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More than 30 volunteers are working with people from the nearby village of Kuala Cenaku to construct dams in canals that are being used for logging and draining peatland. Greenpeace says that by halting drainage operations with dams, they will prevent the peatland from drying out and releasing large quantities of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, as well as stop the illegal burning of the peatland to plant palm oil saplings.

According to Greenpeace, destroying peatland swamp forests is the main contributor to Indonesia's high CO2 emissions, which makes the country the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases after China and the United States.

Destroying the forest there would not only breach Indonesian regulations for forest protection, and an Indonesia's Presidential decree, but would also lead to the release of large quantities of greenhouse gases.

Thick layers of peat underlie most of Indonesia's swamp forest. Over time, the peat layer has locked up millions of tonnes of carbon. Once forests are cleared, peat swamps are drained and decompose to release the stored carbon as carbon dioxide. Forests are often also burned, prior to the planting of palm oil saplings, further compounding the climate problem.

Hapsoro, Greenpeace South East Asia forest campaigner, said:
"Palm oil companies are breaking the law and draining the very life out of Indonesia's remaining peatland forests, and they are adding substantially to the problem of global warming."

The damming is taking place on a plantation held by the PT Duta Palma company. Greenpeace's on-site investigations of the peatlands, conducted from the Forest Defenders Camp in Riau, and together with peatland experts, have brought to light the flagrant violations of regulations intended to protect these areas.