"In the end, successful and continuous peatlands conservation relies on each sector’s willingness to acquire new knowledge and collaborate."
Joiada Cruzate, SciDev.Net
Most of Indonesia’s peatlands have been drained to develop plantations and agricultural fields. Whether by big corporations or small-scale farmers, these activities are behind the forest fires that have become a seasonal phenomenon.
But what could grow in infertile, carbon-rich and waterlogged soil? Farmers in peatland areas around the world can take lessons from their Amazonian counterparts who grow aguaje, the fruit of the mauritia flexuosa palm.
“We are lucky that we have that plant and everybody likes it,” says Dennis del Castillo, director of the Forest Management and Environmental Service Programme, Peru, and one of the panelists on the Forum. “What we are doing is looking for new markets for the fruit. We believe that it’s going to help the economy and people and help preserve those environments,” he says.
Indeed, there is much more to learn about peatlands and the opportunities that surround it. In the end, successful and continuous peatlands conservation relies on each sector’s willingness to acquire new knowledge and collaborate.
This piece was produced by SciDev.Net’s Asia & Pacific desk.
Source: SciDev.Net