Developing sustainable practices to mitigate impacts of climate change on natural and managed tropical peatlands

Authors:
Shailendra Mishra, Yung Pui Yi, Umashankar Shivshankar, , Daniela Moses, Aswandi Idris, Stephan Schuster and Sanjay Swarup

Book:
Proceedings of the 15th International Peat Congress

Venue:
Kuching

Keywords:
greenhouse-gas-emissions, metagenomics, mixed-cropping-practices, peat-oxidation, peat-subsidence

Documentfile:
ipc16p56-60a416mishrayung.etal_.pdf

Summary:

SUMMARY

Southeast Asian peatlands are undergoing degradation through drainage and deforestation, accompanied by forest fires. This is occurring at unprecedented rates for agriculture and human settlement purposes. Exposure of carbonrich peat to air has resulted in enhanced microbial-mediated peat oxidation emitting high levels of potent greenhouse gases (GHGs). Peat oxidation results in land subsidence thus increasing the risk of flooding that can affect the livelihoods of millions of people. The overall aim of this study was to provide an in-depth understanding of how land-use change and peat management practices affect the microbial ecology and physicochemical processes leading to peat oxidation and release of GHGs. We have used molecular marker–based approaches (microbial and…