Peat consists of dead, partially decomposed plant remains that have accumulated on the soil surface for millennia in situ under waterlogged conditions. Peatlands cover an estimated 400 million hectares or 3% of the land and freshwater surface of the planet, in which the total peatland area in Southeast Asia occupying occupy mostly low altitude coastal and sub-coastal situations but may extend inland for distances of more than 150 km along river valleys and across watersheds is estimated to be around 25-30 million ha, comprising 69% of the world’s tropical peatlands.

The most significant areas of peatlands in the region are found in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Brunei, the Philippines and Vietnam (Pikulthong Royal Development Study Centre et al., 2003) and they are considered to be a classified as a type of wetlands and are part of the natural landscape. In most of the ASEAN countries, peatlands have been designed as conservation areas, production forest or agricultural lands. Peatlands therfore are important for socio-economic development and local community livelihoods through their harvesting of timber and non-timber forest products, as well as providing other vital goods and services such as water supply, flood control, and fish spawning grounds. They also have potential for tourism and recreation.

In Vietnam, peatlands, called peat abandoned course or peat swamps, develop when dead vegetation is saturated by water causing it to decay slowly in the absence of oxygen resulting in the formation of peat. Large peatlands in the Lower Mekong Delta, under ecological functions and values, provide several important ecological services such as filtering water, moderating extreme climate, and carbon storage, provision of non-timber and timber forest products and animal habitat. The suses of peatlands in Vietnam towards socio-economical uses (forestry, agriculture, community livelihood, etc.) and conservational purposes (forest, flood mitigation, water filtering, carbon stores, animal, ect). There are on ly large area of peatlands in U Minh Thuong and U Minh Ha established as reserve lands, whilst the remaining has been coverted for other uses, mostly for agricultural development and fertilizer processing. 

During past decates, as the same situation in AEASN’s countries, areas of peatland in Vietnam have declined through human activities, particularly by drainage for agriculture and forestry. Nevertheless, severe losses and degradation of peatlands has occurred in some areas and has resulted in problems faced and forseen pertaining to its current management practices. Therefore project “Rehabilitation and Sustainable Use of Peatlands in Southeast Asia” funded by IFAD/GEF, Vietnam aims at achieving a balance between conservation and development on peatland and surrounding areas through sustainable and wise use management.

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