Replacing profitable crops with restoration work changes everything for a village. When farmers stop planting oil palm or rice to manage water levels and plant native species, their immediate cash flow vanishes. Peatland restoration is a slow process. It requires heavy physical labor for little pay. Consequently, many families face a sudden drop in purchasing power, making it harder to pay for school fees or medical costs.
This shift often triggers a migration wave. Younger people, seeing no path to wealth in restoration, move to cities like Jakarta or Medan for factory work. This leaves behind an aging population to handle the physically demanding tasks of canal blocking and replanting. Social structures bend under this pressure. The communal spirit, once built around harvest cycles, fades when the main occupation is no longer tied to a seasonal yield.
However, some see a sliver of hope in ecosystem services. If carbon credit markets actually reach the village level, a new economy might emerge. But until that money flows, the transition remains a gamble. Currently, the shift feels less like a new opportunity and more like a loss of autonomy over the land.
