Indonesian Peatlands Research Articles

Peatlands Rehabilitation through Species Enrichment on Post-fire Oil Palm Plantation Area

Forest fires and land conversion to oil palm plantations are one of the major threats that caused dangerous impacts on the existence of peatlands in Indonesia. Rehabilitation by plant type enrichment method is an effort that can be developed to restore the ecological and hydrological functions of degraded peatlands. This study aimed to analyze biophysical conditions (soil characteristics), analyze the growth response of plant species against the combination of planting types; analyze the choice of planting combinations that are in accordance with the physical conditions of the field and the needs of local communities. This study was designed by varying the diversity of tree species or combination of planting. The research plot consists of three size area (5m x 5m, 10m x 10m, and 20m x 20m). The species that used in this study consists of Shorea balangeran, Durio zibethinus, Archidendron pauciflorum, Parkia speciosa, Coffea liberica and Areca pinanga. The results showed that the research plot has soil characteristic from mesotropic fertility categories (moderate fertility) to eutophic (fertile), while the pH between 3.2 – 3.5 (very acidic). The growth of plant species at the age of five months has growth rate differentiation both height and diameter in each combination of planting. The height growth of Shorea balangeran species the highest which average of 35.16 cm while the diameter growth of Areca pinanga is 8.13 mm. The best combination of planting is a combination of six species wich consists Shorea balangeran, Durio zibethinus, Archidendron pauciflorum, Parkia speciosa, Coffea liberica and Areca pinanga. Keywords: enrichment planting, growth, rehabilitation, peatlands

Estimation of Metal Emissions From Tropical Peatland Burning in Indonesia by Controlled Laboratory Experiments

AbstractThe tropical peatland burning in Indonesia is one of the most significant types of wildfires on a global scale. Previous studies indicated the importance of metal emissions from Indonesian wildfires. However, metal emission profiles from Indonesian wildfires have not been quantified well yet. To address this issue, we analyzed metals and metalloids emitted from combustion experiments of peat and vegetation growing over peatland in Indonesia. The analyzed elements include Mg, Al, Ca, V, Cr, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Se, Sn, and Pb. The emission ratios of aerosol particles emitted from combustion of the ombrotrophic peat and vegetation agreed within a factor of few, regardless of the variability in the elemental compositions of the original fuel. In both cases, the emission ratios of Ca were the highest, followed by crustal elements Fe and Al. The concentration ratios of crustal and biogenic elements (Fe/Al and Zn/Fe) were found to be a useful metric to infer dominant fuel types. Namely, the concentration ratio of Fe/Al was high (6.2 ± 4.4) for peat combustion particles, while the value was lower (1.9 ± 1.3) when plant burning was conducted. The emission ratios of the metals were combined with an existing emission inventory to estimate the emission rates of the analyzed metals. The emission rates of carcinogenic metals, such as Cr and Ni, were estimated to be 0.02 and 0.013 Gg/year, respectively. The analysis also indicated that the peatland burning could be one of the important sources of atmospheric Fe in the region.

Facing the peat CO2 threat: digital mapping of Indonesian peatlands\u2014a proposed methodology and its application

PurposeWe conducted this project to develop a feasible method for mapping tropical peat lands of Bengkalis Island—as a test site—in Indonesia.Materials and methodsThe method based on limited availability of field measurements and a wide range of remotely sensed spatial datasets like radar elevation product, MODIS, and Landsat imageries. We applied land use category based sampling to extend existing field data of peat thickness. New peat thickness data was collected by boring and simultaneous electrical resistivity tomography (ERT). Based on remotely sensed and field data sets, peat maps were compiled by simulated spatial annealing. Peat map statistics were derived after 500 runs including mean, median, minimum, maximum, and percentile values.Results and discussionThe resulted maps represent the limiting values of expected peat thickness using 90% confidence level. Results showed that ERT is suitable for determining peat layer thickness. Using independent samples, we found that peat thickness predictions tend to overestimate peat thickness by ca. 2 m in general.ConclusionsAccording to predictions, the peat volume of Bengkalis Island is estimated to be in the range of 3.28–3.58 km3.

Exploration of the importance of physical properties of Indonesian peatlands to assess critical groundwater table depths, associated drought and fire hazard

Widespread degradation of Indonesian peatlands by deforestation and excessive drainage results into more frequent fires, particularly in El Niño years, which causes: (i) release of enormous amounts of peat soil carbon to the atmosphere, impacting climate, (ii) severe air pollution, affecting human health and air traffic, and (iii) decreased ecosystem services through loss of biodiversity. Groundwater table decline is the main driver of these negative processes and, therefore restoration of peatland hydrology is essential. Although groundwater table depth is critical to counteract peatland degradation, optimal depths are not generic for all peatlands, but depend on peat physical properties (i.e. water retention, unsaturated conductivity), which are related to the degree of peat humification (Fibric, Hemic, Sapric). Unfortunately only few of these peat physical properties are available while they are essential input data in hydrological models required to extend the usually short observed groundwater hydrographs. An experiment with the Soil-Water-Atmosphere-Plant model (SWAP) for two locations in Indonesian peatlands illustrates the impact of the degree of peat humification on physical properties and thereby on calculated groundwater table depth, hydrological drought and associated fires hazards. The Variable Threshold Method is applied to convert groundwater table depths into hydrological drought, and next the modified Keetch-Byram Drought Index (mKBDI) is used to assess wildfire hazard. Peat physical properties that reflect higher peat humification (Hemic and Sapric) result into lower water tables during dry periods, in particular during El Niño years, more severe hydrological drought, and an earlier and longer fire season. Using the limited available peat physical properties the importance is demonstrated of initiating a comprehensive programme to build a database of peat physical properties covering different environmental conditions in which tropical peatlands occur. Availability of such a database connected to a long-term monitoring programme, will support the ongoing rewetting, revegetation and revitalisation programme for Indonesian peatlands, which eventually will contribute to sustainable livelihoods for local people and reduce impact on the regional climate.

Water management system of peatlands for palawija plants on KHG Pulang Pisau, Central of Kalimantan

Kesatuan Hidrologis Gambut (KHG) or Peat Hydrological Unit is a land which consist of incomplete soil decomposition of aquatic vegetation that is inundated with anaerobic conditions. Peatlands in Indonesia have common problem, which is adequacy of water availability (water balance) throughout the year and fire risk. This condition makes the holding of studies to ensure this. In this research, study uses secondary data of Peatlands, Pulang Pisau regency, Central of Kalimantan. This research will be modeling groundwater level using unconfined steady aquifer with finite difference method by Qgis Freewat. Then, if possible, the model will be calibrated by direct sampling at some point in the field, so the next will be modeling by comparison results of water level model with water level existing that up to 40 cm in accordance with Government Regulation no. 57 of 2016 on amendment to Government Regulation No. 71 of 2014 on the Protection and Management of Peat Ecosystems. From this research is expected to give some of benefits as follow: 1). Estimating water balance for Palawija Plants in KHG Pulang Pisau, 2). Modeling groundwater level for canal as one of the optimal water management efforts so that peatlands are not too dry and not too wet, so the risk of forest fires can be minimized.

The response of soil respiration to climatic drivers in undrained forest and drained oil palm plantations in an Indonesian peatland

To accurately quantify tropical peatlands’ contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions, and to understand how emissions from peat may change in the future, long-term measurements over seasons and years are needed. Sampling soil respiration over a range of temperature and moisture conditions in the field is valuable for understanding how peat soil emissions may respond to climate change. We collected monthly measurements of total soil respiration, moisture and temperature from forest and smallholder oil palm plantations on peat in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. Our study period, from January 2014 through September 2015, covered wet–dry transitions during 1 year with relatively normal precipitation and one El Nino year. Oil palm plots, with lower water table, had 22% higher total soil respiration (0.71 ± 0.04 g CO2 m−2 h−1) than forest plots (0.58 ± 0.04 g CO2 m−2 h−1) over the entire monitoring period. However, during the El Nino event in September 2015, despite overall lower water table levels in oil palm plots, total soil respiration was higher in forest (1.24 ± 0.20 g CO2 m−2 h−1) than in oil palm (0.90 ± 0.09 g CO2 m−2 h−1). Land-use change continues to be an important driver of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from Indonesian peatlands. However, the stronger response of total soil respiration to extreme drought in forest indicates the potential importance of climate regime in determining future net carbon (C) emissions from these ecosystems. Future warming and increased intensity of seasonal drying may increase C emissions from Indonesian peatlands, regardless of land-use.

Pemodelan Tinggi Muka Air Gambut Berdasarkan Sifat Fisik Lahan Gambut

Lahan gambut di Indonesia cukup luas yaitu sekitar 7% dari luas daratan Indonesia. Beberapa tantangan terutama berkaitan dengan perubahan penggunaan lahan dialami oleh gambut di Indonesia. Pemanfaatan lahan gambut berdasarkan peraturan dapat dilakukan pada ekosistem gambut berfungsi budidaya yang biasanya disertai dengan pembangunan kanal untuk menurunkan tinggi muka air (TMA). Oleh karena itu pengamatan TMA harus dilakukan untuk meminimalkan dampak pemanfaatan lahan gambut. Untuk menghemat waktu dan biaya maka perlu adanya suatu model yang dapat menduga kedalaman muka air gambut berdasarkan sifat-sifat fisik gambut. Tujuan penelitian ini yaitu mencari model estimasi TMA dengan menggunakan sifat fisik lahan gambut sebagai upaya pencegahan terjadinya kebakaran gambut. Model aproksimasi terbaik dipilih dengan menggunakan Kriteria Informasi Akaike dengan koreksi sampel kecil (AICc). Studi ini memperoleh satu confidence set of model yang terdiri dari empat model dengan bobot isi (0-50 cm), kadar serat (50-100 cm) and kedalaman gambut sebagai predictor model. Hasil model juga menunjukkan kesesuaian dengan data pengukuran TMA di lapangan yang ditunjukkan oleh RMSE sebesar 16.2 cm dan R2=81%. Dari penelitian ini, tinggi muka air tanah gambut kritis untuk deteksi dini kebakaran hutan adalah pada kedalaman 74 cm. Oleh karena itu, kondisi TMA gambut harus dijaga lebih dangkal dari kedalaman kritis, jika tidak kebakaran gambut akan lebih mudah terjadi.

FIRE-DRIVEN BIOMASS AND PEAT CARBON LOSSES AND POST-FIRE SOIL CO2 EMISSION IN A WEST KALIMANTAN PEATLAND FOREST

Indonesian peatland forest is considered a huge sink of tropical carbon and thereby make significant contribution to global terrestrial carbon storage. However, landcover and landuse changes in this ecosystem have incurred a synergistic exposure to drought and wildfires. Deforestation and forest degradation through combustion and decomposition of forest biomass and soil carbon have become global issues because of their greenhouse gas contribution to global climate change. Thus fire-driven carbon losses in these peatlands have increased the need to evaluate the impacts of fire at a landscape scale. In 6–10 week dry periods from January to April 2014 and in January 2015, wildfires burnt peatland forest in Kubu Raya, West Kalimantan province (Indonesian Borneo). An assessment was conducted to provide more reliable estimates of the effects of fire on aboveground and soil carbon losses and their dynamics in the coastal peatlands of the province. Carbon loss from combustion of both aboveground biomass and peat soil was substantial. Moreover, CO2 emission from soil respiration at the burnt peat surface increased 46% over the first 9 months after the fire. This study clearly showed the magnitude of fire-driven carbon loss and the scale of CO2 emission to the atmosphere arising from fire in tropical peatland forest.

Constraining the Emission of Particulate Matter From Indonesian Peatland Burning Using Continuous Observation Data

AbstractTropical peatland, which dominantly distributes in Indonesia and Malaysia, has experienced recurring fires in the last few decades. Constraining the enhancement ratios and emission factors of gas and particulate matter emitted by the wildfires is necessary to evaluate their environmental and climatic impacts. We analyzed continuous observation data at Pekanbaru in Indonesia and Muar in Malaysia to investigate the emissions of gas and particulate matter. The enhancement ratios of particulate matter to carbon monoxide (PM10/CO) of wildfires in Riau province in June 2013 and February–March 2014 were analyzed. The PM10/CO ratios of peatland burning plumes ranged from 77 to 97 μg mg−1 for the event in June 2013, whereas the corresponding value was 127 μg mg−1 in February–March 2014. These enhancement ratios were translated to the emission factors of particulate matter using previous data on the emission factors of CO, assuming that secondary formation was ignorable. The estimated emission factors for PM10 were 13 ± 2 g kg−1 (2013) and 19 ± 2 g kg−1 (2014). These values are comparable to those reported by recent field observations in Indonesia and Malaysia (17.3 ± 6.0 to 34.4 ± 18.8 g kg−1). The estimated emission factors from both the present study and recent field work are consistently higher than that used in the current emission inventory, which suggests that it should be updated. A caveat for this analysis is possible influence of secondary formation, which will still be needed to be investigated in future studies.

Monitoring and Water Table Control For Plantation on Peatland in Indonesia

Drainage construction for plantations development on peatlands often caused controversy. Dranage construction will be followed by subsidence of peatland . To be able to extend the chance to get profit in the plantation business subsidence prevention efforts are needed. Setting water level and the prevention of excessive drainage is one of the efforts to reduce the rate of subsidence of the peat.This study is based on literature review by collecting information from various sources and then comparing and analyzing it so that information is obtained on a comprehensive subject matter. Literature review include: monitoring parameters, types of equipment for monitoring, pattern placement monitoring equipment, the range and the frequency of monitoring. From the study concluded that the water level necessary to measure on land and channels using dipwell and staff gauges. Observations were made with a combination of automated recording device and manual recording. Both are quite accurate, but the use of automatic registers in remote locations saves time, and if an automatic device is installed in an area that has the potential to have large water level fluctuations and runs quickly, it will provide more accurate data. Observations on dams for water level control are installed at every 20 cm drop in hidraulic head.

Ecosystem-scale methane flux in tropical peat swamp forest in Indonesia.

Data on ecosystem-scale methane (CH4 ) fluxes in tropical peatlands are currently lacking in the global CH4 budget. Although the waterlogged Indonesian peatlands contain the largest share of peat carbon in South-East Asia, ecosystem-scale CH4 budgets have not yet been reported, although these peatlands have the potential to emit CH4 . We observed 1-year variations in the ecosystem-scale CH4 flux in an undrained secondary peat swamp forest in central Kalimantan, Indonesia, using the eddy covariance method. We found that the peat swamp forest switched from being a CH4 sink during the dry season (as low as -8.9mg C m-2 day-1 ) to a source of CH4 during the wet season (up to 10.7mg C m-2 day-1 ), and this was dependent on changes in the groundwater level (GWL). The high GWL during the wet season enhanced the anaerobic CH4 production in the surface layer that had more labile organic matter. However, the CH4 emission also increased when the GWL dropped during dry spells in the wet season. The annual CH4 budget in the studied tropical peat swamp forest (0.09-0.17g C m-2 year-1 ) was much lower than that in northern, temperate, and subtropical wetlands. We found that CH4 fluxes had almost no effect on the global warming gas budget of the peat swamp forest, and values were only a few percent less than the CO2 fluxes at the same site. In addition, we conducted anaerobic soil incubation experiments to examine the effect of land-use change on CH4 production. The results indicated much higher CH4 production potential in undrained forest soil than in drained or drained and burned ex-forest soils. However, although CH4 production decreased in drained soils relative to undrained soils, conserving pristine peat swamp forests with high GWLs is important to suppress global warming because CO2 emissions increase in drained peatlands.

Visualizing the Spatiotemporal Trends of Thermal Characteristics in a Peatland Plantation Forest in Indonesia: Pilot Test Using Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs)

The high demand for unmanned aerial systems (UASs) reflects the notable impact that these systems have had on the remote sensing field in recent years. Such systems can be used to discover new findings and develop strategic plans in related scientific fields. In this work, a case study is performed to describe a novel approach that uses a UAS with two different sensors and assesses the possibility of monitoring peatland in a small area of a plantation forest in West Kalimantan, Indonesia. First, a multicopter drone with an onboard camera was used to collect aerial images of the study area. The structure from motion (SfM) method was implemented to generate a mosaic image. A digital surface model (DSM) and digital terrain model (DTM) were used to compute a canopy height model (CHM) and explore the vegetation height. Second, a multicopter drone combined with a thermal infrared camera (Zenmuse-XT) was utilized to collect both spatial and temporal thermal data from the study area. The temperature is an important factor that controls the oxidation of tropical peats by microorganisms, root respiration, the soil water content, and so forth. In turn, these processes can alter the greenhouse gas (GHG) flux in the area. Using principal component analysis (PCA), the thermal data were processed to visualize the thermal characteristics of the study site, and the PCA successfully extracted different feature areas. The trends in the thermal information clearly show the differences among land cover types, and the heating and cooling of the peat varies throughout the study area. This study shows the potential for using UAS thermal remote sensing to interpret the characteristics of thermal trends in peatland environments, and the proposed method can be used to guide strategical approaches for monitoring the peatlands in Indonesia.

Linking soil respiration and water table depth in tropical peatlands with remotely sensed changes in water storage from the gravity recovery and climate experiment

Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from Southeast Asia peatlands are contributing substantially to global anthropogenic emissions to the atmosphere. Peatland emissions associated with land-use change, and fires are closely related to changes in the water table level. Remote sensing is a powerful tool that is potentially useful for estimating peat CO2 emissions over large spatial and temporal scales. We related ground measurements of total soil respiration and water table depth collected over 19 months in an Indonesian peatland to remotely sensed gravity recovery and climate experiment (GRACE) terrestrial water storage anomoly (TWSA) data. GRACE TWSA can be used to predict changes in water storage on land. We combined ground observations from undrained forest and drained smallholder oil palm plantations on peat in Central Kalimantan to produce a representation of the peatland landscape in one 0.5° × 0.5° GRACE grid cell. In both ecosystem types, total soil respiration increased with increasing water table depth. Across the landscape grid, monthly changes in water table depth were significantly related to fluctuations in GRACE TWSA. GRACE TWSA explained 76% of variation in water table depth and 75% of variation in total soil respiration measured on the ground. By facilitating regular sampling across broad spatial scales that captures essential variation in a major driver of soil respiration and peat fires, our approach could improve information available to decision makers to monitor changes in water table depth and peat CO2 emissions. This would enable measures better targeted in space and time to more effectively mitigate CO2 emissions from tropical peat drainage and fires. Testing over larger regions is needed to operationalize this exploratory approach.

Ground-based measurements of column-averaged carbon dioxide molar mixing ratios in a peatland fire-prone area of Central Kalimantan, Indonesia

Tropical peatlands in Indonesia have been disturbed over decades and are a source of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere by peat respiration and peatland fire. With a portable solar spectrometer, we have performed measurements of column-averaged CO2 dry-air molar mixing ratios, XCO2, in Palangka Raya, Indonesia, and quantify the emission dynamics of the peatland with use of the data for weather, fire hotspot, ground water table, local airport operation visibility and weather radar images. Total emission of CO2 from surface and underground peat fires as well as from peatland ecosystem is evaluated by day-to-day variability of XCO2. We found that the peatland fire and the net ecosystem CO2 exchange contributed with the same order of magnitude to the CO2 emission during the non-El Niño Southern Oscillation year of July 2014-August 2015.

The institutional fit of peatland governance in Indonesia

The Government of Indonesia has published a number of policies and regulations to better manage its vast amount of tropical peatland, yet the degradation and conversion of Indonesian peatlands still continues. This paper analyses the institutional fit between Indonesian regulations related to peatland use and the characteristics of peatland users. We reviewed Indonesian legal policies and regulations on peatland use and management and conducted questionnaires and interviews with peatland users and policy makers in order to understand their practices and incentives in relation to the implementation of the four main peatland regulations. We focus on two provinces with large peatland areas: Jambi and Central Kalimantan. Using a framework for assessing the degrees of fit between the rule creators and adopters for peatland management, this paper shows that the degree of technical, political, and cultural fit of Indonesian peatland regulations can be classified as low to moderate. The paper shows that many peatland users are insufficiently aware of peatland regulations. The lack of socialisation on the contents of the regulations and the alternatives for peatland best practices, together with the lack of field monitoring and law enforcement are the important causes of non-compliance with peatland regulations. However, there are ongoing processes of fitting visible that are largely driven by the local government and NGOs. We discuss the degrees of fit and present some lessons for increasing the degree of fit for peatland regulations.

Rewetting Strategies for the Drained Tropical Peatlands in Indonesia

Rewetting Strategies for the Drained Tropical Peatlands in Indonesia

Using a Delphi approach to identify the most efficacious interventions to improve Indonesia’s forest and land governance

Improvements to forest and land governance are key to addressing deforestation and degradation of peatlands in Indonesia. While this is a priority area, the steps to achieving good forest and land governance have been under-researched. There is a need for better links between theoretically informed academic analysis and work in the field. This study drew together a panel of experts on forest and land governance using a Delphi method to discuss the underlying drivers of deforestation and peatland degradation, and correspondingly, to identify interventions to improve land and forest governance in Indonesia. Seventeen panelists with an average of more than 12 years’ experience reached agreement over four governance interventions: increasing the capacity of local communities to manage and monitor forests and natural resources (65% of panelist’s votes); identify strengths and weaknesses of community organisations and institutions, and develop strategies to improve their performance (65% of panelist’s votes); gazetting forests to clarify land boundaries and determine which areas should be village, community and state forest zone (59% of panelist’s votes); and, integrating participatory community maps into spatial plans to protect local communities and indigenous peoples’ development needs (53% of panelist’s votes). They also supported action research involving the government, private sector and communities, and political economy approaches to researching forest and land governance issues. Panelists indicated that community level approaches such as securing community forest tenure through clarifying land claims and integrating local land tenure into spatial planning had an important role in sustainable forest management.

Socioeconomic factors of smallholder farmers’ behavior in biomass burning around palm oil plantation in Indonesia

Indonesian peatland fires has been revealed as the cause of haze disaster in Indonesia, while oil palm plantation’s concesion owned both by companies and smallholder farmers are accused as the main cause of this problem, especially in practice of land clearing. It is very important to conduct research on socioeconomic factors of farmers’ behavior in burning the peatland, while peatland one of the megabiomass storage in nature. The research was conducted in Kalimantan barat, where in province has been choosen two villages as the sample. Observation, interview with quiestionare, and focus group discussion were used in collecting data. In term of analysing the data, regression analysis (ordinary least square) was performed using SPSS Program. The result show that: (1). The socio economics factor that are affecting the burning behavior, were extension’s activities, degree of knowledge, consideration to burn, degree of participation on organisation and degree of cosmopolite. On the other hand, degree of burning frequent, was affected by land productivity, extension activities, and degree of participation in organisation, and finally the size of land’ burning is affected by, the kind of burning’s activities, the mutual aid (social capital), consideration of land burning, degree of awarness, and degree participation on organization.

Is Indonesian peatland loss a cautionary tale for Peru? A two-country comparison of the magnitude and causes of tropical peatland degradation

Indonesia and Peru harbor some of the largest lowland tropical peatland areas. Indonesian peatlands are subject to much greater anthropogenic activity than Peru’s, including drainage, logging, agricultural conversion, and burning, resulting in high greenhouse gas and particulate emissions. To derive insights from the Indonesian experience, we explored patterns of impact in the two countries, and compared their predisposing factors. Impacts differ greatly among Indonesian regions and the Peruvian Amazon in the following order: Sumatra > Kalimantan > Papua > Peru. All impacts, except fire, are positively related to population density. Factors enhancing Indonesian peatlands’ susceptibility to disturbance include peat doming that facilitates drainage, coastal location, high local population, road access, government policies permitting peatland use, lack of enforcement of protections, and dry seasons that favor extensive burning. The main factors that could reduce peatland degradation in Peru compared with Indonesia are geographic isolation from coastal population centers, more compact peatland geomorphology, lower population and road density, more peatlands in protected areas, different land tenure policies, and different climatic drivers of fire; whereas factors that could enhance peatland degradation include oil and gas development, road expansion in peatland areas, and an absence of government policies explicitly protecting peatlands. We conclude that current peatland integrity in Peru arises from a confluence of factors that has slowed development, with no absolute barriers protecting Peruvian peatlands from a similar fate to Indonesia’s. If the goal is to maintain the integrity of Peruvian peatlands, government policies recognizing unique peatland functions and sensitivities will be necessary.

Reducing CO2 emissions and supporting food security in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, with improved peatland management

Exploitation of Indonesian peatlands with improper management has created vast areas of degraded peatlands. Degraded peatlands have become an important source of CO2 emissions from peat decomposition and land use change. On the other hand, appropriate utilization of peatlands for food production will be crucial in the future due to increasing food demand and inadequate arable land availability for agrarian development in mineral soils. Less damaging and more sustainable management practices that take into account optimum land allocation to ensure food security while reducing CO2 emissions need to be implemented in degraded peatlands. This paper discusses and highlights the effects of alternative land use options for degraded peatlands in the context of reducing CO2 emissions and improving food security. A 25-years simulation model shows that management of degraded peatlands areas in Central Kalimantan by reforestation, agroforestry and rice farming would reduce cumulative CO2 emissions by 13–21% compared to the business-as-usual scenario. Simultaneously, rice farming in degraded peatlands of the study area would annually contribute as much as 0.59 million tonnes to Central Kalimantan rice production starting from 2021.