Despite COVID-19, coalition pushes on to tackle transboundary haze in the region

The coalition of People for Peat - otherwise known as the Sustainable Use of Peatland and Haze Mitigation in ASEAN (EU-SUPA) Programme, supported by the European Union, today announced the launch of a virtual Conference of Parties (COP) happening through the months of August to December.

“Originally, this event was planned as a physical conference to be held in Jakarta, bringing together experts, researchers and stakeholders from across ASEAN to sit round the table and identify the knowledge gaps on peatland in Southeast Asia. Naturally, with COVID-19 we’ve had to pivot from a single physical event to 8 virtual ones,” says Satya Budi Utama, Senior Project Lead of People for Peat.

The virtual events will see stakeholders from the European Union, ASEAN Secretariat, NGOs and other Non-State Actors come together with peatland experts from across the ASEAN region to discuss the current research gaps within the landscape, reach a consensus on where each country’s baseline for peatland policy is, and determine specific research topics to address the identified gaps; all with the intention to empower ASEAN communities to directly impact peatland management sustainably.

Peatlands in Southeast Asia cover approximately 23.6 million hectares, which represent 56 percent of global tropical peatlands; It stores approximately 68 billion tons of carbon, accounting for 14 percent of global carbon storage. An Analysis conducted by the World Resources Institute (WRI) in 2016 shows that the unsustainable practice such as draining and burning peatland turns this massive carbon store into a carbon emitter, where just one hectare of drained peatland releases an average of 55 metric tons of CO2, equivalent to over 6,000 gallons of gasoline. This has been the cause of the annual transboundary haze plaguing the region.

“Haze is a pervasive and complex issue that affects us all, no matter where in ASEAN you are. Our goal with this COP is to compile knowledge from regional experts and discuss issues most pressing to each country. From there we hope to establish priority research areas, and start to empower communities to manage their peatlands sustainably, using locally-driven narratives,” adds Dr. Eli Nur Nirmala Sari, Peatland Restoration Technical Expert.

The first COP was held with the Philippines on August 5 to August 6, and included a webinar on Sustainable Peatland Management in the Philippines on August 6th with presenters speaking to each pillar of the action; research, business and investment and community outreach.

This week the coalition shifts focus to Indonesia with a two-day conference of parties on August 12 and 13. On August 13, People for Peat will host a public webinar on Peatland Management in Indonesia featuring presenters from Asia Pulp and Paper, Bentang Kalimantan, and Wetlands International sharing on peatland protection and restoration from their own unique lenses of business, research and community involvement.

At the end of all 8 country-specific COPs, People for Peat will host a wrap-up session to share the findings, recommendations and do a call for research proposals based on the research gaps identified. While the Conference of Parties sessions are closed-door, People for Peat intends to open the discussion and engage the global community through a series of 8 free and public webinars on the Sustainable Management of Peatlands, themed around each participating country throughout August to November. All webinars are open to the public and registration is available through https://peopleforpeat.eventbrite.com.

COP & Webinar Dates:

August
5 August: COP Day 1 - Philippines
6 August: COP Day 2, Webinar - Philippines
12 August: COP Day 1 - Indonesia
13 August: COP Day 2, Webinar - Indonesia

September
2 September: COP Day 1 - Malaysia
3 September: COP Day 2, Webinar - Malaysia
23 September: COP Day 1 - Thailand
24 September: COP Day 2, Webinar - Thailand

October
6 October: COP Day 1 - Myanmar
7 October: COP Day 2, Webinar - Myanmar
20 October: COP Day 1 - Vietnam
21 October: COP Day 2, Webinar - Vietnam

November
4 November: COP Day 1 - Laos
5 November: COP Day 2, Webinar - Laos
18 November: COP Day 1 - Cambodia
19 November: COP Day 2, Webinar - Cambodia

December
3 December: Wrap-Up COP