Community-led peatland restoration in Southeast Asia: 5Rs approach

Peatlands in Southeast Asia are of global significance for biodiversity conservation and climate regulation as well as of national and local significance for water management and livelihood support. Despite this, these ecosystems are among the least studied and monitored of the world, and are increasingly threatened by anthropogenic activities. Peatland degradation is responsible for the largest greenhouse gases (GHGs) emission source from the agriculture, forestry, and other land use (AFOLU) sectors in the region. Peatland restoration is a key mitigation and preventative intervention to halt the degradation of these ecosystems. In recent years, a small number of studies have aimed to define peatland restoration processes and approaches, the latest being the 4Rs approach—Rewetting, Reduction of fire, Revegetation, and Revitalization. The latter component being focused on the local communities benefits, in terms of promoting diversified sustainable livelihoods. Based on evidence of successful peatland restoration interventions in Southeast Asia, which we define as being “community-led,” we propose a 5Rs approach to peatland restoration instead, with community participation embedded in each component of the approach, beyond Revitalization, as well as in a fifth crosscutting component: Reporting and monitoring (R5). The new community-led 5Rs approach can support the ongoing formulation, refinement and implementation of peatland restoration strategies and activities in Southeast Asia and beyond by achieving ecological restoration goals, while obtaining local communities endorsement and support, needed for the long-term sustainability of the restoration interventions.