Asia and the Pacific

Regional – Rehabilitation and Sustainable Use of Peatlands in South-East Asia

Context: Peat swamp forests in South-East Asia play a crucial role in the economy and ecology of the region. They have global significance as repositories of important biodiversity assets and as a store of an estimated 120 billion tonnes of carbon, approximately 5 per cent of total terrestrial carbon.

The degradation of the peat swamp forests of South-East Asia is one of the most crucial land degradation problems in the world. Major fires release billions of tonnes of stored carbon into the atmosphere, and massive land subsidence follows unregulated drainage of peatlands.

Global benefits: Reversal of the loss and degradation of peatlands in South-East Asian countries through capacity-building and sustainable peatland management practices, to avoid negative impacts on the economy, health and environment.

Strategy: Stimulate multi-stakeholder contributions and partnerships in implementing priorities identified in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Peatland Management Strategy and associated national action plans. The project will support regional exchange mechanisms and development of longer-term sustainability and replication mechanisms.

IFAD-GEF synergies: The intervention is designed to build on ongoing and completed IFAD interventions in the region, and on the existing ASEAN regional framework for peatland management.

Through a highly coordinated multi-country approach, the synergies between IFAD loans and GEF incremental funding will allow the project to deliver strengthened capacity at local, national and regional levels, together with effective on-the-ground interventions addressing peatland degradation.

Source: IFAD