Tropical Peatland Restoration Reduces Fire Occurrence

Extensive tropical peatlands in Indonesia have been drained and deforested, leaving them highly susceptible to fire. In response to widespread fires in 2015 El Niño, large-scale restoration schemes were implemented. While fire occurrence was dramatically reduced during 2019 and 2023 El Niño, it is not known to what extent restoration contributed. Here we examined the impacts of the two key restoration methods, canal blockings using dams and pumped groundwater from deep wells, on fire occurrence across Indonesian peatlands. We found restoration significantly reduced fire hotspot density in 2019 by up to 2.6 km−2, compared to matched controls. However, the impact was not evident during 2023 when the fire hotspots were much lower. The effectiveness of restoration varies according to climate, ecosystem, and restoration type. Canal dams and deep wells together contributed 38% of the total fire hotspot reduction observed between 2015 and 2019 in 3,920 km2 restored peatlands.