---
title: Satellite-Based Peatland Fire Monitoring
type: technology
url: "https://www.envisioning.com/research/grid/southeast-asia__indonesia-peatland-monitoring"
hub: grid
summary: Indonesia deploys satellite radar (PALSAR-2) and AI hotspot detection to monitor 15M hectares of peatlands — preventing the catastrophic haze events that cost ASEAN $16B+ in 2015.
---

# Satellite-Based Peatland Fire Monitoring

Indonesia deploys satellite radar (PALSAR-2) and AI hotspot detection to monitor 15M hectares of peatlands — preventing the catastrophic haze events that cost ASEAN $16B+ in 2015.
- Technology Readiness Level: 7/9
- Impact: 3/5
- Investment: 3/5
Indonesia — Indonesia's 15 million hectares of tropical peatlands are among the world's largest carbon stores — and when they burn, they produce smoke that blankets Southeast Asia for months. The 2015 peatland fires cost an estimated $16 billion in health, economic, and environmental damage across ASEAN. Indonesia now deploys satellite radar monitoring (JAXA PALSAR-2), AI-based hotspot detection, drone surveillance, and water table management technology to prevent fires.

The Peatland Restoration Agency (BRG) manages hydrological restoration — blocking drainage canals that dry out peat and make it combustible. Satellite-based water table monitoring triggers early warnings when peat moisture drops below fire-risk thresholds. This combines remote sensing, hydrological engineering, and predictive AI into an integrated fire prevention system.

Peatland monitoring technology has both domestic urgency and global export potential. Similar peatland systems in the Congo Basin, Amazon, and Arctic are at risk as climate change dries organic soils. Indonesia's hard-won expertise in tropical peatland management — the technology, institutional frameworks, and community engagement approaches — is directly transferable to other nations facing the same challenge.

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Source: Envisioning — Technology Research Institute (https://www.envisioning.com/research/grid/southeast-asia__indonesia-peatland-monitoring)