Emergent Voices and Collective Actions of Environmental Rangers against Peatland Degradation Challenges

Abstract

Peatland degradation in South Sumatra, Indonesia, has become a critical environmental challenge driven by large-scale agricultural expansion, deforestation, and recurrent fi res, resulting in substantial carbon emissions, biodiversity loss, and socio-economic impacts on local communities. Th is study explores the environmental awareness, motivations and collective actions of high school students actively engaged in student-led and community-based environmental organisations addressing peatland degradation challenges. Employing a qualitative approach, data were collected through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with 27 students and analysed using thematic analysis. The findings reveal that student environmental rangers develop a multidimensional form of environmental awareness that integrates ecological literacy, emotional attachment to peatland landscapes, and moral responsibility, and this awareness functions as a catalyst for sustained collective action. Th is awareness is translated into concrete initiatives, including environmental education campaigns, peatland restoration activities, and policy-oriented advocacy. The study highlights the role of youth environmental organisations as critical spaces for nurturing agency, solidarity, and action-oriented environmental stewardship. Strengthening institutional support and cross-sector community partnerships is therefore essential to sustain and scale youth-led environmental action in peatland conservation contexts.

Keywords: environmental activism, peatland conservation, student engagement, youth organisations, youth-led movements