The ASEAN Peat Ranger consists of selected champions in local communities/villages of eight ASEAN Member States (AMS). Peat ranger training in Indonesia was conducted at Hotel Neo Gajahmada, Pontianak, West Kalimantan Province, and the event was conducted on 16-18 May 2022. Six peat rangers/participants attended the training, and they come from Permata Village, Terentang, Kubu Raya Regency. The training aims to prevent overexploitation and further degradation of the deep peatland that has been or will be converted. We trained 6 representations of Permata Village on three basic peatland conservation materials: peatland hydrological roles, peatland fire prevention, and sustainable livelihood options on peatland. In addition to the basic peatland conservation training, we also expose the peat rangers to two materials: sustainable agriculture management on peatland and the role of microbes in peatland conservation.

The training combines three different methods. First, the training uses classroom methods that combine expert materials teaching to trigger two-ways discussion between rangers and the experts. Second, the training also has group discussions and presentations facilitated by the peat experts. Lastly, the training use site-visitation to further understand the peat context within the village. Day one was a half-day meeting. On this day, the rangers were briefed about the upcoming activities. Rangers also did a pre-test. Most importantly, the rangers learned about the Peat Rangers Programs and got to know each other during the informal sessions.

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There are several recommendations that we have in regard to Peat Ranger Training based on the verbal testimony from the participants. For the substance, the rangers would like to explore more sustainable livelihood development training. They have a huge interest in learning about livelihood diversification opportunities other than oil palm, including rattan crafts, mushroom farming, added value of existing commodities (chilies or ginger), and managing different diseases of plants. The rangers also would like to visit the places that have implemented sustainable peatland management, i.e. Batu Ampar.