Peatlands: A Climate Solution We Overlooked and Urgently Need to Protect
Today, more than 1,000 global experts, community leaders, scientists, policymakers, and passionate advocates gathered for GLF Peatlands 2024: The Climate Solution We Forgot, a pivotal hybrid event held in Bonn, Germany, and online. This assembly aimed to unite voices from all over the world to highlight and accelerate the protection and restoration of peatlands—a natural powerhouse that could be one of humanity’s greatest allies in the fight against climate change.
Peatlands cover only around 4% of the world’s land surface, yet they store a staggering amount of carbon—up to 600 million tons, which is twice as much carbon as all of the Earth’s forests combined. While forests often steal the spotlight in climate discussions, peatlands quietly continue their vital role as carbon sinks. Their preservation is not just an option but a global necessity.
However, the potential of these ecosystems goes far beyond carbon storage. Peatlands offer a range of crucial ecosystem services, acting as natural safeguards against floods and wildfires, filtering our water, and providing a sanctuary for biodiversity. They have also long supported Indigenous communities, offering cultural and economic value that is often overlooked by mainstream environmental discourse.
But despite their importance, peatlands are being lost at an alarming rate—three times faster than forests. These ecosystems are on the frontline of destruction, and urgent action is needed to prevent their continued degradation.
The Call for Indigenous-Led Solutions
For Emmanuela Shinta, Director of the Ranu Welum Foundation and Coordinator of the GLFx Kalimantan chapter, the answer to peatland conservation lies with those who have been managing these lands for generations: Indigenous Peoples.
“Indigenous traditional land management practices and techniques should be recognized and acknowledged legally,” Shinta asserts. “We should promote and implement mutual and equal partnerships and collaborations, at both national and international levels, where Indigenous communities are not just considered beneficiaries but the main actors.” This, she believes, will lead to more innovative and comprehensive solutions for peatland protection worldwide.
Her call for Indigenous leadership in conservation is echoed by many at the event, stressing that Indigenous knowledge is essential for understanding and managing peatlands sustainably.
Protection Before Restoration
For Jochen Flasbarth, State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the priority is clear: protecting peatlands before we lose them. “Protection is better and usually easier than restoration,” Flasbarth notes. He emphasizes the need for swift action to preserve the peatlands that remain, both in Europe and around the world.
Peatlands, he insists, must play a stronger role in nationally determined contributions (NDCs) to climate action. Yet, Flasbarth warns that efforts will fall short unless local communities and Indigenous Peoples are integrally involved in the process. He calls for increased public funding and innovative ways to engage the private sector in sustainable peatland management, reflecting a growing realization that global climate goals cannot be met without cross-sector collaboration.
A Global Responsibility
The responsibility to protect peatlands extends beyond national borders. Éliane Ubalijoro, Chief Executive Officer of CIFOR-ICRAF and Director General of World Agroforestry, makes a plea to global citizens: “We are responsible for ensuring future generations do not suffer the consequences of our actions, but rather reap the benefits.” Her vision is one where collective wisdom is harnessed to restore peatlands and recognize their full value for climate, biodiversity, and livelihoods.
This sentiment is echoed by Alfred Okot Okidi, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Water and Environment of Uganda, who emphasizes the importance of international recognition for peatlands, much like forests, in global ecosystems. He asserts, “They actually store even more carbon.”
The Role of Science and Finance
While the importance of peatlands is clear, the path to effective conservation and restoration is complex. Sonya Dewi, Director for Asia at CIFOR-ICRAF, emphasizes that science plays a critical role in providing the evidence base needed for sound policy decisions. “The big gap is financing,” she acknowledges. Innovative financing mechanisms are essential to enable peatland restoration and sustainable management, and to ensure benefits for both the climate and local communities.
However, as Berioska Quispe, General Director of Climate Change and Desertification at the Ministry of Environment of Peru, points out, current financial mechanisms are insufficient and unfair. Peatlands, particularly their soil carbon, are still not fully recognized within global financing frameworks. This gap in recognition creates challenges for proper valuation and financing. Quispe calls for increased availability of scientific knowledge to ensure that peatlands’ climate contributions are better understood and more accurately reflected in global climate finance.
A New Financial Approach
The issue of financing is a recurring theme. For Daniel Murdiyarso, Principal Scientist at CIFOR-ICRAF, the challenge lies in how current financial mechanisms are structured. “Fossil fuel burning is the elephant in the room,” he says, adding that draining and burning of peatlands must be halted in a way that is both inclusive and effective. Murdiyarso calls for a redesign of finance schemes to ensure they are more just, better aligned with the climate goals, and capable of addressing the urgent needs of peatland restoration.
A Path Forward
As the GLF Peatlands 2024 event concludes, one message rings clear: peatlands are crucial to our climate future, but they need our protection now. We cannot afford to overlook them any longer. From strengthening Indigenous partnerships to enhancing scientific understanding and innovative financing, the solutions are within reach.
Peatlands are a climate solution we can no longer afford to forget. Now is the time to act. The world’s peatlands, and the future of our planet, depend on it.
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