Over recent years, oil palm cultivation on peatland swamp forests (PSF) in Malaysia has created intense  debate due to its potentially adverse social and environmental effects. There is growing public concern  regarding the harmful socio-environmental impacts of large scale oil palm production. Considering these backdrops, this project would explore the environmental ethics defined as environmental values, societal attitudes, actions, and policies to protect and sustain PSF. It seeks ways on how society can be involved in the management of PSF and how to incorporate PSF into carbon credit-offset schemes such as REDD+. The environmental ethical values of PSF will be assessed in a participatory manner following the contingent valuation method. It is expected that the new environmental ethics of PSF would motivate local people and government not to convert peatland into other land uses, and that they will actively involved in PSF conservation programs. Moreover, ways will be figure out to incorporate forest carbon financing mechanism (e.g. REDD+) into sustainable PSF management.

Over recent years, industrial plantation development on peatland and / or peat swamp forests (PSF) areas has created intense debate due to its potentially adverse social and environmental effects. Research on PSF mostly focuses on carbon emission and biodiversity. Even though forests provide many benefits to local community but values of PSF to local people is still poorly understood. In the context of PSF these values may explain or emphasize social, cultural and environmental values of non-human natural objects. The values of individuals highly affect how they perceive about the existing PSF and as a result affect the actions taken by individuals in a society towards its existence. Considering the above research background this project explored new environmental ethics for the conservation of PSF. Environmental ethics is defined here as environmental values, societal attitudes, actions, and policies to protect and sustain PSF. It helps to understand the inherent linkages between society and peatland environment. The research also sought ways on how society can be involved in the management of PSF. Finally, some policy recommendations are made on how to incorporate PSF into carbon credit-offset schemes (e.g. REDD+) that has recently been promoted in many countries.
The study was carried out by interviewing 150 respondents and holding three focus group discussions in some degraded PSF areas in Perak, and North and South Selangor Peat Swamp Forests. The study adopted participatory rural appraisal and contingent valuation methods. The respondents appreciated PSF for direct values including timber (15% respondents), vegetables (25%) source of fish (40%) and water for agriculture (45%). More than 80% respondents reported environmental values of PSF that includes flood prevention, biodiversity conservation, fresh air, soil fertility, perennial water source, and reduction of storm damages. They also reported several health and cultural benefits including sources of medicinal plants (60%), fresh food (50%), pure environment (90%), and tourism (85%). Even though they mentioned about demerits of PSF conversion such as deforestation (90%), biodiversity loss (90%), flooding (88%), and water scarcity (86%), they also claimed that PSF conversion provides them land for agriculture (50%), housing (20%) and for oil palm (60%). The respondents felt that the government agencies, large and small-scale oil palm companies are equally responsible for PSF degradation. They proposed government should enact ban (80%) on PSF conversion and build community-forestry department-NGO partnership (90%) for PSF management. They sincerely wanted to contribute to PSF conservation through protection (75%), tree planting (80%), donation in cash (60%) and supplying seedlings, and joining in awareness creation program (85%). The societal and environmental values of PSF warrant that these forests should be conserved for the welfare of society and for other natural beings and that the participation of local community in the conservation and rehabilitation is very crucial. This kind of collaboration among community people, non-government organizations and state agencies can be promoted in the management country’s natural resources where relationships between community and natural environment are interconnected.
For wider dissemination of the results a paper has been submitted and accepted for oral presentation at 15th International Peat Congress to be held in Sarawak, Malaysia from 15-19 August 2016. After the presentation a modified version will be submitted to a journal for publication. For general audience a newspaper article will be published. Due to several interactions with research team members and field day with students of Nottingham University the villagers have become more aware about the importance of PSF in their life and have been motivated to conserve the forests as their own resource. Discussion with forestry department officials revealed that they are now keen to involve local community in the conservation of the unique peat swamp ecosystem.