Tropical peatlands are burning at levels unseen in at least 2,000 years, according to a new study analyzing ancient charcoal records. Fires had declined for over 1,000 years due to natural climate patterns but surged in the 20th century, particularly in Southeast Asia and Australasia. Human activities like land drainage for agriculture are driving this increase.
Peatlands in tropical regions store more carbon than all the world's forests combined. When they burn, they release substantial amounts of stored carbon into the atmosphere. Researchers examined charcoal preserved in peat deposits from Central and South America, Africa, Southeast Asia, and Australasia to reconstruct fire history over more than 2,000 years. These records showed that peatland fires were historically linked to climate conditions, such as the duration and severity of droughts. Wildfire activity decreased for over 1,000 years, aligning with shifts in global temperatures and other natural factors. This trend reversed sharply in the 20th century, with a pronounced rise in Southeast Asia and parts of Australasia. In these areas, practices including draining peatlands for agriculture, forest clearing, and land conversion for development have heightened ignition risks. Remote peatlands in South America and Africa did not experience the same surge. Lead author Dr. Yuwan Wang from the University of Exeter stated, > To avoid large carbon emissions that further contribute to global warming, we urgently need to protect these carbon-dense ecosystems. Dr. Wang added, > A reduction in tropical peatland burning could be achieved through peatland conservation and promoting sustainable resource management and ecosystem restoration, but this requires the collaboration of multiple groups and has to be carried out at a sufficiently large scale. The study, titled 'Unprecedented burning in tropical peatlands during the 20th century compared to the previous two millennia,' appears in Global Change Biology.