June 30, 2026
Peatland restoration is a long and strategic process. It requires long-term vision, patience, and continuous nurturing – and it begins long before any roots reach the ground. This journey begins in the nursery, where teams prepare the plants that will shape peatland forests for decades to come.
At Restorasi Ekosistem Riau (RER), this work underpins our wider ecosystem restoration efforts across the Kampar Peninsula and ensures that recovery is planned, not just for today or tomorrow, but for years ahead.
In this article, we explore this meticulous process in more detail. We also hear from some of the RER team members behind the seedlings.
How Peatland Restoration Begins: Nursery Preparation
Forest restoration does not begin with planting. It begins with preparation. Seedlings need time to grow to a size suitable for planting, and that time varies widely by species. Fast-growing pioneer trees may be ready quickly, but many forest species essential to mature tropical ecosystems grow slowly and fruit irregularly.
Muhammad Iqbal is our Senior Ecologist. As he explains, nursery planning must anticipate and respond to biological realities:
“Seedlings take time to get large enough to be ready for planting. Once planting is done, normally with fast-growing and sun-demanding pioneer species, the nursery continues to prepare late successional and shade-tolerant species.”
These later-stage species form the backbone of mature tropical rainforests. Some, particularly dipterocarps, have seasonal fruiting patterns with intervals that can stretch up to 8 years. Without the support of dedicated nurseries, it would be impossible to ensure their availability when restoration sites are ready.
Nurseries also allow RER to prepare non-canopy species, including treelets and understorey trees, which are planted later to create layered forest structures resembling pre-disturbance ecosystems. In this way, nursery work supports restoration not just in the present, but well into the future.
Why Seedlings Matter in Peatland Restoration
Peat swamp forests pose unique challenges for restoration. Here, many native tree species produce what are known as recalcitrant seeds, which cannot be stored for long periods and must germinate soon after falling to the forest floor.
For this reason, RER teams rarely collect seeds for later sowing. Instead, they collect naturally established seedlings from the forest and nurture them in controlled nursery conditions. By collecting seedlings rather than seeds, RER preserves local genetic diversity while increasing the likelihood that young plants will survive once replanted. Made Vasek Wijaya is our Assistant Manager for Restoration on the Kampar Peninsula Estate. He explains what happens next:
“We nurture these collected seedlings so they can reach the requisite height for replanting in the field. Certain locations are prone to flooding, this requires older, taller, and sturdier seedlings to withstand inundation.”
While some restoration sites are flood-prone, others can experience seasonal dryness. Nursery teams respond to the unique and ever-evolving demands of the peatland landscape by adjusting seedling age, size, and robustness before planting.
This careful matching of seedling traits to site conditions reduces mortality and improves overall restoration success. And it is this awareness of changes to planting environments that is key to the preparation process.
How Nursery Quality Affects Peatland Restoration Success
Not all seedlings are created equal. Nursery quality directly affects survival rates, growth speed, and long-term forest structure. Healthy seedlings show clear indicators of good nutrition and development, which nursery teams monitor daily. Strong seedlings are more likely to outcompete weeds and establish quickly once planted.
Key indicators of seedling health:
“Good seedlings can be recognized by their growth, leaf color, and size,” explains Mardi. Mardi is the PIC for RER’s Nursery on Kampar Peninsula Estate. “They have darker green leaves that indicate nutrient sufficiency.” Conversely, poor-quality seedlings often fail in the field. This leads to replanting – known as blanking – which increases costs and labor while delaying ecosystem recovery. From a restoration perspective, investing in nursery quality reduces risk across the entire landscape.
Inside RER’s Peatland Nursery Operations
RER currently manages nine natural seedling nurseries, with seven nurseries located on the Kampar Peninsula and two more on Padang Island. The largest of these facilities, located on the Kampar Peninsula, covers an area of 175m2 and can support up to 25,000 seedlings. Each year, RER’s natural seedling nurseries are able to produce more than 13,000 seedlings.
Seedlings in these nurseries come from three sources in the surrounding forest:
RER’s nurseries have been designed specifically for peatland restoration. They operate at a scale that supports ongoing planting while maintaining strict quality control. From the moment seedlings are collected in the forest, care is taken to minimize stress. In the nursery, plants are gradually acclimatized, monitored, and strengthened before being declared ready for planting.
To ensure quality and consistency, daily activities in RER nurseries include the following:
Weak or damaged seedlings are removed early to maintain overall quality. This disciplined process ensures that only resilient plants are sent to restoration sites. Although this work happens far from public view, it is foundational to RER’s success in the field.
Rebuilding Ecological Function Through Peatland Restoration
RER’s overarching aim is not simply to restore tree cover, but to rebuild ecological function. That includes habitats for wildlife, layered forest structures, and long-term resilience to environmental change.
“The goal is not just returning forest cover,” explains Iqbal, “but also the ecological function of the forest, both for plants and animals.” To meet this goal, nurseries raise species with different ecological roles, ensuring that restored forests can support biodiversity over time.
There is also a strong social dimension. RER’s restoration areas are closely linked to surrounding communities, some of whom depend on forest-related ecosystem services During Iqbal’s work with local communities, he has noted some interesting developments:
“Some community members said that swiftlet houses built near RER locations are more productive compared to those built farther from natural forest.”
While this observation requires further research to be verified, it reflects a broader truth: Healthy forests can support livelihoods in ways that extend beyond restoration boundaries.
Why Peatland Restoration Requires Long-Term Commitment
Peatland recovery is not a short-term or one-time intervention. It requires sustained commitment, ecological understanding, and community support to take root and be successful. Tree planting and canal blocking are just the beginning; long-term resilience depends on how forests grow, function, and are valued by the people who live alongside them.
As Iqbal explains, “restoration doesn’t stop at planting trees or blocking canals. It needs to be seen as bringing contributions to communities.” When communities understand the value of restored forests, they are more likely to support protection efforts. This shared understanding is what ultimately enables landscape-scale resilience.
Iqbal, Made, and Mardi are just three of the many dedicated reforestation professionals working to restore the peatland forest of Riau. Every hectare that bounces back represents countless hours of careful preparation and care taken by these teams; unsung heroes, working behind the scenes to secure a future for Sumatra’s remaining rainforests — one seedling at a time.
Frequently Asked Questions About Peatland Restoration
What is peatland restoration?
Peatland restoration is the long-term process of recovering degraded peat swamp forests. It combines nursery preparation, seedling cultivation, replanting, and canal blocking. The goal is to restore both forest cover and ecological function so that ecosystems can support biodiversity, store carbon, and benefit nearby communities.
Why are nurseries important for peatland restoration?
Many peatland tree species produce recalcitrant seeds that cannot be stored for long periods. Nurseries allow teams to collect naturally established seedlings from the forest and nurture them in controlled conditions. This protects local genetic diversity and improves survival rates once seedlings are replanted.
How long does peatland restoration take?
Peatland restoration is a multi-decade commitment. Some species, such as dipterocarps, fruit only every eight years, and restored forests need decades to rebuild layered structures, ecological function, and biodiversity. Tree planting and canal blocking are just the beginning of the journey.
How many seedlings does RER produce each year?
RER manages nine natural seedling nurseries — seven on the Kampar Peninsula and two on Padang Island. Together, these nurseries produce more than 13,000 seedlings each year, with the largest facility supporting up to 25,000 seedlings at a time.
Further Reading
Explore how RER’s landscape approach is helping to protect and restore peatlands on the Kampar Peninsula.
