akar.earthPeatland REDD+ and Fire Risk
Peatland REDD fire guide: why drained tropical peat emits and burns, how projects rewet and monitor peat, and how fire risk affects credits in Indonesia.
Peatland REDD+ projects protect and rewet tropical peat swamp forests, avoiding emissions from both deforestation and the oxidation and burning of drained peat soils. In Indonesia, fire is the central risk: drained peat burns deep and long, so water table management, fire prevention and rapid detection decide whether a peat project delivers durable credits.
Why peat is different
Tropical peat is waterlogged organic soil built up over thousands of years. Above-ground forest carbon is only part of the stock; the peat below can be several metres deep and hold far more carbon per hectare than the trees. Draining it with canals for agriculture or plantations lets oxygen in, and the peat decomposes and subsides, emitting CO2 every year. Dry drained peat also burns, sometimes underground, producing haze that affects the region.
Major peat areas are in Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West, Central and South Kalimantan, and Papua. After the severe 2015 fires, Indonesia set up a peat restoration agency (now BRGM, which also covers mangroves) and strengthened peat protection regulation. See peat restoration rules.
Emission sources in a peat project
| Source | Baseline (drained, cleared) | Project (protected, rewetted) |
|---|---|---|
| Biomass loss from deforestation | High where clearing expected | Reduced |
| Peat oxidation from drainage | Continuous, linked to water table depth | Reduced when water table is raised |
| Peat fire | Episodic, very high in dry years | Reduced through rewetting and prevention |
| Methane | Low when drained | May increase slightly when rewetted |
Methodologies handle these pools with modules for peat and wetland accounting. The IPCC 2013 Wetlands Supplement provides default emission factors for drained and rewetted tropical peat. Check the specific module and version in your methodology.
The practical toolkit
- Map peat extent and depth with existing maps plus field coring.
- Map drainage: canals from high-resolution imagery and field survey.
- Block canals with dams designed with hydrologists, prioritising canals that drain the most peat.
- Monitor water table with dipwells or automatic loggers along transects; Indonesian peat rules use a water-table depth criterion for damage.
- Measure subsidence with fixed poles.
- Prevent fire: community fire brigades (Masyarakat Peduli Api), no-burn agriculture support, patrols in dry season.
- Detect fire fast: hotspot data and burn-scar mapping, integrated with deforestation alerts.
- Revegetate burned areas with peat-tolerant native species.
Fire risk and permanence
Fire is a reversal risk. When stored carbon is lost, projects must report it, and credits may be replaced from the buffer pool. The non-permanence risk tool scores natural risks such as fire, and a higher score means a larger buffer contribution. El Niño years are the danger periods. See permanence and reversals.
Rewetting and livelihoods
Rewetting raises water tables on land that people may farm. Without alternatives, communities may oppose canal blocking or reopen canals. Successful projects pair hydrological work with paludiculture (crops that tolerate wet conditions, such as sago and some native trees), fisheries in canals, agroforestry on shallower peat, and payment for fire prevention services. Agreements on canal management should be written down and revisited each dry season.
Common mistakes
- Treating peat projects as forest projects and ignoring below-ground emissions.
- Building canal blocks that fail in the first wet season.
- Too few water table points, or points only near access routes.
- Relying on default emission factors without checking water-table data.
- Ignoring the livelihoods of people who depend on drained land; fire prevention needs their support.
- No fire plan for neighbouring land, from where fires often spread.
What good evidence looks like
A VVB and buyer will want: peat depth and extent maps with field cores; canal maps and blocking records; water table and subsidence time series; fire hotspot and burn scar records with response logs; emission factor sources and calculations; and community fire programme records. Show that monitoring covers the dry season and that reversals were reported.
Quality and price signals
Peat projects are part of Indonesia’s strong rating record. In February 2025 an Indonesian peatlands project’s credit prices nearly doubled after a one-band rating upgrade from ‘A’ to ‘AA’, according to BeZero. Robust peat and fire monitoring is a large part of what raters assess.
Where to go next
Peat projects overlap with mangrove and blue carbon along coasts; see the blue carbon hub. For a province example, see Central Kalimantan. Our dMRV implementation service sets up water table, fire and land-cover monitoring. More on the REDD+ hub.
Frequently asked questions
Why are peatland carbon projects important in Indonesia?
Indonesia holds large areas of tropical peat that store very large amounts of carbon. Drainage and fire release that carbon, so protecting and rewetting peat avoids major emissions.
How does fire affect peatland carbon credits?
Fires cause reversals, emitting stored carbon and potentially cancelling credits or drawing on the buffer pool. Fire risk also raises the project's non-permanence risk rating and buffer contribution.
How is peat carbon monitored?
Through water table monitoring, peat subsidence measurements, fire and burn-scar mapping, and land-cover change, combined with emission factors linked to water table depth and land use.