Unprecedented Burning in Tropical Peatlands During the 20th Century Compared to the Previous Two Millennia
1
Issued Date
2026-03-01
Resource Type
ISSN
13541013
eISSN
13652486
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-105032919283
Journal Title
Global Change Biology
Volume
32
Issue
3
Rights Holder(s)
SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
Global Change Biology Vol.32 No.3 (2026)
Suggested Citation
Wang Y., Feldpausch T.R., Swindles G.T., Moss P., McGowan H.A., Sim T.G., Morris P.J., Benfield A., Courtney-Mustaphi C., Wahl D., Montoya E., Githumbi E., Honorio Coronado E.N., Augustijns F., Verstraeten G., Jess O' Donnell J.O.D., Tibby J., Benavides J.C., Hapsari K.A., Schittek K., Ramdzan K.N.M., Bao K., Cole L.E.S., Anderson L., Gałka M., Akpo O.E., Strobel P., Bala P.R., Dommain R., Marchant R., Sukumar R., Chawchai S., Kavil S.P., Mooney S., Kelly T.J., Gao Y., Voulgarakis A., Boom A., Burton C., Berrio J.C., Ribeiro K., Anderson L.O., Hardiman M., Spater M., Page S.E., Gallego-Sala A.V. Unprecedented Burning in Tropical Peatlands During the 20th Century Compared to the Previous Two Millennia. Global Change Biology Vol.32 No.3 (2026). doi:10.1111/gcb.70717 Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/123456789/115849
Title
Unprecedented Burning in Tropical Peatlands During the 20th Century Compared to the Previous Two Millennia
Author(s)
Wang Y.
Feldpausch T.R.
Swindles G.T.
Moss P.
McGowan H.A.
Sim T.G.
Morris P.J.
Benfield A.
Courtney-Mustaphi C.
Wahl D.
Montoya E.
Githumbi E.
Honorio Coronado E.N.
Augustijns F.
Verstraeten G.
Jess O' Donnell J.O.D.
Tibby J.
Benavides J.C.
Hapsari K.A.
Schittek K.
Ramdzan K.N.M.
Bao K.
Cole L.E.S.
Anderson L.
Gałka M.
Akpo O.E.
Strobel P.
Bala P.R.
Dommain R.
Marchant R.
Sukumar R.
Chawchai S.
Kavil S.P.
Mooney S.
Kelly T.J.
Gao Y.
Voulgarakis A.
Boom A.
Burton C.
Berrio J.C.
Ribeiro K.
Anderson L.O.
Hardiman M.
Spater M.
Page S.E.
Gallego-Sala A.V.
Feldpausch T.R.
Swindles G.T.
Moss P.
McGowan H.A.
Sim T.G.
Morris P.J.
Benfield A.
Courtney-Mustaphi C.
Wahl D.
Montoya E.
Githumbi E.
Honorio Coronado E.N.
Augustijns F.
Verstraeten G.
Jess O' Donnell J.O.D.
Tibby J.
Benavides J.C.
Hapsari K.A.
Schittek K.
Ramdzan K.N.M.
Bao K.
Cole L.E.S.
Anderson L.
Gałka M.
Akpo O.E.
Strobel P.
Bala P.R.
Dommain R.
Marchant R.
Sukumar R.
Chawchai S.
Kavil S.P.
Mooney S.
Kelly T.J.
Gao Y.
Voulgarakis A.
Boom A.
Burton C.
Berrio J.C.
Ribeiro K.
Anderson L.O.
Hardiman M.
Spater M.
Page S.E.
Gallego-Sala A.V.
Author's Affiliation
The University of Queensland
KU Leuven
UNSW Sydney
University of Leeds
University of Liverpool
The University of Adelaide
Technische Universität Dresden
Queen Mary University of London
Universität zu Köln
Stockholms universitet
Queen's University Belfast
Universität Basel
University of Exeter
Indian Institute of Science
University of Leicester
University of York
Queensland University of Technology
Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena
Chulalongkorn University
Carleton University
University of St Andrews
Universität Potsdam
South China Normal University
University of Ibadan
University of Portsmouth
University of Lodz
Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
United States Geological Survey Western Region
Pontificia Universidad Javeriana
Appalachian State University
Met Office
Technical University of Crete
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Institute of Geology and Geophysics Chinese Academy of Sciences
Guizhou Normal University
Forest Research
Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster
CSIC - Geociencias Barcelona (GEO3BCN)
Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology
Albrecht-von-Haller-Institut für Pflanzenwissenschaften
Earth Observatory of Singapore
Faculty of Environment and Resource Studies, Mahidol University
Centro Nacional de Monitoramento e Alertas de Desastres Naturais (Cemaden)
Leverhulme Centre for Wildfires, Environment and Society
Knowledge Core GmbH
KU Leuven
UNSW Sydney
University of Leeds
University of Liverpool
The University of Adelaide
Technische Universität Dresden
Queen Mary University of London
Universität zu Köln
Stockholms universitet
Queen's University Belfast
Universität Basel
University of Exeter
Indian Institute of Science
University of Leicester
University of York
Queensland University of Technology
Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena
Chulalongkorn University
Carleton University
University of St Andrews
Universität Potsdam
South China Normal University
University of Ibadan
University of Portsmouth
University of Lodz
Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
United States Geological Survey Western Region
Pontificia Universidad Javeriana
Appalachian State University
Met Office
Technical University of Crete
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Institute of Geology and Geophysics Chinese Academy of Sciences
Guizhou Normal University
Forest Research
Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster
CSIC - Geociencias Barcelona (GEO3BCN)
Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology
Albrecht-von-Haller-Institut für Pflanzenwissenschaften
Earth Observatory of Singapore
Faculty of Environment and Resource Studies, Mahidol University
Centro Nacional de Monitoramento e Alertas de Desastres Naturais (Cemaden)
Leverhulme Centre for Wildfires, Environment and Society
Knowledge Core GmbH
Corresponding Author(s)
Other Contributor(s)
Abstract
Tropical peatland wildfire incidence has risen in recent decades, driven by drainage for land use and intensified by severe droughts with global climate change. These disturbances have altered vegetation structure, disrupted ecosystem functioning, and increased carbon emissions, particularly in Southeast Asia. However, the long-term history and characteristics of wildfires in tropical peatlands remain largely unknown. Here, we compiled fifty-eight macro-charcoal records from peatlands across the tropics, ranging from lowland forested to montane peatlands, to assess millennia-scale changes and controlling factors of tropical peatland burning. We divided the datasets into four main sub-regions: Neotropical, Afrotropical, Indomalayan and Australasian ecoregions to explore regional variability. Tropical peatlands had high burning levels between 0 and 850 ce, followed by a relatively low and stable period until a marked increase during the 20th century. The general trend in tropical peatland burning follows changes in global temperature, and climate variables that control the length and severity of drought events have a notable influence on peat burning before 1900 ce. During the 20th century, regional differences were observed, with declining fire trends in the Neotropical and Afrotropical regions and increasing fire trends in the Indomalayan and Australasian regions. This difference is likely attributable to human activities, and such intervention is also evident in palm swamps and hardwood swamps under similar wet, weakly seasonal climates. With the increase in anthropogenic pressures on peatlands and greater climate variability, future wildfires in peatlands are likely to become more frequent and widespread across all tropical ecoregions. Conservation and sustainable land-use practices could be used to mitigate and control peatland burning and protect these carbon-rich sinks.