Peru made the commitment to promote policies protecting the country’s peatlands at the 2019 UN Climate Change Conference (COP25).
After Indonesia and the Congo, Peru is home to the the largest area of tropical peatlands in the world. This type of wetland is made up of “peat” soil: a brown deposit enriched by the breakdown of plant life and acidic conditions of the marsh. Peatlands are considered an important ecosystem. The preservation of this area is essential to preserving global biodiversity.
Speaking at one of the COP25 conferences, Gabriel Quikandria stated the government’s commitment to preserve and manage Peru’s peatlands through the promotion of “evidence-based policy.” Quikandria is the Ministry of Environment’s Deputy Minister of Strategic Development of Natural Resources.
Because peatlands have high carbon storage capacity, their preservation and restoration can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. According to Andina, the Andean peatlands store ten times more carbon than the tropical peatlands of the world.
Public and private sectors are working together to promote sustainable economic activity using the natural resources found in peatlands. AJE Group, Peru’s largest producer of soft drinks, will soon launch a drink made of the aguaje fruit found in palm trees, which is the main species found in Peru’s Amazonian peatlands.
Quijandria also announced that the Green Climate Fund is funding the project “Building the Resilience of Wetlands in the Province of Datem del Marañon.” This project will benefit 120 indigenous communities in that region.
Source: Andina
Cover Photo: Andina
