Jakarta. The Peatland Restoration Agency, or BRG, and the Alliance of the Indigenous Peoples of the Archipelago, known as AMAN, have agreed to work together in peatland restoration and combating wildfires.

The two parties signed a memorandum of understanding at the Congress of Indigenous Peoples of the Archipelago in Tanjung Gusta, North Sumatra, on Friday (17/03).

"This cooperation will ensure a rights-based approach and community participation in peatland restoration," BRG head Nazir Foead said in a statement.

The cooperation will include institution capacity building, mapping out social, economic and cultural aspects that play a role in sustainable restoration, spatial planning in indigenous lands, protection of the communities' traditional livelihoods, and their economic empowerment.

According to BRG, there are 1,200 villages in peatland restoration areas. Some of them overlap with the lands of indigenous communities, which often leads to disputes.