Peatlands are naturally high-carbon ecosystems, which have built up over millennia. Draining, cutting and burning peat lead to oxidation and the release of CO2 . Re-wetting by blocking drainage and preventing cutting and burning can reverse this process on temperate peatlands  but takes many years . Trees are naturally found on many tropical peatlands and restoration can involve removing non-native species like the oil palm and re-establishing natural forest. However, peatland tropical forest is difficult to fully restore, and native pond-fish, vital as a local food, often do not return. Protecting intact peat forests, rather than attempting to restore cleared forest, is by far the more effective pathway, in terms of cost, CO2 mitigation and the protection of food sources . Naturally treeless temperate and boreal peatlands have, in some cases, been drained to enable trees to be planted, which then leads to CO2 emissions, and restoration requires the removal of trees as well as re-blocking drainage  .
IPCC
Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability
IPCC Report