The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has launched a new Technical Cooperation Programme to develop and pilot a methodology for measuring peatland fires, supporting countries in meeting their nationally determined contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement. The project will run through 2026 and 2027 in close collaboration with national government counterparts, with potential partners including Indonesia’s Ministry of Forestry and Thailand’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, and the Royal Forest Department.
Peatlands, though covering only about 3 percent of the world’s land surface, store roughly 30 percent of all soil organic carbon, making them globally significant carbon reservoirs. Degradation and fires in these ecosystems release large amounts of greenhouse gases while posing environmental, health, and economic risks. In Southeast Asia, peatlands have become increasingly vulnerable due to draining, deforestation, and agricultural conversion, yet accurate measurement of fire emissions has remained a technical challenge.
The project aims to develop innovative remote sensing and field-based techniques to quantify peatland fire area, depth, and emissions. Building on over 15 years of research in Indonesia and leveraging emerging satellite technologies, FAO seeks to establish standardized methods that can be applied across the region and integrated into national climate policies and NDC reporting.
Matthew Warren, Forestry Officer for Peatlands at FAO, highlighted the project’s importance in filling knowledge gaps: by assessing peat fire severity and emissions, countries will better understand the interplay between human activities and climate in driving peat fires, enabling more effective risk reduction strategies and accurate monitoring of climate commitments.
The initiative will also host workshops and regional consultations to strengthen knowledge sharing and policy dialogue on peatland fire management. This aligns with FAO’s integrated fire management approach, supporting sustainable peatland management, biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and compliance with international frameworks such as the Sustainable Development Goals, the Rio Conventions, and the Ramsar Convention.
Lucrezia Caon, Land Management Officer at FAO’s Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, emphasized that the project will consolidate country-specific priorities into a coherent regional roadmap, reinforcing the ASEAN Peatland Strategy’s objectives and promoting regional cooperation and knowledge exchange.
By combining scientific innovation with collaborative regional efforts, the FAO project represents a significant step toward more effective and coordinated peatland fire management in Southeast Asia, helping countries reduce fire risks, improve ecosystem resilience, and advance climate action.
