APN-SEAPeat Community of Practice Newsletter |
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Dear Researcher, You are receiving this email because you attended the Hybrid Forum on “Policy and Governance Approaches to Mitigation of Carbon Emissions in Southeast Asia’s Forests” on 11 December 2023 and you indicated your interest to join our Community of Practice. As members of this Community, you will be periodically receiving this newsletter which contains articles and materials related to peatlands and climate change in Southeast Asia. You will also receive news of our project’s upcoming events. |
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Breaking the Vicious Cycle of Haze and Climate Change in Southeast Asia by Sharon Seah and Helena Varkkey in FULCRUM, Transboundary haze has reared its ugly head again, no thanks to peatland burning and the compounding effects of the El Nino phenomenon and climate change. It is high time to break the vicious cycle of haze and climate change. | | |
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Peat fires in Brunei Darussalam: Considerations for ASEAN Haze Cooperation and Emerging Regional Infrastructure Development by Helena Varkkey and Massimo Lupascu in Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography, Volume 45, Issue 1, January 2024 This paper sheds light on the extent of the haze problem in Brunei Darussalam and on Brunei's unique position in contributing to the haze through fires occurring in disturbed parts of its peatlands. Brunei's peatland fires, which have their roots in infrastructure development, juxtapose drastically with the drivers of peat fires in other parts of southern Southeast Asia, which are mainly due to small- or large-scale agriculture development. Our discussion highlights how Brunei's status as both a small state in ASEAN and a minor producer of smoke haze has resulted in Brunei remaining at the sidelines of haze diplomacy and cooperation at the ASEAN level. Further, the paper points out a lack of attention to the role of infrastructure development on peatlands in driving fires and haze in the country and how this is also increasingly becoming an issue in neighbouring countries, where massive infrastructure projects are underway, cutting through Borneo's peatlands. |
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CH4 and N2O emissions from smallholder agricultural systems on tropical peatlands in Southeast Asia by Antonio Jonay Jovani-Sancho, Patrick O'Reilly, Gusti Anshari et al. in Global Change Biology, Volume29, Issue15, August 2023 This study aimed to fill the gap in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions data from smallholder agricultural systems in tropical peatlands of Southeast Asia by measuring methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions in Malaysia and Indonesia. The research focused on different land uses: croplands, oil palm plantations, tree plantations, and forests, to understand how these emissions vary across agricultural practices. It found that CH4 emissions were significantly affected by the depth of the water table, with higher emissions recorded when the water table was less than 25 cm below the surface. N2O emissions were closely related to the amount of dissolved nitrogen in the soil, indicating that soil nutrient levels play a crucial role in GHG emissions from these lands. The study highlights the importance of developing tailored emission factors for national GHG inventories and suggests that reducing nitrogen fertilization and preventing the conversion of peat swamp forests to agricultural land are key strategies for mitigating emissions from tropical peatlands. |
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Please also reach out to us if you have relevant articles or other materials that you would like us to share with the Community in upcoming newsletters. If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, please email us at SEApeat.toolkit@gmail.com.
Thank you! The APN-SEAPeat Team |
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