BRGM Restores Million Hectares of Peatland and Mangroves

TheIndonesia.co - Indonesia's Peatland and Mangrove Restoration Agency (BRGM) has announced that it successfully restored 1.6 million hectares of peatland and rehabilitated approximately 84,000 hectares of mangroves between 2016 and 2024.

"Peatland and mangrove restoration not only benefits the environment but also enhances the lives of surrounding communities," said BRGM Chief Secretary Ayu Dewi Utari in a statement released on Thursday, according to Antara News Agency.

Utari explained that the agency was established under presidential authority and will complete its mandate by December 2024. Its primary goals included accelerating peatland restoration and improving community welfare in seven provinces: Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, Central Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, West Kalimantan, and Papua.

BRGM also focused on rehabilitating mangroves across nine provinces: North Sumatra, Riau, Riau Islands, Bangka Belitung, West Kalimantan, North Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, Papua, and West Papua.

The agency’s efforts to restore peatland resulted in a 29.59 percent reduction in land fires. Additionally, its world-leading mangrove rehabilitation programme not only expanded land cover but also enhanced pond productivity and created new job opportunities.

By the end of 2024, BRGM will have established 22,349 units of peatland restoration infrastructure.

Currently in its liquidation phase, BRGM also generated 102,000 jobs in peatland restoration and provided support to 2,992 community groups working on mangrove rehabilitation. A total of 41,352 people actively participated in the mangrove restoration efforts.

Utari stressed that both peatland and mangrove restoration are long-term processes requiring patience, consistency, and a tailored approach to the specific social and economic needs of remote and frontier areas.