Written By: This video offers an overview of the Katingan Mentaya project, which protects one of the world’s most important ecosystems: a carbon-rich peat swamp forest on the island of Borneo, Indonesia. This vast tropical landscape is teeming with life and helps regulate the global climate.
The Importance of Borneo’s Peatlands
Borneo’s peatlands store immense amounts of carbon. This peat was formed over thousands of years from layers of leaves, plants, and wood, reaching depths of up to 15 meters. The forest holds roughly one gigaton of carbon, making its protection essential. Without intervention, peat fires and ecosystem degradation could release this stored CO₂ into the atmosphere.
The area is also a biodiverse ecosystem. An estimated 5–10% of the world’s remaining orangutans live here, alongside many other species at risk of extinction. Indigenous communities have stewarded this land for generations, working in balance with the forest and relying on it for their livelihoods.
Protecting Biodiversity and Local Communities
Today, short-term economic pressures threaten both the peat forest and the communities that depend on it. The Katingan Project addresses these challenges by restoring degraded peatlands, preventing fires, and protecting intact forests. The project is supported by verified carbon credits that help finance long-term conservation, using rigorous scientific methods and state-of-the-art technologies to monitor carbon storage.
At its core, Katingan is about people and place. Local communities are actively involved in patrolling the forest, managing fire risk, and engaging in sustainable livelihoods. Together, these efforts help keep the forest standing, sequestering carbon, and supporting the communities that depend on and steward it.
Support Climate Projects Around The World
The Katingan Mentaya Project is part of our Climate Impact Portfolio, which brings together initiatives that protect critical wetland and forest ecosystems around the world. The portfolio also includes projects that support the journey to net zero through cleaner energy solutions and innovative carbon removal technologies. Learn more about how you can support these projects by purchasing carbon offsets.
Explore Our Climate Impact Portfolio
