Tropical peatland suffers from rapid degradation due to expansion of palm oil plantations. In Indonesia, Environmental Non-Governmental Organizations (ENGOs) have an important role in peatland protection. This paper discusses the implications of responsibilization in the relation between advocacy and service ENGOs in the context of tropical peatland protection and the expansion of palm oil in Sumatra, Indonesia. Drawing on the scholarly discussion on responsibilization in environmental management we show that responsibilization in peatland protection increases distrust among the ENGOs by generating a diversity of actors with different material support, burdens and principles of work, and even polarized opposition between the networks. Such distrust has a bearing on the effect of the actions, networks, and material support of advocacy and service ENGOs. Advocacy ENGOs share similar interests with their donors, which allow them to perform their expected actions autonomously, while service ENGOs are more dependent on donors' programmes and aims. The research utilized methods such as face-to-face semi-structured interviews with advocacy and service ENGOs, state and non-state actors, palm oil farmers, palm oil associations and three leaders of local communities, combined with participant observation. We argue that responsibilization should be explored case by case because different responsibilization processes lead to differing burdens among different types of ENGOs. Contrary to expectations, responsibilization in peatland protection may thus decrease the possibilities for peatland protection in the area.
