Introduction Peatlands are one of the most important natural ecosystems in Se Asia. They cover 30 million ha and provide many benefits for industry and communities in Se Asia through timber and non-timber forest products, water resource management and flood control as well as carbon storage and climate regulation. In the past 30 years, some peatlands in the region have been developed for agricultural purposes including for plantation crops such as palm oil as well as other crops. Oil palm is now a major contributor to the economy of several countries. In the past five years increasing focus has been placed on the sustainability of palm oil and other crops. The Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) has developed wide-ranging Principles and Criteria for Sustainable Palm Oil which has been accepted by member organizations. New and emerging issues have been raised in relation to peatland management including the need to prevent peatland fires and associated transboundary haze and also the issue of carbon storage and climate change. Peatlands in Se Asia have recently been identified as one of the largest carbon stores in the region – storing nearly 50 billion tonnes of carbon.  The Workshop The Workshop on Minimizing Impacts of Palm oil and Biofuel Production in SE Asia on Peatlands, Biodiversity and Climate Change was held on 31 October – 1 November 2007 in Kuala Lumpur. It was organized by the Global Environment Centre, Wetlands International, Global Carbon Project, BP and the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity with support from the Asia Pacific Network on Global Change Research (APN). It was held in association with the Malaysian Palm Oil Association (MPOA). It was attended by more than 40 experts on peatland, climate change, oil palm and biofuel from seven countries. The Workshop Objectives were to: Share information on the nature and impacts of development of peatlands for palm oil plantation on biodiversity and climate change and implications for biofuel production. Share experiences and best practices to minimize impacts and maintain production of oil palm plantation on peatlands. Review options to rehabilitate degraded peatlands for production and conservation purposes Fifteen technical presentations were made and three working group sessions were held on: the nature and options for reducing Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emission from drained Peat; Best Management Practices (BMP) for palm oil/biofuel production on peatlands; and options for restoration and utilisation of degraded peatlands and associated biodiversity. DOWNLOAD the workshop documents here: Workshop Announcement Workshop Programme Workshop Statement   PAPER PRESENTATIONS: Day 1: October 31, 2007 Introduction to objectives and process of workshop, Chee Tong Yiew, GEC SESSION 1: Overview Papers Peatlands, biodiversity and climate change, Faizal Parish, GEC Best Management Practices for palm oil on peat, Dr Gurmit Singh, United Plantations Palm Oil and Sustainable Biofuels, Petra Meekers, Biox Options for rehabilitation of degraded peatlands, Nyoman Suryadiputra, WI, Indonesia SESSION 2: Working Group Discussions (3 Groups – concurrent sessions) Group A: Nature and options for reducing GHG Emission from drained Peat Professor Jack Rieley University of Nottingham/CARBOPEAT * Dr Lulie Melling, Sarawak Agriculture Department (please request from author) Dr Abdul Hadi, Lambung Mangkurat University, Indonesia Group B: Best Management Practices (BMP) for palm oil/biofuel production on peat lands The Future of Tropical Peatland Agriculture, Bostang Radjagukguk  Ismail Abu Bakar, Senior Research Officer, MARDI Dr Chen Sau Soon, Senior General Manager SIRIM Berhad Group C: Options for restoration and utilization of degraded peatlands and associated biodiversity Kutai Peatlands, Eastern Borneo, Indonesia, Geoffrey Hope Aireen Gozar-Tumimbang, Research and Policy Specialist ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity Darrel Webber, WWFM   Day 2: November 1, 2007 Group A Presentation Group B Presentation Group C Presentation