Indonesia has extended legal protection for its wetlands and peat bogs by expanding a ban on the conversion of these carbon-rich swamps into plantations.
This could drastically reduce Indonesia's sizeable carbon footprint.
It will also prevent a repeat of the annual forest fires that plague the region, conservationists say.
A moratorium on new conversions of certain peatland areas since 2011 in Indonesia saw a revision.
Latest revision - signed into law by President Joko Widodo, and issued yesterday - clarifies and expands the law.
It holds that all peatlands are covered and that companies must restore areas they have degraded.
Research estimate the crisis caused more than 100,000 premature deaths in Indonesia and neighbouring countries.
The World Bank put the economic impact at USD 16 billion.
About Peat- Peat also called turf is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, or mires.
- Peatlands take thousands of years to form when layers of dense wet plant material compact into dense carbon stores. When these are drained or cleared, carbon emissions go up.
