Dr. Harri Vasander - UNIHEL RESTORATION OF TROPICAL PEATLANDS – THE GREATEST CHALLENGE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT EU INCO-DEV STRAPEAT PROJECT STRATEGIES FOR IMPLEMENTING SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF PEATLAND IN BORNEO

FIRE-RELATED POLICY PROBLEMS ARE DEFINED AS - SMOKE HAZE POLLUTION - FOREST DEGRADATION AND DEFORESTATION - NEGATIVE IMPACTS ON THE RURAL SECTOR

Smoke haze pollution and carbon emissions are due mainly to intentional and escaped fires in peatland areas.

Peatland restoration aims to bring back a naturally functioning, self-sustaining ecosystem or reinitiate the peat-forming processes. In peatlands the two key components are hydrology and carbon sequestration. RESTORATION

Raise the water table – ”zipper method” used in Finland when peat from ditch banks has partly “vanished”. Thus filling-in the ditches totally is impossible.

Overall objective: Formerly degraded peatlands have continuous forest cover with a high biodiversity value. Re-established forests provide economically valuable income sources. Tropical peat covered areas are secured carbon stores and sinks.

Project purpose - provide techniques for the restoration of hydrology and vegetation in degraded peatland areas Indicators Hydrology is restored and succession leading to vegetation recovery is started on a formerly degraded area.

Project purpose - Established model area exemplifying means to prevent carbon losses from degraded PSF through hydrology restoration and re-forestation. Indicators Guidelines for comparable restoration projects are available.

Project purpose - Lower and revert carbon emissions from and decrease danger of fires in formerly degraded peat. Indicators Guidelines for comparable restoration projects are available. Sources of verification for all: Survey and research reports, and publications.

Assumptions: - Provincial and Local Governments will embrace the project. - Central Government Ministries and Agencies will give support. - Suitable local Indonesian personnel can be found.

Conclusions True attempts must be made to prevent further carbon losses in degraded ex-PLG peatland area by re- establishing high water table –based hydrology, and by seeking ways re-establishing of ecologically and economically beneficial vegetation in model areas. Without those true attempts, in ENSO years, degraded peatlands are the most significant risk factor for fires and the generation of smoke haze. There is a need to consider whether conservation of peatlands should be included in the second commitment period of the Kyoto protocol.

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