Enviro News Asia, New York – The Government of Indonesia reaffirmed its strategic role in peatland protection and restoration at The Peatland Breakthrough meeting held at the Mission of Peru to the United Nations (UN) in New York on Thursday (September 25, 2025). The closed-door meeting, part of New York Climate Week, brought together governments, global partners, and prospective international donors.
The Indonesian delegation was led by Agus Justianto, Senior Policy Analyst at the Ministry of Forestry, along with Krisdianto, Head of Public Relations and International Cooperation Bureau at the Ministry of Forestry. Both emphasized that peatlands play a vital role in Indonesia’s national strategy for climate change mitigation, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable land governance.
Agus stated that Indonesia has the world’s largest tropical peatlands, covering 24.67 million hectares with carbon reserves of about 46 gigatons, equivalent to 8–14 percent of the world’s peat carbon stock. “Peatland management and ecosystem restoration are crucial to meeting national and international climate targets, including NDC commitments under the Paris Agreement and the FOLU Net Sink 2030 program,” he said.
Agus explained that Indonesia has undertaken peatland ecosystem restoration through regulations, policies, and technical guidelines involving communities and the private sector. To date, restoration has covered 3.7 million hectares in concession areas and more than 52,000 hectares in community areas through the Peat Care Independent Village Program (DMPG). These efforts follow the 3R approach: rewetting, revegetation, and revitalization of community livelihoods.
At the forum, Agus also highlighted Indonesia’s role in establishing the Peatland and Mangrove Restoration Agency (BRGM) in 2020, mandated to restore 1.2 million hectares of peatlands in seven priority provinces. In addition, Indonesia set up the International Tropical Peatlands Center (ITPC) as a hub for scientific, policy, and practical cooperation in Southeast Asia, the Congo Basin, and Peru.
Krisdianto added that international cooperation is key to strengthening restoration efforts. He emphasized that active participation from governments, local communities, the private sector, and donor institutions can accelerate peatland restoration targets while also supporting community welfare. “Indonesia believes that the success of peatland protection can only be achieved through strong synergy between national policy, global support, and concrete action on the ground,” Krisdianto said.
He further stressed the importance of maintaining climate diplomacy momentum. “Through this forum, Indonesia wants to show that peatland conservation is not merely an environmental issue but part of a shared commitment to protect the planet’s future,” he remarked, highlighting that global peatland restoration success depends on cross-sector collaboration, long-term financing, and science-based knowledge exchange. “Peatlands should not be seen as a climate liability but as a climate superpower that can become a solution if managed properly,” he concluded.
The Peatland Breakthrough meeting was chaired by the Minister of Environment of Peru and attended by the Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development of the Republic of Congo, the Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development of the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as Indonesia, alongside international partners such as the European Investment Bank, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the Bezos Family Foundation.
The Peatland Breakthrough is a global initiative led by Wetlands International, UNEP, FAO, the Greifswald Mire Centre, and the Landscape Finance Lab, with support from the Global Peatlands Initiative and High-Level Climate Champions. The agenda aims to build momentum ahead of the official launch of the initiative at the upcoming UN Climate Conference (COP30). (*)
