Peatland Area Research Articles

SPATIAL MODELING OF THE THREAT OF DAMAGE TO THE PEATLAND ECOSYSTEM IN THE MAINLAND OF BENGKALIS REGENCY, RIAU PROVINCE

Peatlands are the stretch of ecosystem landscape with unique characteristics, both physically, chemically, and biodiversity. Anthropogenic activities in peatland use and disasters pose a threat to the preservation of the peatland ecosystem, which has impacts toward abiotic to the element of biodiversity (biotic). The purpose of this research is to model how the threat of the peatland ecosystem by using spatial data modeling. The method in this research using cloud-based GIS data analysis from Google earth engine, modeling distance parameter to variable modeling of interaction among landscapes on the peatland, and weight sum the value over raster-based spatial layer to determinate the thereat in the peatland ecosystem. The results of this study found zones where hot spots often occur. Modeling with euclidean distance to all modeling variables (except temperature) gives a clear effect on how the threats from each landscape interact with each other. We found that the threat of peatland damage in the high threat class dominates the plantation area reaching 30.9% of the total peatland area, whereas the forest landscape only has a high threat with a percentage of 1.9% and a low threat which the ecosystem is stable and natural reaching over 34.7 %. From this model, we succeeded in bringing up the idea to determine the priority area for policies where need to be done in handling the protection of peatland ecosystems, especially in plantations where the highest percentage of the ecosystem threat is in the high level with integrated peatland management.
 Keywords: Peatland ecosystem, landscape, threat

Tropical peatlands and their contribution to the global carbon cycle and climate change.

Peatlands are carbon-rich ecosystems that cover 185-423million hectares (Mha) of the earth's surface. The majority of the world's peatlands are in temperate and boreal zones, whereas tropical ones cover only a total area of 90-170Mha. However, there are still considerable uncertainties in C stock estimates as well as a lack of information about depth, bulk density and carbon accumulation rates. The incomplete data are notable especially in tropical peatlands located in South America, which are estimated to have the largest area of peatlands in the tropical zone. This paper displays the current state of knowledge surrounding tropical peatlands and their biophysical characteristics, distribution and carbon stock, role in the global climate, the impacts of direct human disturbances on carbon accumulation rates and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Based on the new peat extension and depth data, we estimate that tropical peatlands store 152-288Gt C, or about half of the global peatland emitted carbon. We discuss the knowledge gaps in research on distribution, depth, C stock and fluxes in these ecosystems which play an important role in the global carbon cycle and risk releasing large quantities of GHGs into the atmosphere (CO2 and CH4 ) when subjected to anthropogenic interferences (e.g., drainage and deforestation). Recent studies show that although climate change has an impact on the carbon fluxes of these ecosystems, the direct anthropogenic disturbance may play a greater role. The future of these systems as carbon sinks will depend on advancing current scientific knowledge and incorporating local understanding to support policies geared toward managing and conserving peatlands in vulnerable regions, such as the Amazon where recent records show increased forest fires and deforestation.

Design alternative on peat soil

Construction on peat soil has its own difficulty and challenge due to its properties of low shear strength, high compressibility, high water content, and flammable material. Indonesia ranked 4th on peat land area around the world after Canada, Russia, and United States. Based on recent mapping, peat land covers 14,9 million hectare in Indonesia. This paper presents the finding from literature studies regarding peat soil, construction on peat soil, case studies for road infrastructure construction on peat soil at West Borneo, Indonesia, and provide analysis and recommendation for the problems faced. Construction on peat soil requires special attention, especially on the design and execution. In the event where construction must be performed on a peatland which thickness is < 3m, the approach recommended is peat removal and replacement. If the peat thickness is 3-10 m, adopt the preloading, construction with vertical and sand drain, lightweight fills, surface mattress, stone column, etc. If the peat thickness is < 10m, use pile as foundation. Unit price contract is preferable over lumpsum contract due to the high uncertainties of peat soil. Environment impact due to construction on peat soil need to be accounted for, also the risk of peat fires need to be considered if dewatering used.

Thermal Hotspots Distribution of MODIS Aqua/Terra Satellite in Humbang Hasudutan Regency, Northern Sumatra

The hotspot of MODIS Aqua/Terra represents the high risk of land/forest fire due to an extreme temperature over the hotspot location. Spatial-temporal analysis of the hotspot can be used to map the regions with a high vulnerability of forest/land fires. This study has an objective to use hotspot data from MODIS Aqua/Terra to map the forest/land fires over the Humbang Hasudutan Regency from 2001 to 2019. In spatial, the hotspot mostly occurs in the eastern part of the study area (Doloksanggul and Pollung), which this area has assigned as the peatland area. Based on land cover, the hotspot often detected over the dryland agriculture, dryland with shrubs, and bare soil. In temporal, the hotspot mostly increases during the dry seasons such as February, June, and July. The hotspot decreases during the wet season, such as January, October, November, and December. Besides, there was an inversely proportional between the number of detected hotspots and rainfall over the study area.

The Modelling of Groundwater Table Management for Canal Blocking Scenarios In Sub Peatland Hydrological Unit

Drainage in peatland caused reducing water storage and subsidence. Groundwaterlevel fluctuations are a major role in the water balance that occurs in peatlands. Theresearch was conducted in a specific area of agricultural peatland. The location inSub-Peatland Hydrological Unit (Sub- PHU) 5 and 6 Kahayan Sebangau, CentralKalimantan Province, Indonesia. Modeling for groundwater table was applied usingFreewat / Modflow software with input rainfall probability 80% (R80), infiltration,and evapotranspiration data analysis. Groundwater table should not be less thanminus 0.4 meters based on the Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry(Menlhk). The deficit means the groundwater level below -0.4 m and surplus uponthe criteria. Land modeling is simulated with an area of 300 x 1000 meters. Thecalibration in the model was found conductivity values, 50 m / day or 5.78 x 10-4 m /s with the best value with the largest NSE and Correlation. The modeling showedthat the deficit occurred in seven months. The groundwater management is how tokeep the water level upon -0.4 m with the planning of canal blocking height. Thescenarios are 0.2 m. 0.3 m, 0.4m, and 0.5 m upon the base flow of the canal. Thebest scenario was chosen 0.5m according to the simulation which has the waterlevel upon -0.4 m.

Carbon Emissions from Oil Palm Induced Forest and Peatland Conversion in Sabah and Sarawak, Malaysia

The palm oil industry is one of the major producers of vegetable oil in the tropics. Palm oil is used extensively for the manufacture of a wide variety of products and its production is increasing by around 9% every year, prompted largely by the expanding biofuel markets. The rise in annual demand for biofuels and vegetable oil from importer countries has caused a dramatic increase in the conversion of forests and peatlands into oil palm plantations in Malaysia. This study assessed the area of forests and peatlands converted into oil palm plantations from 1990 to 2018 in the states of Sarawak and Sabah, Malaysia, and estimated the resulting carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. To do so, we analyzed multitemporal 30-m resolution Landsat-5 and Landsat-8 images using a hybrid method that combined automatic image processing and manual analyses. We found that over the 28-year period, forest cover declined by 12.6% and 16.3%, and the peatland area declined by 20.5% and 19.1% in Sarawak and Sabah, respectively. In 2018, we found that these changes resulted in CO2 emissions of 0.01577 and 0.00086 Gt CO2-C yr−1, as compared to an annual forest CO2 uptake of 0.26464 and 0.15007 Gt CO2-C yr−1, in Sarawak and Sabah, respectively. Our assessment highlights that carbon impacts extend beyond lost standing stocks, and result in substantial direct emissions from the oil palm plantations themselves, with 2018 oil palm plantations in our study area emitting up to 4% of CO2 uptake by remaining forests. Limiting future climate change impacts requires enhanced economic incentives for land uses that neither convert standing forests nor result in substantial CO2 emissions.

Tropical peatlands and their conservation are important in the context of COVID-19 and potential future (zoonotic) disease pandemics.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused global disruption, with the emergence of this and other pandemics having been linked to habitat encroachment and/or wildlife exploitation. High impacts of COVID-19 are apparent in some countries with large tropical peatland areas, some of which are relatively poorly resourced to tackle disease pandemics. Despite this, no previous investigation has considered tropical peatlands in the context of emerging infectious diseases (EIDs). Here, we review: (i) the potential for future EIDs arising from tropical peatlands; (ii) potential threats to tropical peatland conservation and local communities from COVID-19; and (iii) potential steps to help mitigate these risks. We find that high biodiversity in tropical peat-swamp forests, including presence of many potential vertebrate and invertebrate vectors, combined, in places, with high levels of habitat disruption and wildlife harvesting represent suitable conditions for potential zoonotic EID (re-)emergence. Although impossible to predict precisely, we identify numerous potential threats to tropical peatland conservation and local communities from the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes impacts on public health, with the potential for haze pollution from peatland fires to increase COVID-19 susceptibility a noted concern; and on local economies, livelihoods and food security, where impacts will likely be greater in remote communities with limited/no medical facilities that depend heavily on external trade. Research, training, education, conservation and restoration activities are also being affected, particularly those involving physical groupings and international travel, some of which may result in increased habitat encroachment, wildlife harvesting or fire, and may therefore precipitate longer-term negative impacts, including those relating to disease pandemics. We conclude that sustainable management of tropical peatlands and their wildlife is important for mitigating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, and reducing the potential for future zoonotic EID emergence and severity, thus strengthening arguments for their conservation and restoration. To support this, we list seven specific recommendations relating to sustainable management of tropical peatlands in the context of COVID-19/disease pandemics, plus mitigating the current impacts of COVID-19 and reducing potential future zoonotic EID risk in these localities. Our discussion and many of the issues raised should also be relevant for non-tropical peatland areas and in relation to other (pandemic-related) sudden socio-economic shocks that may occur in future.

Global peatland area and carbon dynamics from the Last Glacial Maximum to the present – a process-based model investigation

Abstract. Peatlands are an essential part of the terrestrial carbon cycle and the climate system. Understanding their history is key to understanding future and past land–atmosphere carbon fluxes. We performed transient simulations over the last 22 000 years with a dynamic global peat and vegetation model forced by Earth system model climate output, thereby complementing data-based reconstructions for peatlands. Our novel results demonstrate a highly dynamic evolution with concomitant gains and losses of active peatland areas. Modeled gross area changes exceed net changes several fold, while net peat area increases by 60 % over the deglaciation. Peatlands expand to higher northern latitudes in response to warmer and wetter conditions and retreating ice sheets, and they are partly lost in midlatitude regions. In the tropics, peatlands are partly lost due to the flooding of continental shelves and are regained through nonlinear responses to the combined changes in temperature, precipitation, and CO2. Large north–south shifts of tropical peatlands are driven by shifts in the position of the intertropical convergence zone associated with the abrupt climate events of the glacial termination. Time slice simulations for the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) demonstrate large uncertainties in modeled peatland extent (global range from 1.5 to 3.4 Mkm2, million square kilometers) stemming from uncertainties in climate forcing. The net uptake of atmospheric CO2 by peatlands, modeled at 351 GtC since the LGM, considers decay from former peatlands. Carbon uptake would be misestimated, in particular during periods of rapid climate change and subsequent shifts in peatland distribution, when considering only changes in the area of currently active peatlands. Our study highlights the dynamic nature of peatland distribution and calls for an improved understanding of former peatlands to better constrain peat carbon sources and sinks.

Using remote sensing to assess peatland resilience by estimating soil surface moisture and drought recovery

Peatland areas provide a range of ecosystem services, including biodiversity, carbon storage, clean water, and flood mitigation, but many areas of peatland in the UK have been degraded through human land use including drainage. Here, we explore whether remote sensing can be used to monitor peatland resilience to drought. We take resilience to mean the rate at which a system recovers from perturbation; here measured literally as a recovery timescale of a soil surface moisture proxy from drought lowering. Our objectives were (1) to assess the reliability of Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) backscatter as a proxy for water table depth (WTD); (2) to develop a method using SAR to estimate below-ground (hydrological) resilience of peatlands; and (3) to apply the developed method to different sites and consider the links between resilience and land management. Our inferences of WTD from Sentinel-1 SAR data gave results with an average Pearson's correlation of 0.77 when compared to measured WTD values. The 2018 summer drought was used to assess resilience across three different UK peatland areas (Dartmoor, the Peak District, and the Flow Country) by considering the timescale of the soil moisture proxy recovery. Results show clear areas of lower resilience within all three study sites, which often correspond to areas of high drainage and may be particularly vulnerable to increasing drought severity/events under climate change. This method is applicable to monitoring peatland resilience elsewhere over larger scales, and could be used to target restoration work towards the most vulnerable areas.

Coastal peat-beds and peatlands of the southern North Sea: their past, present and future.

Peat layers are well represented in the Holocene coastal deposits of the southern North Sea and provide evidence as to the extent and nature of the fens and bogs that occupied the region in the mid and late Holocene. While natural processes contributed to their demise, without human interference extensive areas of peatland would remain. We review the characteristics of the vegetation of these peatlands along with the processes that influenced their development. Spatial and temporal trends are explored through the use of palaeogeographic maps from three areas: the East Anglian Fenland, the Romney Marsh area and the Netherlands. The palaeoecological evidence indicates that eutrophic vegetation promoted by rising relative sea level (RSL) dominated in the mid Holocene, with a trend towards the development of oligotrophic and ombrotrophic vegetation in the late Holocene as the rate of RSL rise declined. Nevertheless, areas of eutrophic vegetation appear capable of long-term stability with areas of fen woodland and herbaceous fen persisting at some locations for several thousand years in the mid and late Holocene. Areas of active peat growth in the region are now largely confined to small remnants within agricultural settings. To retain their characteristic biodiversity these remnants have been managed using traditional practices, although their small size and fragmented distribution limits their biodiversity value. Biodiversity concerns and the ecosystem services peatlands provide, notably carbon sequestration and flood attenuation, underlie recent restoration projects. These efforts are likely to receive additional impetus as a consequence of rising water levels, given projected rates of RSL rise. Future large-scale restoration can be informed by a greater understanding of the processes that formed and sustained coastal peatlands in the past. We identify advances in palaeoenvironmental research that could enhance restoration efforts and help maximise the ecosystem services delivered through such projects.

The influence of anthropogenic land use on Finnish peatland area and carbon stores 1950–2015

The influence of anthropogenic land use on Finnish peatland area and carbon stores 1950–2015

The Response of Microbial Communities to Peatland Drainage and Rewetting. A Review.

Peatlands are significant global carbon stores and play an important role in mediating the flux of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. During the 20th century substantial areas of northern peatlands were drained to repurpose the land for industrial or agricultural use. Drained peatlands have dysfunctional microbial communities, which can lead to net carbon emissions. Rewetting of drained peatlands is therefore an environmental priority, yet our understanding of the effects of peatland drainage and rewetting on microbial communities is still incomplete. Here we summarize the last decade of research into the response of the wider microbial community, methane-cycling microorganisms, and micro-fauna to drainage and rewetting in fens and bogs in Europe and North America. Emphasis is placed on current research methodologies and their limitations. We propose targets for future work including: accounting for timescale of drainage and rewetting events; better vertical and lateral coverage of samples across a peatland; the integration of proteomic and metabolomic datasets into functional community analysis; the use of RNA sequencing to differentiate the active community from legacy DNA; and further study into the response of the viral and micro-faunal communities to peatland drainage and rewetting. This review should benefit researchers embarking on studies in wetland microbiology and non-microbiologists working on peatland drainage and rewetting in general.

How to effectively use long-term remotely sensed data to analyze the process of tree and shrub encroachment into open protected wetlands.

Succession caused by agricultural land abandonment is one of the most serious threats to the biodiversity of non-forest ecosystems in Europe. The aim of the study conducted in the Biebrza National Park (NE Poland) was to develop a remote sensing method to analyze the process of tree and shrub encroachment into the open peatland area of the Lower Biebrza Basin of 245 km2. The study covered a period of 50 years, from 1966 to 2015. Tree and shrub coverage was analyzed independently on the basis of airborne imagery acquired in 1966, 1980, 1997, 2006, 2010 and hyperspectral and ALS data from 2015.The method used, which consisted in assigning the area covered by trees and shrubs to permanent reference areas in a grid of squares enabled us to analyze the succession process by integrating various types of airborne data retrieved from various sensors with different geometric, radiometric and spectral resolutions. Owing to this, the process of succession could be characterized on the map by illustrating the spatial distribution of tree and shrub area and the dynamics and directions of their changes in time, and quantitatively by calculating the area of trees and shrubs as well as the dynamics, pace and directions of its change over time. It will be possible to integrate the results of the analysis of archived data with those acquired in the future, which will contribute to even wider use of remote sensing in succession process monitoring. The findings suggest that in the study period the area covered by trees and shrubs increased by 3020 ha, and the open areas decreased from 75.78% of the study area in 1966 to 63.31% in 2015. During the last study period (2010–2015) encroachment of trees and shrubs was inhibited to the rate of 2.7 ha/year as a result of the conservation program being implemented in the Lower Biebrza Basin.

Characteristics of Diurnal Rainfall over Peatland Area of South Sumatra, Indonesia

The peak time of rainfall occurrence over an area has certain characteristics in which the difference in time and intensity of rainfall varies depending on its location and distance from the sea. This variation can be determined based on the phase and amplitude obtained using harmonic analysis. In this study, combined data from in-situ observation, satellite remote sensing and reanalysis were used to analyze spatial and temporal variations of peak rainfall events over peatland area of the South Sumatra Province. The results show that most of the South Sumatra Province has a diurnal peak of rainfall during afternoon ranging from 16.00 to 19.00 Western Indonesian Time. In addition, the results also indicate that the analysis on the in situ data revealed seasonal variation both in amplitude and time of maximum diurnal rainfall, while the reanalysis data only indicated a weak seasonal variation on the amplitude of the diurnal rainfall. Furthermore, spatial analysis shows that the time of maximum diurnal rainfall has spatial variation. Over the ocean, the time of maximum diurnal rainfall occurs during night time/early morning. Over the lowland or coastal area, the time of maximum diurnal rainfall occurs during afternoon, while over the high altitude (mountain) it occurs during late night.

The effect of different treatments of moss layer transfer technique on plant functional types' biomass in revegetated milled peatlands

The number and the area of former milled peatlands under restoration have increased rapidly in the Northern Hemisphere in recent decades with the primary aim of promoting peat accumulation. However, the application of similar restoration techniques across different sites does not always lead to desired results, and some site‐specific modifications may be needed. This study aimed to evaluate the response of aboveground plant biomass on three experimental sites in northern Estonia to different restoration techniques in degraded peatlands. The sites were restored using the moss layer transfer technique, which was modified with different plant spreading rates and species composition of spread material, fertilization, and creating variations in microtopography. The strongest effect of manipulations was found for bryophyte biomass responses to treatments. The creation of a microtopographic relief during the site preparation phase favored the development of Sphagnum biomass in depressions rather than in positive microforms. The species composition of the spreading material had some effect on bryophyte biomass: Sphagnum biomass was higher where hummock species had been spread. We did not find any statistical difference in the ratio of Sphagnum reintroduction tested ranging from 1:10 to 1:15.

Canal blocking optimization in restoration of drained peatlands

Abstract. Drained peatlands are one of the main sources of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions globally. Emission reduction and, more generally, ecosystem restoration can be enhanced by raising the water table using canal or drain blocks. When restoring large areas, the number of blocks becomes limited by the available resources, which raises the following question: in which exact positions should a given number of blocks be placed in order to maximize the water table rise throughout the area? There is neither a simple nor an analytic answer. The water table response is a complex phenomenon that depends on several factors, such as the topology of the canal network, site topography, peat hydraulic properties, vegetation characteristics and meteorological conditions. We developed a new method to position the canal blocks based on the combination of a hydrological model and heuristic optimization algorithms. We simulated 3 d dry downs from a water saturated initial state for different block positions using the Boussinesq equation, and the block configurations maximizing water table rise were searched for by means of genetic algorithm and simulated annealing. We applied this approach to a large drained peatland area (931 km2) in Sumatra, Indonesia. Our solution consistently outperformed traditional block locating methods, indicating that drained peatland restoration can be made more effective at the same cost by selecting the positions of the blocks using the presented scheme.

Characteristics of peatland chemicals and their association with the diversity of dominant plants in Papua

Peatlands are often associated with an area that has a specific habitat in a particular area. The purpose of this study was to determine the characteristics and associations of the dominant biodiversity in the Mappi Regency, Papua. The research method used was a survey. The survey was conducted in Bamgi District, Mappi, Papua. The results showed that peat soils in Mappi have characteristics that are categorized as fabric-peat. Acidity or soil pH condition belongs in the low category (3.95-4.53), moderate C-organic (16.31%), high nitrogen (1.09%), moderate C/N ratio (15.01), whereas soil texture was from clay loam to sandy silt loam. This peatland is associated with various types of important tree groups flora, such as sago, agarwood, or gaharu (Aquilaria spp), massoy tree, rubber, and whitebark tree or gambir. Based on the level of importance, this peatland area contains various important plant species. Thus it needs to be conserved with appropriate area management.

Groundwater Flow Analysis at Coastal Peatland Area of Bengkalis Island Using Paper Disk Velocimeter (PDV)

Bengkalis Island is an island with about 89% of its land area consisting of peatlands. Because of the land use conversion from peat swamp forest to plantation and shrubs, the island has experienced massive degradation, such as abrasion, subsidence and land fires. The abrasion at western area of Bengkalis Island has occurred since the last 30 years with an abrasion rate up to 30 m/year. The previous studies showed that this is because of unbalanced hydrological conditions. The more advanced research related to groundwater flow impact on degraded peatland in Bengkalis Island is important in order to understand the mitigation alternative. To study the groundwater flow on the peat coast of Bengkalis Island, this study used Paper Disk Velocimeter (PDV) for measuring at 2 monitoring wells. The measurements were carried out at a depth of 2 m and 5.5 m and a depth of 2 m, 3 m and 4 m for Well-1 and Well-2 respectively. All measurements were carried out for 3 times on different month. This research found that the groundwater slope dropped significantly near the coastal line. This made the groundwater discharge to the coastal area become higher that may cause failure on the coastal cliff. The failure was identified as the initial phenomenon of the abrasion mechanism in the Bengkalis coast.

STUDI PEREMAJAAN TANAMAN KELAPA SAWIT DI AREAL LAHAN TANAH MINERAL DAN LAHAN GAMBUT

Oil palm trees that are more than 25 years old generally have low productivity of oil palm fruit and will decrease in productivity. For this reason, it is necessary to replant oil palm plants so that their productivity can be maintained high and increased. The aim of this research is to study the technique of replanting oil palm plants in mineral soil areas in the area of Kebun Aek Loba, PT Socfindo, Asahan Regency, North Sumatra Province and in the peatland area of Kebun Mandah Estate, PT Bhumireksa Nusa Sejati, Riau Province. Soil types in the Aek Loba garden area were dominated by mineral soils of the typic hapludult class and made from mother rock tufo toba and young alluvium with a soil pH of 5.5. Mandah Estate plantation area is 100% peat soil with a composition of 74% mature peat (sapric) and 26% medium peat (hemic). Peat is more than 3 meters deep (including very deep peat) and has a crumbly texture so it is easy to erode. The peat soil includes ombrogin peat (formed from large swampy plains), has a high acid content with a pH &lt; 5.5, and has a peat soil density of (1.25 - 1.80) g / cc. Replanting activities in mineral soil areas include ripping, plowing, chipping, holing to planting with a large field capacity (0.04 - 0.72) ha / hour and a total time of completion of work (total field time) of 139.5 hours / ha. Replanting activities in peatland areas include falling, chipping, deboling, holing and planting with a large field capacity (0.06 - 1.25) ha / hour and a total field time of 73.7 hours / ha. Keywords: field capacity, mineral soils, peatlands, replanting, total field time

Mapping Thickness and Maturity Level Of Peat in The Simpang Wie Village, East-Langsa Sub-district, Langsa City

Food needs become increasingly urgent along with the growth of populations. Indonesian particularly needs more land to be used or utilized to increase food productivity and to create field-work.This view is considered because of the decreasing mineral lands in Indonesian. By conducting a study on the mapping of the thickness and maturity level of peat, it can provide the usage of peatland regarding cultivated land. The result of mapping can appropriately be used to design land utilization and model of production system. This study was carried out at Simpang Wie Village, East-Langsa Sub-district, Langsa City, as known which is known as one of the Peatland areas in Langsa City. The study was conducted in December 2019. Survey method design was employed in this research while the research location was determined purposively, which means that it is directly chosen or purposively chosen because the location is a peatland. Data types applied by field observation in this study were primary and secondary data. In this study, This research requires four main following phases; (1)Preparation (2)Preliminary-Survey (3) Field-Implementation, and (4) Data Analysis/ Discussion. The research result shows that the peatland area width of 4.94 9 (Ha) was classified into two types peat thickness: Shallow/Thin Peat with thickness &gt; 40-100 cm (1.95 Ha), and Moderate Peat with thickness of 101-195 cm (2.99 Ha). Based on the observation, the maturity Level of Peat also classified into two maturity levels, those are Hemic Maturity Level and Sapric Maturity Level. Therefore, the use of peatland area according to thickness and maturity level concluded that the thickness of 40-100 cm can appropriately be used to cultivate paddy-fields, palawijas and plantation crops (horticulture). Besides, the thickness of 101-195 cm can appropriately be used to cultivate plantation crops (horticulture), vegetable crops (olericulture), and fruit crops (fruticulture). At least, this land is suitable to be used for agricultural cultivation because it has hemic and sapric maturity level.&#x0D; Key words: peat, thickness, maturity level , hemic, sapric, cultivated land