If current farming patterns continue, the future looks increasingly bleak for tropical forests.

Forests, fields, wetlands and other terrestrial ecosystems are major carbon stores, and they could absorb enormous additional amounts of carbon dioxide.

Scientists hope that if the media can help publicize their research on mitigating climate change and balancing livelihoods on degraded peatlands.

The total amount of degraded forest and other productive land in the world today is an area roughly the size of South America.

A conversation with Ann Jeannette Glauber, Lead Environment Specialist at the World Bank, during the Global Landscapes Forum thematic event Peatlands Matter

“We are fighting for our land in our homeland,” explained Emmanuela Shinta as she approached the front of the stage proudly at the Global Landscapes Forum: Peatlands Matter event in Jakarta, May 18th 2017. Shinta brought along the stories from the ground all the way from the western part of Borneo, to Jakarta, the busiest […]

Science discussion on “Peatland fires, haze and health” at the Global Landscapes Forum: Peatlands Matter in Jakarta.

Abdul Agus Nuraini, Muara Siran community member, speaks during the Forum's plenary session on community perspectives and priorities in peatlands.

Scientists have recently discovered the existence of huge, previously unknown areas of peatland in central Africa and South America.

The peatlands of the Congo Basin have formed over thousands of years, and are estimated to contain about 30 billion tons of carbon.

How old is old growth in Borneo? 130 million years. Almost 80 percent of the island of Borneo was covered with this old growth rainforest in 1973. Today, only 28 percent remains. Barely bigger than France, Borneo’s rainforests are packed with more rare and fascinating species than almost anywhere else in the world. However, Borneo […]

“This is the perfect land—flat, fertile—all we need to do is drain it,” a farmer thinks upon approaching a peat forest. Draining the area turns waterlogged, carbon-rich soil into arable land, but in the process releases tons of carbon into the atmosphere. Only 15% of peatlands worldwide have been drained, but this alone is responsible […]

The DRC has the biggest forest in Central Africa. The peatland discovered in the Central Basin is important for its significant biodiversity.

Protecting peatlands also means identifying ways for people that live and work around these areas to sustain their families.