How Saving Peat Swamps and Mangroves Can Help Fight Climate Change

Summary of Half of land use carbon emissions in Southeast Asia can be mitigated through peat swamp forest and mangrove conservation and restoration

Southeast Asia is losing huge amounts of peat swamp forests and mangroves, which store massive amounts of carbon and help fight climate change. When these ecosystems are cut down, burned, or drained, they release nearly half of the region’s land-use carbon emissions, making climate change worse. Scientists found that protecting and restoring these forests could cut emissions in half while also preserving wildlife, preventing floods, and supporting local communities. This makes them one of the most effective and natural solutions for reducing pollution and slowing global warming.

Big Idea:

Scientists found that almost half of the land-use carbon pollution in Southeast Asia comes from destroying peat swamp forests (PSFs) and mangroves. Protecting and restoring these ecosystems could cut emissions in half, helping the fight against climate change.

What’s Happening?

• Southeast Asia releases a lot of carbon pollution (about one-third of the world's land-use carbon emissions).
• Much of this pollution comes from cutting down or damaging peat swamp forests and mangroves.
• These forests store huge amounts of carbon, but when they are destroyed, they release that carbon into the air.

Fig. 1: Distribution of land uses replacing peat swamp forests (PSFs) and mangroves across Southeast Asia by 2022. See document for more details.

Where Is This Happening?

• The biggest polluters from land-use change are:
  • Indonesia (73%)
  • Malaysia (14%)
  • Myanmar (7%)
  • Vietnam (2%)

How Much Land Is Being Lost?

• Peat swamp forests are disappearing at a rate of about 240,000 football fields per year.
• Mangroves are disappearing at a rate of 16,600 football fields per year.
• This destruction is mostly caused by:
• Cutting down trees for plantations (like palm oil farms).
• Fires (some natural, some caused by humans).
• Draining land to make space for farms and fish ponds.

Mangroves. Photo by Muhammadh Saamy on Unsplash

Why Does This Matter?

• Peatlands and mangroves act like giant sponges for carbon. They soak up carbon from the air and keep it trapped in the soil.
• When they are burned, cut down, or drained, they release that carbon back into the atmosphere, which heats up the planet.
• Peat swamps store way more carbon than regular forests, so destroying them does more damage to the climate.

What Can Be Done?

• Stopping deforestation (cutting down trees) could cut emissions in half.
• Restoring peatlands and mangroves could remove nearly 100 million tons of CO₂ from the air each year.
• The best way to help? Rewet the land (stop draining the water) and let forests regrow naturally.

Why This Is Important for the Future

• If Southeast Asian countries protect and restore these forests, they could meet their climate goals under the Paris Agreement.
• This could also protect wildlife, prevent floods, and support local communities.

The Bottom Line:

Saving peat swamps and mangroves is a simple and powerful way to slow down climate change. By stopping destruction and helping forests grow back, Southeast Asia could cut nearly half of its land-based carbon pollution, helping both people and the planet.

Sasmito, S.D., Taillardat, P., Adinugroho, W.C. et al. Half of land use carbon emissions in Southeast Asia can be mitigated through peat swamp forest and mangrove conservation and restoration. Nat Commun 16, 740 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-55892-0 (open access)