'Lungs of the Earth': the Indonesians fighting for peatland

His oar stirred up rich organic material in the brackish water, evidence of the layers of plant matter that make peatlands vital carbon dioxide stores and key to biodiversity. Indonesia has more tropical peatland than any other country, but it is also quickly losing this poorly understood ecosystem. That affects local residents and wildlife but also has global impacts, because converted peatland can release vast quantities of planet-warming carbon dioxide. Pralensa worries a similar fate awaits...