About Us

Who we are

People for Peat is a coalition that represents the second component of the Sustainable Use of Peatland and Haze Mitigation in ASEAN (EU-SUPA) programme. The coalition aims to support and enhance the ASEAN Peatland Management Strategy. The coalition believes that collective actions and enhanced cooperation of non-state actors (NSAs) will improve sustainable peatland management, mitigate the impacts of climate change, manage the risk of peat fires, and reduce transboundary regional haze.

What We Do

People for Peat focuses on improving the participation of non-state actors (NSAs) across Southeast Asia by closing the knowledge gap and integrating reliable data and information. The coalition also builds NSAs’ capacity in business and investment, and enhances awareness through outreach and advocacy.

People For Peat 3 Pillars

Data & Information

There is a knowledge gap in existing research and levels of understanding of peatlands within the ASEAN region. This gap has made it a challenge to plan, implement, and monitor integrated strategies for peatland management.

People for Peat works towards increasing non-state actor’s knowledge and understanding of peatlands, including planning and implementing activities on the ground by:

Utilizing and mainstreaming reliable data
Promoting actionable research
Implementing best practices at the local level

Business & Investment

Peatlands have often been regarded as marginal land. As a result, peatland stakeholders carry out practices that provide short-term economic benefits to make it productive. However, this causes long-term ecosystem degradation.

While there have been initiatives to change the perception that peatland is a marginal land, there is an urgent need for alternative business solutions, sufficient investment funding, and best practices to ensure economic growth while maintaining sustainability principles. People for Peat works to support communities and companies by developing a partnership platform that encourages a nurturing environment for sustainable investment.

Awareness & Advocacy

Currently, non-state actors (NSAs) have little participation in sustainable peatland management. This is due to a variety of reasons, including lack of access to reliable information, inconsistent data, and unclear definitions of peatlands and policies governing them.. Additionally, the limited knowledge platforms available further hinders NSAs capacity to actively grasp opportunities to improve their livelihoods and wellbeing.

Through the awareness and understanding of the relevance and impact of peatlands in people's lives, People for Peat aims to consolidate the recognition of peat as a sustainable ecosystem that offers economic growth as well as climate change mitigation through:

Designing and executing effective communication strategies for mainstreamed peatland issues to stakeholders using a compelling locally-driven narrative
Capacity building for NSAs to support on-the-ground implementation of best practices in peatland management