By UN Environment
Tropical peatlands have been in the news recently with the very serious fires in Indonesia’s Jambi Province. Dianna Kopansky has worked extensively on tropical as well as other peatlands. She also coordinates the UN Environment Programme’s (UNEP) work on peatlands. In this interview, she tells us about the importance of peatlands and what can be done to protect them from fires.
Why are those peatland fires happening?
It’s not the first time Indonesia is facing huge fires. In 2015, they had mega-fires, and many of them on peatlands. Because peatlands are composed of thick layers of partly decomposed organic material that formed over thousands of years, they store lots of carbon. Fires are a regular problem for Indonesia during the summer months and this year again, they made the headlines.
Peatland health is under threat from drainage for agriculture, commercial forestry, peat extraction, infrastructure development and, of course, the effects of global heating. There are three main reasons why forest and peatland fires occur: various actors (companies, small scale farmers) use fire to clear land for development and agriculture; fires are often used to stake claims to land in disputes between big companies and small farmers; and drained peatlands are highly flammable during the dry season, so small-scale clearing and camp fires can easily burn out of control. Read more>>
