Belém, Brazil, 21 November 2025 — On the sidelines of COP30 in Belém, the Forestry Interim Secretariat of the International Tropical Peatlands Centre (ITPC) and the Greifswald Mire Centre (GMC) signed a Joint Declaration to strengthen learning, research collaboration and capacity development on tropical peatland forests. The partnership supports global climate goals, including Indonesia’s Forestry and Other Land Use (FOLU) Net Sink 2030 target.
The agreement identifies priority areas of cooperation spanning peat properties, greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes, paleoecology, biogeochemistry, biodiversity, wise-use practices, ecosystem services, ecosystem-based climate adaptation, economics and peatland policy. It also expands joint capacity-building efforts through training programmes, webinars and shared conference sessions.
The Joint Declaration was formalised at the Indonesia Pavilion, signed by Franziska Tanneberger, Director of the Greifswald Mire Centre, and Bambang Supriyanto, Vice Chair of the Forestry Interim Secretariat of ITPC, representing Agus Justianto, Chair of the Interim Secretariat. The ceremony was witnessed by Haruni Krisnawati, Senior Advisor for Climate Change at Indonesia’s Ministry of Forestry, and Krisdianto Sugiyanto, Head of the Bureau for Public Relations and International Cooperation at the same ministry.
Krisnawati underscored the pivotal role of peatlands in Indonesia’s climate strategy. Under the FOLU Net Sink 2030 pathway, peatlands form a central pillar of national emission-reduction efforts. Approximately 75% of Indonesia’s peatlands lie within forest areas, making the protection of peat swamp forests and the restoration of degraded peatlands essential for achieving a net sink in the forestry and land-use sector by 2030.
“With an area of 24 million hectares, 74% of which lies within state forest areas, Indonesia’s tropical peat forests store around 89 gigatonnes of carbon, equivalent to roughly 20 years of global fossil fuel emissions. Effective restoration and sustainable management can reduce emissions by 1.3–2.6 GtCO₂e per year,” she said.
Supriyanto highlighted the Forestry Interim Secretariat’s role as a global hub for tropical peatland forest collaboration across Southeast Asia, the Congo Basin and the Amazon. “Our collaboration with the Greifswald Mire Centre will elevate international cooperation on peatland science and restoration. Together, we will strengthen mapping and monitoring, promote joint research and learning, and enhance institutional capacity through training, webinars and conferences,” he said.
Tanneberger stressed the importance of science-based cooperation. “This Joint Declaration reflects our shared commitment to equipping policymakers, practitioners and local communities with credible information, robust analysis and practical tools to support effective peatland conservation and sustainable management,” she noted.
The Declaration acknowledges the contributions of partners including UNEP, FAO, CIFOR and national research institutions, and reaffirms the importance of peatlands under major Multilateral Environmental Agreements such as the UNCBD, UNCCD, UNFCCC, the Paris Agreement and the Ramsar Convention, as well as initiatives including the Brazzaville Declaration and the Global Peatlands Initiative (GPI).
UNEP’s Dianna Kopansky welcomed the partnership, stating she is “excited to see that the ITPC continues to be strengthened through collaboration with Global Peatlands Initiative members. We need more academic institutions like the GMC to come to the fore to support tropical peatlands research through knowledge exchange, academic fellowships and mutually beneficial joint peatland studies, including on mapping and monitoring methods.” She added that “this is exactly the kind of triangular collaboration needed to accelerate progress toward our shared goals for peatland conservation and sustainable management.”
Amy Duchelle, Senior Forestry Officer and Team Leader of Forests and Climate in FAO’s Forestry Division, also commended the signing. “Mainstreaming peatlands into climate action is an urgent global priority, and FAO is pleased to see ITPC, and the Greifswald Mire Centre formalise a strong collaboration on tropical peatlands. Backed by GMC’s exceptional technical expertise, the ITPC will serve as an important global platform for knowledge exchange, ensuring policymakers receive the best possible information guided by the latest advances in peatland science and management. We look forward to continuing our longstanding collaboration with the GMC, UNEP, ITPC and other partners, and are very encouraged by this new partnership.”
Robert Nasi, Director General of CIFOR and Chief Scientist CIFOR-ICRAF, said “This partnership reflects a forward-looking vision for how the world must work together to safeguard tropical peatlands. CIFOR-ICRAF is proud to support this momentum and remains dedicated to fostering the knowledge, innovation and global cooperation needed to secure resilient landscapes for future generations.”
The Forestry Interim Secretariat of the International Tropical Peatlands Centre looks forward to expanding its engagement with governments, research institutions, the private sector and universities as it advances its 2026 agenda.
