Peatland Restoration in Central Kalimantan by Rewetting and Rehabilitation with Shorea balangeran

Peatlands in Central Kalimantan are degraded due to the recurring fires occurring since decades ago. After the catastrophic fire in 2015, there has been an increase in peatland restoration activity in Indonesia. Hydrological restoration, e.g. canal blocking, has been developed throughout Central Kalimantan. We focused our study on the Rehabilitation of Peatland (RePeat) area of the Forest with Specific Purposes, Tumbang Nusa in Central Kalimantan. Most of the area (about 2500 ha) of Tumbang Nusa Peat Swamp Forest was burnt in 2015. At the end of 2015, the rehabilitation of the burnt forest by planting Shorea balangeran—a native peatland tree species—started. Shorea balangeran is a timber species, which produces a good quality of wood. Later in 2017, the canal was blocked through the development of canal blocking with a spillway system. Tree growth and water level were observed manually and regularly every month. Shorea balangeran grew well on the rewetted peatlands and under the open canopy. However, outside the forest area, the peatland restoration needs to consider the socio-economic aspect of the community living in the surrounding area. In addition to land–tree species matching, the livelihood of the community living in the area must also be taken into account to ensure the success of peatland restoration. Ecosystem services that may be provided through the rewetted and revegetated peat forest can only benefit the people after some time when the restored area is really established.