Restoring degraded land is an important international and national agenda. Though such restoration often has multiple objectives depending on local conditions, its main aims are always to improve ecosystem services and land productivity, and enhance human well-being. Restoration of degraded land, including peatlands, plays an important role in climate change mitigation. Many countries have included restoration as one of their NDC climate goals, with net-zero emissions from FoLU and carbon neutrality.

Indonesia has pledged to restore 14 million hectares of degraded land, including 2.5 million hectares of peatlands. Peatlands provide goods and services that benefit both local and global arenas, such as food, energy, climate regulation and biodiversity. However, unsustainable land-use practices have transformed the structure and function of large areas of Indonesia’s peatlands, with adverse impacts on critical ecosystem services. Consequently, researchers, policymakers and practitioners are leading a consensus to take urgent action to restore the country’s degraded peatlands.

This knowledge-sharing event will highlight recent findings from – and progress in – peatland restoration in Indonesia for climate change mitigation and livelihood goals presented by different national and international institutions, including CIFOR-ICRAF’s collaborative work with the Republic of Korea’s National Institute of Forest Science (NIFoS).