A scientist from The James Hutton Institute has been awarded £8000 by the Royal Society of Edinburgh to investigate peatland restoration approaches in Southeast Asia.
Dr Stuart Smith, an applied plant ecologist, will use the funding to assess how different reforestation methods influence tree diversity in tropical peat swamp forests.
These ecosystems, found on organic peat soils, are globally significant for both biodiversity and carbon storage. Southeast Asia contains one of the largest areas of tropical peat swamp forest, yet around 80% has been degraded.
Despite decades of restoration work, there is limited understanding of how tree diversity varies between approaches such as tree planting, natural regeneration, paludiculture and agroforestry.
Tree planting remains a widely used method but typically involves a limited number of species. In contrast, natural regeneration — where seedlings recolonise from nearby intact forests — is slower but can result in much higher diversity.
Paludiculture, which involves cultivating economically valuable crops on rewetted peatlands, and agroforestry on drained peat soils, can include both native and non-native species but often support lower diversity overall.
Dr Smith and his team will compile a comprehensive inventory of tree species used across different restoration methods in the region. The database will be built through a systematic literature review and verified by experts using online species databases.
The project will also analyse key diversity metrics, including species richness, phylogenetic diversity and, where possible, functional diversity. Researchers will further examine how species overlap between restoration approaches.
Findings will be published as an open-access dataset alongside practical infographic guidance to help practitioners maximise biodiversity in peatland restoration.
Dr Smith said previous research had shown only around 10% of potential species had been used in tree planting efforts, highlighting significant scope to improve diversity.
Professor Anne Anderson welcomed the award, which is funded through the Scotland-Asia Partnerships Higher Education Research (SAPHIRE) programme.
She said the initiative supports new and existing collaborations between Scottish institutions and partners across Asia, strengthening international research links and helping address global challenges.
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