General articles are free for 24 hours after publish.
Indonesian Peatlands Crucial for Global Carbon Cycle, Expert Notes
An expert from the University of Nottingham highlighted the critical importance of Indonesia's peatlands in the global carbon cycle. During a meeting with the President, he emphasized the complexity of understanding and managing peat ecosystems and the need for fire risk prediction and mitigation.
JAKARTA - The management of Indonesia's peatland has important implications for the world. An expert from the University of Nottingham, Bagus P. Muljadi, said Indonesia plays an important role in global carbon cycle calculations. However, peat ecosystems are one of the most difficult natural systems to understand scientifically. Bagus conveyed this view in a discussion with President Prabowo Subianto and a number of academics at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, Thursday, September 24, 2026. According to him, Indonesia has an important position in the global ecosystem because of the existence of peatlands which affect the world's carbon cycle. "Indonesia is a global ecosystem chokepoint. Without us, it is impossible for the world to accurately calculate the carbon cycle," said Bagus. The carbon cycle is the process of carbon transfer between the soil, plants, atmosphere, and various other environmental components. Bagus assessed that the position carries a great responsibility for Indonesia to understand and manage the peat ecosystem properly. However, peat research faces a not simple challenge. Many factors mutually influence the condition of the ecosystem. Bagus said that rainfall, water balance, plant decay speed, and building loads on peat are a number of variables that must be taken into account. These factors make the development of mathematical models to understand peat conditions very complicated. Therefore, peat research requires the cooperation of scientists from various disciplines, not just one area of expertise. Bagus explained that there were three main issues that needed to be discussed with scientists. First, how to protect and cultivate peat. Second, how to predict, monitor, and detect early on areas at risk of fire. Third, what to do when a fire has occurred. Through the approach of various disciplines, he hopes that academics can develop better methods to understand changes in peat conditions and its fire risk. During the meeting, President Prabowo also asked experts to provide scientific input regarding forest fire prevention and the possible use of peat land for productive activities.
Original source
VOI English