How an Indonesian Peatland Project Is Offering a New Way to Curb Forest Fires

The residents of Jabiren faced a nervous wait in October last year as fires raged in the peatlands around their village. “Fire stormed this area — including that land across from here,” said Muhrizal Sarwani, the head of the Agricultural Land Resources Agency (BBSLDP), pointing at an abandoned field across a nearby ditch. “All other places were affected by the fire, except for this site.”