FAO launches new Project on Peatland Fire Measurement in Southeast Asia

FAO has initiated a new Technical Cooperation Programme aimed at developing and piloting a peatland fire measurement technique to support nationally determined contributions (NDCs) to the Paris Agreement. The methodology will be designed and tested over 2026 and 2027, in close collaboration with national government counterparts. Potential partners include Indonesia’s Ministry of Forestry and Thailand’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, and Royal Forest Department.

Peatlands are globally significant carbon stores, covering just 3 percent of the Earth’s land surface but containing around 30 percent of all soil organic carbon. Degradation and fires in these ecosystems contribute substantially to greenhouse gas emissions and pose serious environmental, health, and economic risks. In Southeast Asia, draining, deforestation, and agricultural conversion have left many peatlands dry and vulnerable to recurrent fires, while measurement of fire emissions has remained technically challenging.

The project will help develop innovative remote sensing and field-based techniques to quantify peatland fire area, depth, and emissions. By building on 15 years of research in Indonesia and leveraging new satellite technologies, FAO aims to create standardized methods that can be applied regionally and integrated into national climate policies and plans, including NDCs.

“This project addresses a critical knowledge gap in peatland and wildfire science and management,” said Matthew Warren, Forestry Officer - Peatlands, FAO. “By developing innovative methods to assess peat fire severity and associated emissions, the project will improve countries' understanding of how interactions between human activities and climate drive peat fires—and to design more effective strategies to reduce their risks and impacts while accurately assessing and monitoring progress toward NDCs.”

The initiative will also include workshops and regional consultations to promote knowledge sharing and strengthen policy dialogue on peatland fire management.

This work aligns with FAO’s broader approach to integrated fire management, supporting sustainable peatland management, biodiversity conservation, and climate change mitigation and adaptation, as well as  global frameworks such as the Sustainable Development Goals, the Rio Conventions and the Ramsar Convention.

By improving scientific understanding of peatland fires and providing practical tools for monitoring and prevention, the project will help countries reduce fire risks and enhance ecosystem resilience.

“This project builds on FAO’s long-standing work on peatlands and supports the ASEAN Peatland Strategy’s 12 focus areas and action plan,” said Lucrezia Caon, Land Management Officer at FAO’s Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific. “It will help consolidate country-specific priorities into a coherent regional roadmap by highlighting shared goals, recognizing national contexts, and strengthening regional cooperation and knowledge exchange.”

By combining scientific innovation with regional cooperation, the project marks an important step toward more effective, coordinated approaches to peatland fire management in Southeast Asia.