water quality and supply, providing natural resources that are important for local livelihoods, offering valuable habitat for a wide range of biodiversity, controlling floods and erosion control, and serving as culturally important spaces for recreation, eco-tourism and religious practices.
Southeast Asia contains approximately 25 to 30 million hectares of peatlands, accounting for about six percent of the planet’s total and 40 percent of all tropical peatlands. These ecosystems are crucial for the livelihoods of Indigenous peoples and local communities, supplying resources like timber and non-timber forest products, including fish, rattan, honey, and latex. They are also biodiversity hotspots, hosting over 1,000 higher plant species (including 45 endemics), 123 mammals, 268 birds, 75 reptiles and 219 fish species while also providing ecosystem services such as carbon storage (approximately 68.5 billion tonnes), flood control and food supply. However, this capacity for carbon sequestration also makes peatlands a significant source of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases when degraded or destroyed. When peatlands are drained for agriculture and other land use or otherwise managed unsustainably, peatlands dry up and become highly flammable.
These fires are particularly challenging to extinguish because they occur underground and emit a very thick, smoky haze. According to Faisal Parish, Director of the Global Environment Centre, “peatland fires release about 100 times more particulate matter per hectare than typical dryland fires or agricultural burning.” Speaking at the regional launch of the APMS on 15 November 2023 in Bangkok, Thailand, Parish highlighted that fires in peat soils had been estimated to be the culprit of 90 percent of transboundary haze pollution in the Southeast Asia region. This pollution regularly causes serious health issues and economic disruptions, as well as contributes to climate change.
The first APMS: actions and reflection
In response to growing concerns over peatland fires, ASEAN environment ministers met in 2002 to discuss strategies to better prevent and control fires. This led to the ASEAN Peatland Management Initiative (APMI) launch in 2003, followed by the development of the first APMS for 2006-2020, aimed at guiding regional peatland management efforts.
The APMS sought to achieve its goals through collective action and strengthened cooperation to support and sustain local livelihoods, reduce fire risks and associated haze and contribute to global environmental management. Its objectives were fourfold: enhancing awareness and knowledge of peatlands, addressing transboundary haze pollution and ecological degradation, promoting sustainable management of peatlands and fostering regional cooperation on peatland issues.
A final review of the 2006-2020 APMS, conducted in 2020-21, found that the strategy had successfully encouraged the creation of National Action Plans on Peatlands and related national implementation activities, especially in all ASEAN Member States (AMS) with significant areas of peatlands. Notable progress was made in information sharing, awareness and capacity building, and regional cooperation, with nearly 70 percent of planned actions achieved. However, the review also highlighted gaps, particularly in securing adequate financing and integrating climate change mitigation measures.
Honing management amidst multiple crises
As the swing to the El Niño weather pattern contributed to a severe bout of haze pollution in 2023 – including transboundary haze – in many AMS, leaders set about updating the APMS with increased urgency. In August 2023, at the 18th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution (COP18) in Lao PDR, a new APMS (2023-2030) was adopted.
The second iteration of the strategy is differentiated from the former in several ways. It’s considerably shorter – seven years instead of 14 – reflecting the urgency of improved management in the era of climate change, biodiversity, water scarcity, food insecurity and the need for careful monitoring and revision.
It also takes an Integrated Peatland Management (IPM) approach, which seeks to holistically address peatland protection, restoration and management while considering social and economic factors like cultural significance, food security and local livelihoods. Key features of an IPM approach include peatland hydrological unit inventory and mapping, rewetting and revegetation of peatlands, sustainable peatland use, conservation and protection and addressing climate change.
The new APMS also differentiates peatland management in Southeast Asia’s northern and southern parts. While southern countries have made significant strides in peatland mapping, research, rehabilitation and fire control, northern regions still require increased support in research, inventory and capacity-building efforts.
Ongoing implementation of the APMS requires careful monitoring and evaluation to ensure progress is tracked and objectives are met. This includes activities identified during recent forums, such as the ASEAN Forum on Peatland Biodiversity, held in September 2024, which brought together experts, researchers, and policymakers from AMS and Timor-Leste. The forum discussed critical issues surrounding the conservation and sustainable management of peatlands, focusing on biodiversity, climate change, and the vulnerability of peatland biodiversity in countries like Indonesia and Malaysia, as well as commitments under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework 2030. Additionally, the upcoming carbon peatland initiatives are expected to contribute to both biodiversity conservation and the global climate change agenda, helping align national and regional actions with global concerns and conversations. Such activities underscore the importance of continuous collaboration and capacity-building efforts across the region.
AMS, international partners, and stakeholders are urged to collaborate in implementing the APMS 2023-2030 to protect peatlands, enhance climate ambition and build stronger and more resilient communities for a sustainable and prosperous future.
Echoing this call, H.E. Ekkaphab Phanthavong, Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community, underscored the critical role sustainable peatland management will play in shaping ASEAN’s Post-2025 vision. As the region aligns with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, he emphasized the importance of nature-based solutions and ecosystem-based approaches to strengthen communities and improve livelihoods.
“We are determined to break the cycle of peatland degradation,” stated Phantavong in the APMS Forward. “I believe sustainable peatland management would play an important role in building a resilient community by improving their livelihoods through nature-based solutions and ecosystem-based approach. Together, we can reduce the risks of transboundary haze pollution and its adverse effects on our environment, health, and economies.”
Acknowledgements
This article is a part of the Measurable Action for Haze-Free Southeast Asia (MAHFSA) programme, a joint initiative between ASEAN and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) that supports efforts to reduce transboundary haze pollution and its impact in Southeast Asia. This article was developed with the assistance of ASEAN Secretariat members Mardiah Hayati, Wiraditma Prananta, Etwin Kuslati Sabarini and Dyah Ayu Ritma Ratri.
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