Tropical moist forests where waterlogged soil prevents dead leaves and wood from fully decomposing
Satellite image of the island of Borneo on 19 August 2002, showing smoke from burning peat swamp forests
Southeast Asian haze series
Haze in Borneo, 2019
History
1990s
1997 Southeast Asian haze
1997 Indonesian forest fires
2000s
2005 Malaysian haze
2006 Southeast Asian haze
2009 Southeast Asian haze
2010s
2010 Southeast Asian haze
2013 Southeast Asian haze
2015 Southeast Asian haze
2016 Malaysian haze
2016 Southeast Asian haze
2017 Southeast Asian haze
2019 Southeast Asian haze
Key topics
Chemical equator
Deforestation
in Borneo
in Indonesia
Mega Rice Project
Peat swamp forest
Borneo
Responses
ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution
Operation Haze
Transboundary Haze Pollution Act 2014
People's Movement to Stop Haze
See also
Air pollution in Malaysia
API
Singapore PSI
Social and environmental impact of palm oil
Category
v
t
e
Peat swamp forests are tropical moist forests where waterlogged soil prevents dead leaves and wood from fully decomposing. Over time, this creates a thick layer of acidic peat.[1] Large areas of these forests are being logged at high rates.
Peat swamp forests are typically surrounded by lowland rain forests on better-drained soils, and by brackish or salt-water mangrove forests near the coast.
They are a kind of peatland, which store and accumulate vast amounts of carbon as soil organic matter—much more than forests on mineral soil (i.e. non-peatland) contain. Peat formation is a natural carbon sink; because the decomposition of the organic matter is slower than its production rate, the surplus accumulates as peat. Their stability has important implications for climate change; they are among the largest near-surface reserves of terrestrial organic carbon.[2] Tropical peat swamp forests, which have ecological importance, are one of the most threatened, yet least studied and most poorly understood biotypes.
Since the 1970s, tropical peat swamp forest deforestation and drainage have greatly increased in South East Asia.[3] In addition, El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) drought and large-scale fires are accelerating peatland devastation. Peat fires, drainage and deforestation enhances the decomposition of soil organic matter, increasing the release of stored carbon into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.[4]
Tropical peat swamp forests are home to thousands of animals and plants, including many rare and critically endangered species such as the orangutan and Sumatran tiger, whose habitats are threatened by peatland deforestation.[5]
^Cite error: The named reference :03 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Page, Susan E.; Rieley, John O.; Banks, Christopher J. (1 February 2011). "Global and regional importance of the tropical peatland carbon pool". Global Change Biology. 17 (2): 798–818. Bibcode:2011GCBio..17..798P. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2486.2010.02279.x. ISSN 1365-2486. S2CID 86121682.
^Murdiyarso, Daniel; Lilleskov, Erik; Kolka, Randy (1 April 2019). "Tropical peatlands under siege: the need for evidence-based policies and strategies". Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change. 24 (4): 493–505. doi:10.1007/s11027-019-9844-1. ISSN 1573-1596.
^Bell, Loren (20 July 2014). "What is peat swamp, and why should I care?". Mongabay Environmental News. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
^"Peatland Treasures - Wetlands International". wetlands.org. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
Peatswampforests are tropical moist forests where waterlogged soil prevents dead leaves and wood from fully decomposing. Over time, this creates a thick...
The Borneo peatswampforests ecoregion, within the tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests biome, are on the island of Borneo, which is divided...
whereas rain is the only source of water for peatswampforests. The hue of the water in the freshwater swampforest is typically an indication of the quantities...
A swamp is a forested wetland. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in creating this environment. Swamps...
The Peninsular Malaysian peatswampforests is an ecoregion on Malay Peninsula, which includes portions of Malaysia. It is in the tropical and subtropical...
turn one million hectares of unproductive and sparsely populated peatswampforest into rice paddies in an effort to alleviate Indonesia's growing food...
The lower Kayahan flows through a rich and unusual environment of peatswampforests, which has been severely degraded by an unsuccessful program to convert...
source of peat; although less common, other wetlands, including fens, pocosins, and peatswampforests, also deposit peat. Landscapes covered in peat are home...
100 sq mi), the Borneo peatswampforests, the Kerangas or Sundaland heath forests, the Southwest Borneo freshwater swampforests, and the Sunda Shelf mangroves...
quagfen. Some swamps can also be peatlands (e.g.: peatswampforest), while marshes are generally not considered to be peatlands. Swamps are characterized...
per hectare. After a peatswampforest has been cleared and drained, the peat soil is still unsuitable for agriculture, because peat soil is nutrient-poor...
uncertain. They are believed to prefer peatswampforests, but been sighted at low elevations in tropical dry forests. In March 2005, an otter civet was photographed...
are some traditions of cultivating native crops semi-wild in intact peatswampforest, or gathering peatland products without active cultivation. The review...
Aquilegia canadensis Red Columbine Wetlands portal Freshwater swampforestPeatswampforestSwamp Minnesota's St. Croix River Valley and Anoka sandplain:....
secondary forest. Populations are more concentrated near riverside habitats, such as freshwater and peatswampforest, while drier forests away from the...
International as an Important Bird Area (IBA). It contains peatswamp, mixed dipterocarp, and tropical heath forest. The site was identified as an IBA because it supports...
floodplain, consisting of about 20 seasonal lakes, freshwater swampforest and peatswampforest. Local people call it as Lebak lebung (floodplain). The National...
Borneo, including the Borneo peatswampforests, Southwest Borneo freshwater swampforests, and Sundaland heath forests. These other lowland ecoregions...
Kelompok Hutan Kahayan or Sabangau peatswampforest (5,300 km2), between the Katingan and Kahayan rivers. The peatswampforest is a dual ecosystem, with diverse...
Indonesia, forms part of the largest undisturbed swampforest in southeastern Asia, and the peatswampforest with the greatest number of palm species. Protected...
Development Programme launched its Wetland and Ecosystem and Tropical PeatSwampForest Rehabilitation Project and in November the International Peatland...
attributed the decline to "a policy mix including bans on primary forest clearing and peat drainage, a review of land concessions, and a moratorium on new...
Native trees include both heath forest endemics, typical lowland forest species, and species shared with peatswampforests like Shorea albida, Shorea pachyphylla...
Global Information
Category