Las turberas tropicales son ecosistemas de humedales formados por la alta acumulación de materia vegetal parcialmente descompuesta —conocida como turba— a lo largo de cientos o millas de años, formando un suelo especial “turba” o suelo de turba. Estos ecosistemas se encuentran entre los reservorios de carbono más importantes del mundo, ya que secuestran y retienen carbono durante milenios.
Aunque se concentran en áreas “pequeñas” de territorio, las turberas tropicales pueden almacenar más carbono que todos los bosques tropicales juntos. Cuando están inundadas e intactas, evitan la liberación de grandes cantidades de CO₂ a la atmósfera; pero cuando se degradan por la minería, los incendios o el drenaje, se convierten en fuertes fuentes de emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero.
ASETT trabaja para comprender, proteger y restaurar estos ecosistemas críticos mediante la investigación científica, la colaboración nacional e internacional y la participación comunitaria.
Catalyzing studies on carbon sequestration, greenhouse gas emissions, and microbial ecology
Partnerships between universities, NGOs, and local organizations for sustainable peatland management
Implementing high-resolution monitoring and exploring restoration techniques
From methane dynamics to mining impacts—our field research advances understanding of Amazonian peatlands and their role in climate change
Gold mining has become one of the main environmental threats in the Amazon region, including peatlands and forests. The complete transformation of the Amazonian landscape caused by mining can have far-reaching consequences. The issue of mining’s effects has received little coverage in terms of chemical, microbial, and greenhouse gas emissions. (…)
This project links microbial distribution, soil geochemistry, and functional traits of CH-mediating microbes.4in Amazonian peatlands. Various forms of modeling observations at the meter and kilometer scale were evaluated, identifying critical values and potential ways to incorporate microbes into methane emissions estimates. This research was coupled with educational objectives, uniting research, (…)
This pioneering study systematically measured gas emissions in Amazonian peatlands for the first time, along with productivity and hydrology. It documents how variations in water and geochemistry modulate emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. The researchers were professors, postdocs, doctoral students, bachelor’s, undergraduate, and secondary school students.
(…)Training materials, methodologies, and databases to create a more inclusive peatland research environment—freely available to the global community
This section provides links to organized videography for sampling new tropical peatlands as well as the use of new sampling kits to characterize new pipes not yet assessed.
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News, findings, and insights from the field—discover how our research is advancing peatland science and conservation
For a long time, scientists knew that Amazonian wetlands emitted methane, a potent greenhouse gas, but they didn’t fully understand why or how those emissions varied. To fill that gap, an international team of researchers embarked on an ambitious project between 2014 and 2018 with a clear goal: to discover (…)
