Peatlands, also known as fens or bogs in Western countries and referred to as “lahan gambut” in Indonesia, are a distinctive type of wetland that constitutes approximately half of the world’s wetland areas.
They can be found on every continent except Antarctica (Winrock International, A). In total, the world’s peatland ecosystem covers an area of 398 million hectares, about 34 to 45 million hectares of which is in tropical climates, with roughly 56.6% (25 million hectares) located in South East Asian countries (Yuwati, 2021).
These waterlogged ecosystems, rich in organic matter, began forming around 12,000 years ago, shortly after the last ice age. The constant saturation of the soil slows down the decomposition of deceased plants, transforming them into a dense, dark-coloured, and malleable substance known as peat, which effectively stores the carbon that the plants had previously absorbed (Winrock International, B).