Peatland Management based on Local Wisdom in Giam Siak Kecil Landscape in Riau Province, Indonesia

Author: GEC  |   September 29, 2021  |   Lessons Learned

The Giam Siak Kecil Peatland Landscape covers more than 700,000 hectares (ha) in Bengkalis and Siak Districts, Northern Riau in Sumatera. A total area of 705,271 ha has been declared as a UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserve (Giam Siak Kecil – Bukit Batu Biosphere Reserve) in 2009 and contains two significant government-designated conservation areas, i.e. Bukit Batu and Giam Siak Kecil Wildlife Reserves.

Sepahat Village, located in the Transition Zone of the Giam Siak Kecil-Bukit Batu Man and Biosphere Reserve, faces almost annual challenge of peatland fires. The village has 90% of its administrative area on peatland, covering 9,056 ha, which has been degraded with massive canal construction within the area. There is a 360-kilometer canal which caused the area vulnerable to fire. From 2010 to 2018, there were 3,655 hotspots detected in the village.

Peatland Rewetting and Agroforestry

The community in Sepahat Village is aware of the importance of rewetting peatlands in an effort to prevent fire. Since 2010, various parties have been supporting the Sepahat Village by constructing canal blocks to rewet the fire-prone peat areas in the village. To date, a total of 28 canal blocks have been built to restore estimated 1,500 ha of the degraded peat areas. Community awareness through rewetting the degraded peatlands has motivated the community and village government to develop commodities that are adaptive to the rewetted areas. Yayasan Gambut in partnership with Sepahat Village Government and WWF Riau developed an agroforestry approach that planted a total area of 18 ha with forest tree species and Sago palms.

Community Fire Patrol

The Sepahat Village Government established a fire-care community in 2009 with 20 members on duty. The tasks of the fire-care community include the following:

1. Conduct patrols to fire-prone areas in the village,
2. Encourage farmers to practice non-burning agricultural cultivation, and
3. Establish partnerships with parties related to fire prevention and control efforts in the village.

Zero Burning Agriculture

To tackle the ongoing disaster of fires and haze that harms human health and the environment, the Indonesian Government has strictly banned the use of fire to clear peatland areas for agriculture since 2014. In Sepahat Village, zero burning agriculture has been implemented by pineapple farmers. Yayasan Gambut has identified zero burning agriculture by community in 7 villages in the Giam Siak Kecil Landscape, and has compiled the findings in a book (Figure b¹). Yayasan Gambut has then developed a demonstration plot (demplot) for Red Ginger in Temiang Village through zero burning agriculture practises.

This story is originally presented by Mulyadi, Yayasan Gambut at RRR2021 on 9-11 March 2021 as a poster titled “Peatland Management Based on Local Wisdom in Giam Siak Kecil Landscape in Riau Province, Indonesia”². The rehabilitation of peatland ecosystem in Riau Province, Indonesia by Yayasan Gambut is partly supported by IFAD and GEC through TAKE-SMPEM Programme.

Webinar on Community-based Peatland Management in Giam Siak Kecil and Kerumutan Landscapes in Riau Province

The webinar was organised by Yayasan Gambut in collaboration with Riau Provincial Agency of Environment and Forestry (Dinas Lingkungan Hidup dan Kehutanan, DLHK) and Global Environment Centre (GEC), with support of IFAD’s TAKE-SMPEM programme on 3 September 2021 through a virtual platform. A total of 82 participants attended the webinar to learn from 2 successful community members and the Provincial Coordinator of the Sustainable Management of Peatland Ecosystems in Indonesia (SMPEI). The webinar recording is available at https://yayasangambut.org/webinar-pengelolaan-lahan-gambut-oleh-masyarakat-di-lanskap-giam-siak-kecil-dan-kerumutan-provinsi-riau/.

1 https://www.moorwissen.de/doc/aktuelles/veranstaltungen/rrr2021/downloads/beitraege/RRR2021_5.1.C_Mulyadi_Poster.pdf

2 https://yayasangambut.org/pertanian-lahan-gambut-tanpa-bakar-oleh-masyarakat/

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