Putting out wildfires: how peat restoration has reduced fire risk in Indonesia’s tropical forests

The Conversation · 🇦🇺 public Australia · Aug 12, 2026 · 890 words · By Dominick Spracklen; Joseph Holden; Resti Salmayenti

Climate Change Mitigation Environmental Conservation Ecological Restoration

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What to know about Climate Change Mitigation

The article discusses the impact of peatland restoration on reducing wildfire hotspots in Indonesia, specifically comparing the effectiveness of deep wells and canal blocking. It highlights the risks posed by El Niño and climate change while advocating for the continued restoration of degraded peatlands globally, including in the UK.

Propaganda risk 10%

Claims checked 15

Techniques found 1

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center83%

Right17%

6 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Peatland fires in Indonesia pose a major threat to habitats, wildlife and people.

Why it matters

That risk is exacerbated by the country’s periodic El Niño warming phases, which bring prolonged drought.

Common ground

Massive fires have occurred in all the recent El Niño years, including 2015, 2019 and 2023.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Climate Change Mitigation story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that The restoration contributed 38% of the total reduction in peatland fires observed between 2015 and 2019?
How does this story connect Climate Change Mitigation with Environmental Conservation over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://theconversation.com/putting-out-wildfires-how-peat-restoration-has-reduc…

analyticsAnalysis

10%

Propaganda Score

confidence: 95%

Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 70% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 15 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 7

schedule Pending 5

info Single Source 1

verified Verified 1

verified Verified By Reference 1

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Claim 1: “The restoration contributed 38% of the total reduction in peatland fires observed between 2015 and 2019”

CORROBORATED

Two independent web search results confirm that rewetting/restoration reduced peatland fires by 38% compared with 2015.

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web search NEUTRAL — Following the expiration of the Peatland and Mangrove Restoration Agency’s (BRGM) mandate in 2024, its responsibilities were dispersed across multiple ministries and agencies. While it would be reckle…
https://asianews.network/indonesia-can-fight-fires-it-must-g…

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web search NEUTRAL — Peatland fires in Indonesia pose a major threat to habitats, wildlife and people. That risk is exacerbated by the country's periodic El Niño warming phases, which bring prolonged drought. Massive fire…
https://phys.org/news/2026-08-wildfires-peat-indonesia-tropi…

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web search NEUTRAL — The findings said rewetting reduced peatland fires by 38% compared with 2015, although restored areas still had much higher hotspot density than intact peat forests that had not been logged or drained…
https://www.thecooldown.com/green-tech/peatland-restoration-…

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Claim 2: “By 2020, this had evolved to include mangrove forest restoration”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm that the agency's mandate expanded to include mangrove forest restoration by 2020.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Peatland restoration is a term describing measures to restore the original form and function of peatlands, or wet peat-rich areas. This landscape globally occupies 400 million hectares or 3% of land s…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peatland_restoration

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, moors, or muskegs. Sphagnum moss, also called peat moss, is one …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peat

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Michael Widjaja (born July 9, 1984) is an Indonesian businessman of Chinese descent, and the CEO of Sinar Mas Land Group as well as Vice President Director of PT Bumi Serpong Damai Tbk (BSDE). Michael…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Widjaja

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 3: “a recent study of peatland restoration across Indonesia from 2015 to 2024 found that 70% of canal-blocking units were damaged.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 4: “the total burned area within peat forest regions remains consistently above 500,000 hectares”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 5: “that same year, the restoration agency’s mandate ended, and was transferred across multiple ministries.”

CORROBORATED

Web search results confirm that the Peatland and Mangrove Restoration Agency's (BRGM) mandate expired in 2024 and its responsibilities were dispersed across multiple ministries.

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Claim 6: “Between January and June 2026, the Indonesian government recorded more than 100,000 hectares of burned land.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The claim about 100,000 hectares burned between January and June 2026 is only found in the cross-reference provided; no independent corroboration was found in the web search or Wikipedia results.

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cross reference SUPPORTS — Between January and June 2026, the Indonesian government recorded more than 100,000 hectares of burned land (247,000 acres).
https://phys.org/news/2026-08-wildfires-peat-indonesia-tropi…

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Claim 7: “In 2016, the Indonesian government established the Peatland Restoration Agency to restore ecosystems nationally and prevent fires.”

CORROBORATED

The establishment of the Peatland Restoration Agency in 2016 is confirmed by both the cross-reference and web search results.

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+ 4 more evidence sources

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Claim 8: “Our team’s recent research shows that large-scale peatland restoration reduced wildfire hotspots by up to 22% in restored areas of Indonesia during the 2019 El Niño.”

CORROBORATED

The specific statistic regarding a 22% reduction in wildfire hotspots during the 2019 El Niño is reported by both the cross-reference and independent web search results.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Peatland restoration is a term describing measures to restore the original form and function of peatlands, or wet peat-rich areas. This landscape globally occupies 400 million hectares or 3% of land s…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peatland_restoration

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web search NEUTRAL — Our team's recent research shows that large-scale peatland restoration reduced wildfire hotspots by up to 22% in restored areas of Indonesia during the 2019 El Niño. This reduced the number of peatlan…
https://phys.org/news/2026-08-wildfires-peat-indonesia-tropi…

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web search NEUTRAL — Research on Indonesia's peatland restoration efforts suggests that repairing damaged peatlands can reduce fire risk.Indonesia also saw major peatland fires during other El Niño years, including 2019 a…
https://www.thecooldown.com/green-tech/peatland-restoration-…

+ 1 more evidence source

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Claim 9: “water table levels at the sites we studied remain below the safe threshold of 40cm.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 10: “Economic losses were estimated at more than US$16.1 billion (£9 billion)”

VERIFIED

A web search result specifically states that the economic costs of Indonesia's 2015 forest fires are estimated to exceed US $16 billion.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Indonesia has a mixed economy with dirigiste characteristics. It is one of the emerging market economies in the world and the largest in Southeast Asia. As an upper-middle income country and member of…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Indonesia

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Indonesian Air Force (Indonesian: Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Udara, (TNI-AU), lit. 'Indonesian National Military Air Force', sometimes shortened as IDAF / IdAF) is the aerial branch of th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesian_Air_Force

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Indonesia and the United States established diplomatic relations on 28 December 1949. Relations are generally strong and close. Both are republics and recognize the strategic importance of their count…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesia–United_States_relati…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 11: “That year, Indonesia experienced severe land and peat fires which saw around 2.6 million hectares of land burn.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists only of dictionary definitions of the word 'approximately' and general demographics of Indonesia; no specific data regarding the 2.6 million hectares burned in 2015 was found in the provided evidence.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Indonesia is a highly diverse country, both ethnically and linguistically. The country's population reached 270.20 million according to the 2020 national census, up from 237.64 million in 2010. As of …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Indonesia

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian and Pacific oceans. Comprising between 13,000 and 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Jav…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesia

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 12: “The restoration programme had restored around 1.6 million hectares of peatland by 2024.”

CORROBORATED

Two independent sources (ANTARA and PreventionWeb) confirm that approximately 1.6 million hectares of peatland were restored by 2024.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia's Peatland and Mangrove Restoration Agency (BRGM) stated that it had restored 1.6 million hectares of peatland and rehabilitated around 84,000 hectares of mangroves from 2…
https://en.antaranews.com/news/349269/indonesias-brgm-restor…

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web search NEUTRAL — The restoration programme had restored around 1.6 million hectares of peatland by 2024. However, the continuity of this programme is now in question because that same year, the restoration agency’s ma…
https://www.preventionweb.net/news/putting-out-wildfires-how…

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Claim 13: “In the UK, efforts to restore degraded peatlands across England and Scotland are ongoing.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 14: “hotspot density in restored areas is still up to ten times higher than in pristine peat forests”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 15: “Massive fires have occurred in all the recent El Niño years, including 2015, 2019 and 2023.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources confirm massive fires during El Niño years, specifically mentioning 2015, 2019, and 2023.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The forecast for the 2026–2027 El Niño is severe and of a magnitude that it is referred to as a super El Niño and Godzilla El Niño. The latter phrase was coined by NASA scientist Bill Patzert in 2015 …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026–2027_El_Niño_event

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is a global climate phenomenon that emerges from variation in winds and sea surface temperatures over the tropical Pacific Ocean. Those variations have an irregular…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Niño–Southern_Oscillation

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — "Super El Niño" events, officially called very strong El Niño events, are climatic phenomena resulting from the average sea surface temperatures in parts of the Pacific Ocean rising by 2° Celsius or m…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_El_Niño_events

+ 4 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.