“Conservation is cheaper than restoration when it comes to peatlands. The cost of restoring peatlands is 25 times the cost of restoring mangroves.” Daniel Murdiyarso
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Most Filipinos, including today’s generation, are very much aware of wetlands. But what about peatlands? I am sure not too many are aware that the international community observed World Peatlands Day last June 2.
Peatlands are a unique category of wetland. They encompass around 3% of the Earth’s terrestrial surface. This exceptional ecosystem, despite being relatively underappreciated, is crucial for climate regulation, the preservation of biodiversity, and the management of natural water resources.
“Peatlands are one of the planet’s most vital ecosystems,” said Dr. Jerome L. Montemayor, the executive director of Laguna-based ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity. “They are a powerful natural resource and can store more carbon than all of the world’s forests combined.”
The ASEAN region holds a significant amount of the world’s peatlands—approximately 25 to 30 million hectares. This represents 6% of all global peatlands and about 40% of tropical peatlands.
In the Philippines, work on peatlands is still in its infancy, there having been very few targeted studies on peat areas, according to the haze portal of ASEAN.
There are two areas in the country where substantial areas of peatlands have been found: the Agusan Marsh and the Leyte Sab-a Basin.
Let’s focus on the Agusan Marsh as it is located in Mindanao. “(It) may hold the largest area of peatland in the Philippines. At present, there is no reliable estimate of the area and distribution of peat within Agusan Marsh,” the portal said.
“Two areas of peatland within the marsh have been confirmed – one just to the north of Bunawan, the vegetation of which has mostly been cleared and burned, and the other to the west of Caimpugan, which exhibits the characteristics of a peat dome, the forest of which is mostly intact except close to the Hibong River.”
According to the portal, peatlands may also be present in the following areas: Ligawasan Marsh in Mindanao (the largest marshland area in the country), Dolongan area in Basey, Western Samar, Southern Leyte, Mount Pulag in Northern Luzon, Surigao del Norte, Naujan Lake in Mindoro Oriental, and Pangasinan floodplains.
The formation of peatlands is a fascinating process that involves specific environmental conditions and a significant amount of time. Eric Ralls, Earth.com staff writer, gives us some details.
“The formation of peatlands typically begins in waterlogged environments where the rate of plant material decomposition is significantly reduced,” he wrote. “The waterlogged condition creates an anaerobic (oxygen-deficient) environment, which slows down the activity of decomposer organisms, such as bacteria and fungi. As a result, plant matter that falls into these areas is not fully decomposed and starts to accumulate over time.”
The main factors contributing to the buildup of plant material in peatlands can differ based on the geographical area. In tropical regions, trees frequently serve as the primary contributors to the peat layer. These trees, which are adapted to flourish in saturated environments, generate substantial quantities of organic matter that, when conditions are favorable, can result in the development of peatlands.
“As more plant material accumulates and the partially decomposed plant material becomes more compacted, a layer of peat begins to form,” Ralls penned. “Peat is a brown, soil-like material consisting of partially decomposed organic matter.
“The accumulation of peat happens very slowly, at a rate of about one millimeter per year. Given that peat layers can be many meters thick, peatland formation is a process that can take thousands of years.”
The ASEAN haze portal indicates that numerous peatlands play a crucial role in mitigating flood peaks and maintaining base flows in rivers during dry spells, with peat functioning as a sponge that absorbs water in wet conditions and gradually releases it.
Despite the Philippines having relatively few peatlands in comparison to other nations, the peatlands present in the Philippines are still significant for the storage and sequestration of atmospheric carbon.
The limited data available implies that the biodiversity value of Philippine peatlands is considerable. Given the high degree of endemism found in Philippine flora, conducting a botanical survey of peatland regions may uncover previously undescribed species.
Peatlands are also vital to local communities, providing wood resources such as timber and firewood for household use, as well as non-wood products. Significant peatlands in both Agusan and Leyte Sab-a have been drained and repurposed for agricultural activities.
“However, despite their valuable environmental and ecosystem services, many people may not be aware of their importance,” Dr. Montemayor said in a statement. “They remain vulnerable to rapid degradation due to various human activities.”
Given that peat is a relatively uncommon soil type in the country, there exists a significant deficiency in understanding what peat is, its characteristics, and suitable management strategies for peatlands across all sectors, including local communities, non-government organizations, and government bodies.
In connection with this, there is a notably limited capability for the prudent management of peatlands and an absence of a national institutional framework for their governance.
Moreover, large-scale development initiatives, which include irrigation elements, also present a risk to the Agusan Marsh and the Leyte Sab-a Basin.
