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Peatland Restoration in Sepahat
Restoration activities in Sepahat support peatland management in an area vulnerable to fire.
Sepahat Village in Bandar Laksamana District, Bengkalis Regency, is prone to fire. Analysis of Terra/Aqua MODIS satellite data identified 365 hotspots between 2010 and 2018 with confidence levels above 70. The village government has taken various preventive measures, including establishing a Community Fire Care Group (MPA), which has carried out patrols and community outreach since 2009.
The village has 360 kilometres of drainage canals—roughly the travel distance between Pekanbaru and Padang—which contribute to peatland fire risk. Its management area of up to 10,000 hectares makes monitoring difficult for the MPA. Various organisations have supported peatland rewetting to reduce vulnerability to fire.
In 2012, the Riau Environmental Agency (BLH) built 2 canal blocks. In 2014, the Ministry of Environment (KLH) built another 2 through the ASEAN Peatland Forest Project (APFP). In 2015, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK), with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) funding, built 11. In 2016, Yayasan Mitra Insani built 5 canal blocks and 6 boreholes, while Bukit Batu Police built 5 canal blocks.
The Sepahat MPA preparing planting lines. Photo: Arifin and YG, 2020
With WWF Riau support, Yayasan Mitra Insani built a further 5 canal blocks in 2017. WWF Riau built 1 in the same year and another 2 in 2019, according to Samsul Komar, WWF Riau’s Fire Monitoring and Restoration Specialist for Sumatra Peatlands.
In 2019, WWF Riau also provided revegetation training in Sepahat. The village government supported this by allocating 35 hectares for forest tree planting. Samsul Komar told Yayasan Gambut that 15 hectares of previously burned peatland had been planted with forest trees.
Sago and forest tree planting supported by Yayasan Gambut in Sepahat. Photo: Arifin and YG, 2020
Discussions with WWF Riau, the village government and the MPA identified 20 hectares still unplanted within the 35-hectare allocation. With funding from Global Environment Centre (GEC) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Yayasan Gambut contributed to revegetation across 3 hectares. The Sepahat MPA planted 1,200 pulai and geronggang seedlings and 216 sago seedlings. The work aims to deliver ecological benefits and sustainable economic opportunities without damaging peatland.