“Peatland Conservation: The Conclusion of the Four-Year People for Peat Coalition Journey in Southeast Asia”

People for Peat (PFP), a grassroots advocacy group that focuses on the protection of peatland ecosystems, recently celebrated the end of a four-year journey in Southeast Asia. Led by a team of dedicated activists, PFP worked tirelessly to raise awareness of the importance of peatlands to the region’s biodiversity, economy, and indigenous communities. Over the course of their journey, they travelled thousands of miles, met with local stakeholders, and collaborated with like-minded organizations to promote sustainable land use practices. The end of this journey marks a significant milestone for PFP and the communities they serve. This article will explore the impact of their work and how they plan to continue advocating for a more sustainable future for peatland ecosystems.


The People for Peat (PFP) coalition has marked the end of its four-year journey in supporting peatland communities in Southeast Asia (SEA) with a closing ceremony held in Central Jakarta on April 11, 2023. In attendance were researchers, peat rangers, Business Hub members, and friends from Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines. Representatives from the ASEAN Secretariat, EU-SUPA Component 1 project, and the MAHFSA project also attended the event. During his opening speech, Thibaut Portevin, the Head of Cooperation for EU Delegation to Indonesia/ASEAN, expressed his deepest gratitude to everyone who contributed to this project, particularly the local communities that welcomed the PFP coalition into their lives.

Throughout its four years, PFP has celebrated many milestones and achievements across its three pillars: Research, Business and Investment, and Outreach and Advocacy, but also faced many challenges, notably the Covid-19 pandemic. While the world was at a standstill, PFP pivoted to online engagements, successfully organizing virtual symposiums, interactive online workshops, and two popular photo contests. While borders remained closed, PFP built bridges and nurtured relationships with local partners and experts, resulting in the successful execution of the Peat Ranger Training Programme and subsequent Peat Ranger Deployment when regional travel resumed.

“The Peat Ranger program has been great for our community,” said Ronnie Villaber, a peat ranger and Business Hub cohort member from the Philippines, “Before this, we had no idea how important peatlands were, but now I can see change. Poaching has lessened, and the use of electric currents for catching fish is minimized.”

The PFP coalition has also helped 16 peat-related businesses across the region take their initiatives to the next level through the PFP Business Hub, a business accelerator focused on improving the sustainability of members on three fronts: environmental protection, economic productivity, and social inclusion.

PFP’s Research pillar addressed the gap in data on ASEAN’s peatlands and culminated in the celebrated Peat Science Dialogue, which took place in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam in March 2023. The Peatland Outlook Handbook, a critical overview of SEA’s peatlands, covering its distribution, legal frameworks and challenges, was also published at the event and treasured by researchers. The Peatland Tales video series, a collection of videos highlighting the peatlands of Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Lao PDR, and the Philippines, also immortalized the indomitable spirit of community leaders on the ground who have worked tirelessly to protect peatlands and preserve them for future generations.

As the PFP project draws to a close, the event finalized project recommendations and a policy brief on sustainable peatland management, which will serve as a blueprint, especially concerning non-state actors for future efforts in the sustainable management of peatlands in Southeast Asia. Moving forward, the PFP project recommends the continuous provision of information and data on peatlands in the region, expanded coverage of the ASEAN Haze Portal, ongoing dialogue between state and non-state actors, and the evolution of the PFP coalition to identify new sources of funding and innovative ideas for peatland conservation.

“After four years, the program has come to an end, but the efforts to promote sustainable use of peatland in ASEAN must continue,” said Nirarta Samadhi, Country Director of WRI Indonesia, “We have developed peopleforpeat.org, a platform that aims to disseminate knowledge and best practices on sustainable peatland management in Southeast Asia. It is our aspiration that this platform shall be established as a center of excellence for peatland in the region, while simultaneously serving to encourage more non-state actors to enhance their efforts in realizing sustainable peatland management and haze mitigation in the coming years.”

Overall, the PFP coalition has made significant strides in peatland management and conservation in Southeast Asia, leaving behind a legacy of research, education, and community empowerment. With the development of the peopleforpeat.org platform and ongoing efforts to realize sustainable peatland management and haze mitigation, the future of peatlands in the region looks promising.