Rural Development and Local Governance:
Key Factors to promote peatland restoration
(Plenary Session)
Dr. Myrna A. Safitri
Peatland Restoration Agency

Why Rural Development matters
- More than 1,000 villages are in
targeted areas of peatland restoration;
covering an area of 1.4 million
hectares; more than 50% overlaps with
concession and conservation areas.
- Data in 2015 showed that 87% of the
villages were less developed villages.
- Village and peasants must be ‘subject’
of peatland restoration, not just a
locus/object of projects.
- Art. 18 of UN Declaration on the Rights
of Peasants and Other People Working
in Rural Areas (UNDROP)
“Peasants and other people working in rural areas have
the right to contribute to the design and implementation
of national and local climate change adaptation and
mitigation policies, including through the use of practices
and traditional knowledge.”

What we do
- Peat care Village Program (Desa Peduli Gambut)
has implemented since 2017 with 10 main
activities to facilitate the strengthening of local
institution, to integrate peatland restoration into
village development (plan and budget) and to
build participatory governance of peatland
restoration.
- Inclusive approach, work with diverse community
groups: local elite, peasants, women, youth.
- Promote the improvement of IDM, particularly on
the indicators of ecological resilience.
- Together with the peasants, seek for solution of
climate-smart agriculture.
- Develop a landscape-based green economy
intervention, combining Rural Zone Policy
(Kawasan Perdesaan) with Peatland Hydrological
Unit (KHG).

Lessons-learned
1. Utilize all existing policies and
programs; do improvement and
innovation, make them work!
2. Number and diversity matters;
local elites cannot be avoided
but they need to be included.
3. Better engagement with ‘local
champions’.
4. Collect and develop data and
map with the communities.

Concluding Remarks
Pak Ismail, Desa Pedekik, Bengkalis 191120.
1. Landscape approach need to be
developed through a green
economy model based on peatland
rural zones (Kawasan Perdesaan
Gambut)
2. Adopt & adapt IDM as indicators of
successful intervention; BRG
develops IDPG (Indeks Desa Peduli
Gambut) using triple criteria &
indicators (social, economi and
ecological resilience)
3. Be open to hybrid local institution
4. Be open to new local wisdom

Thank you