Presented by Diah Suradiredja, Policy Senior Advisor, Indonesia Biodiversity Trust Fund (KEHATI), at Webinar "A Synthesis and Way Forward", 17 December 2020. In this session, the speaker explained the common understanding of peatland restoration. This session also underlined the importance of finding the balance between conservation and sustainable use through the multi-stakeholder and cooperation including the local engagement. Speaker also shared the potential criteria and indicators that can be useful in peatland monitoring and assessment such as improving participation, profitability, and productivity of smallholders, reducing social conflict, reducing deforestation and degradation, stock areas, and reducing fire and haze.

1. The Role of Local Governance Towards
Facilitating Sustainable Peatland Management/Restoration
(Session 2d)
Diah Suradiredja - KEHATI

2. • Peatlands are a unique habitat for a variety of flora and fauna. If this land is
damaged, the world will lose hundreds of species of flora and fauna, because
they are unable to grow in other habitats. Biodiversity living in peatland
habitats is a source of germplasm that can be used to improve the traits of
commercial varieties or types of flora and fauna in order to obtain disease-
resistant, high-production, or other beneficial commodities
• Peatland is also a habitat for freshwater fish which is a comodity of high
economic value. They are important to be developed such as
gabus/snakehead, toman?red snakehead, jelawat/Hoven's carp,
tapah/helicopter catfish, etc.
• Peatlands have great potential as a means of sustainable agricultural or
plantation cultivation as long as it practices conservation principles and uses
appropriate technology, as well as adaptive commodity selection. Indonesia
has vast peatlands and is the fourth country with the largest peatlands in the
world after Canada, Russia, and the USA.
Common Understanding

3. Three things that have been pressured by all related parties since the 2000s, are;
1. In order to gain the function and benefit of natural resources of peatlands, it is
necessary to have a balance between aspects of conservation and sustainable
use of these lands. This condition can be met based on the identification of the
potency and existing obstacles with an approach to balance the needs of
conservation and utilization.
2. Management of natural resources including peatlands can not be carried out by
certained parties only, but it alsoi requires efforts and coordination among
relevant parties such Government, Non Government Organization, Universities,
private sectors, and the community. Therefore, coopertion is needed among all
parties to enable in realizing the optimal and sustainable use of natural
resources.
3. Implementation of decentralization at local level requires a clear and firm
division of tasks, as well as continous trasnparant communication among
stakeholders. Fort his reason, a national guideline is required which can be
elaborated in various regions by adjusting it as needed.

4. 1. Finding a balance across different sustainability dimensions (economic,
social, environmental and good governance, including transparency issues),
and boosting synergies and addressing trade-offs across these dimensions
2. Using a stepwise approach, combining outcome (‘good’) with process (‘in
progress’) indicators
3. Being audience-oriented, with indicators that are relevant and meaningful to
various target groups, including national governments, district governments,
trade partners and consumers
4. Looking at feasibility, including by taking into account data availability and
using efficient, objective collection methods, such as remote sensing, using
secondary data, checks on government documents, surveys and others.
Translating these elements and governance components into measurable
indicators for jurisdictional sustainability calls for some general considerations:

5. The potential criteria and associated indicators that can be useful in
monitoring and assessment of peatlands
1. Improving the participation, profitability and productivity of
smallholders in fair commodity supply chains
2. Reducing social conflict and protecting human rights, including labour
and indigenous land rights
3. Reducing deforestation and forest degradation in high conservation
value and high carbon
4. Stock areas, including primary and secondary forests, as well as
peatlands
5. Reducing fire and haze.

6. 1. The most appropriate scale of measurement remains the district. Provinces can be very
heterogeneous, while villages are too small and too numerous for biophysical measurements
to be interpreted. In addition, evaluation and verification at this or smaller scale could
become too expensive, burdensome and lengthy for potential monitors.
2. District governments have specific mandates that are clearly specified and limited by
regulations, particularly Law 23/2014 on Local Governments. They cannot pursue activities
beyond their mandate.
3. The work of district governments is based on specific processes in terms of planning,
budgeting and implementation. These processes are stipulated by regulations. To be
implemented, district government activities should first be integrated into planning
documents. Only then can they be financed by the local budget.
4. The provisions of the assistance task are contained in the Minister of Environment and
Forestry Regulation No.61 / MENLHK / SETJEN / KUM.1 / 11/2017 concerning the Assignment
of Part of Government Affairs in the Environment and Forestry Sector for Peat Restoration
Activities for Fiscal Year 2018 to the Governor of Riau, the Governor of Jambi, Governor of
South Sumatra, Governor of West Kalimantan, Governor of Central Kalimantan, Governor of
South Kalimantan, and Governor of Papua.
Selecting pragmatic indicators for the roles of local at peatland jurisdictional level needs
specific considerations:

7. TERIMAKASIH