As part of our national heritage, it must be managed with care so it can continue to provide us with these valuable ecosystem services for generations to come.
Fire is devastating our peat swamp forests and literally burning away the peat soils on which they stand. This accelerated loss of peat soil is lowering the land surface, sinking the peatlands forever. Dry peat oxidises into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, increasing Indonesia’s contribution to global warming and climate change.
Restoration of large areas of degraded peatland is underway in Indonesia. Understanding how the different elements of rewetting, revegetation and revitalisation can be simultaneously performed to keep these landscapes as a productive national asset is essential to successful restoration work.
The aim of the Gambut Kita project is to reduce the frequency and intensity of unwanted fires in peatlands through deeper scientific understanding of the causes and drivers of fire, and by creating sustainable livelihood options for men and women living in and around peatlands.
The Gambut Kita project is an interdisciplinary research-for-development project. A number of large research and academic organisations are involved from both Australia and Indonesia. Our research findings and other supporting literature are available in our resources section.
