Presented by Johan Kieft of UN Environment / Global Peatland Initiative (GPI) at the 3rd Asia-Pacific Rainforest Summit, on 21 April 2018 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia

1. The Brazzaville
Declaration:
Time for
reflection, stock
taking and
renewed action
Johan Kieft, UN Environment /
Global Peatland Initiative (GPI)

2. GPI – Global Peatland Initiative
Backgroud, in 2015, Peat in the news:
– The 2015 peat fires in Indonesia leading to increased GHG
emission, significant impacts on health and livelihoods of peat
dependent communities
– The discovery of large peat areas in the Congo basin and in Peru,
which are being targeted for development. And reports of peat
fires in the Congo DRC
– The issue of peat subsidence putting economies at risk globally
in PLACES as far apart as the Netherlands and Sumatra

3. Tropical Peatlands

4. High Level Commitments to
Sustainable Use of Peat.

5. Environmental and Social Impacts of Peat Degradation

6. The Issue of Fire.
– The need for drainage to use and access tropical peats (logging, NFTP
extraction, in almost all cases has led to fire, due to the nature of peat;
– Mekong delta: cleared in 1920 and drained through steam drained waterways
during the2002 El-Nino hit by fires, restored and since 2009 free of fires
– Central Kalimantan: the clearing and draining of the so called ex PLG has led to a
persistent fire problem, leading to firs in 1997/98. 2002, 2004/2006/2010, 2013
and 2015
– Riau: the use of peat for pulpwood and estate crops (palm oil) has led to
persistent and repeated fires, in 2014 and 20015 causing major air pollution
challenges..

7. The Issue of Fire.
– In the Congo basin, Amazon and on Papua (mountain peat) still pristine
peat. However fires are becoming a problem there too.
– The CHALLENGE:
 how to use peat sustainable;
 to ensure peat remains intact but the needs of communities and local
economies;
 fiscal resources are met;

8. Global Peatland Initiative (GPI)
1)Peatlands are important to human societies around the world. They
contribute significantly to climate change mitigation and adaptation through
carbon sequestration and storage, biodiversity conservation, water regime
and quality regulation, and the provision of other ecosystem services that
support livelihoods.
2) Immediate action is required to prevent further peatland degradation and
the serious environmental, economic and social repercussions it entails.
Existing options to tackle the issue vary, and for that reason implementation
should be regionally adapted to local environmental, economic and social
needs and characteristics.

9. Global Peatland Initiative (GPI)
3) A landscape approach is vital and good practices in peatland
management and restoration must be shared and implemented across
all peatland landscapes to save these threatened ecosystems and their
services to people.
4) Local communities should receive support to sustainable manage
their peatlands by preserving traditional non-destructive uses and
introducing innovative management alternatives.
5) A comprehensive mapping of peatlands worldwide is essential to
better understanding their extent and status, and to enable us to
safeguard them. Research and monitoring should be improved to
provide better maps and tools for rapid assessment and transparent

10. The need to put peat higher on the
International Agenda
1) Clear and consistent policy messages that underline the value of peat
2) Act now and immediately conserve intact peat lands
3) Put the necessary fiscal arrangements in place
4) Channel funding through existing international financial arrangements
5) Build an international institutional framework around coordination and policy alignment.
6) Identify and address key science and knowledge gaps through targeted research agendas
7) Stakeholders must address low awareness by raising investment in educatiopon and knowledge s on
peatlands
8) Ensure open dialogues on peat policy development at all levels

11. The First Step:
THE BRAZZAVILLE DECLARATION
Indonesia, Republic of Congo and Democratic Republic of
the Congo agreed:
TO COLLABORATE TO CONSERVE THE PEAT IN THE
CUVETTE BASSIN
LEARN FROM EACH OTHER EXPERIENCE IN MANAGING
PEAT.
INITIATE A JOINT IMPLEMENTATION ROADMAP

12. Flood Risk, due to peat subsidence on Borneo
Source: J Wells et al, 2013: Forests, flood, People and Wildlife on Borneo: report to UNEP

13. Next Steps
– Seeking similar to Brazzaville, similar arrangements for:
– The amazon basin
– The island of Papua
– This aiming to protect the remaining large areas of pristine peat in the world.

14. Climate Change is Causing the Drying of the Congo Rainforest
and Peats - A CLEAR MITIGATION ADAPTATION LINK.