MEDIA BACKGROUNDER
Center for International Forestry Research
Region’s Fires and Haze Problem Needs Clarity on Causes, Consequences,
and Targeted Responses
Oct 19, 2006, Singapore: The fires of 2006 may be burning in many of the
same areas of Indonesia as almost a decade ago. But today they blaze
within a vastly different political, social and economic environment.
Indonesia’s rapid democratization and more powerful local governments,
heightened awareness of transnational environmental issues, and
escalating concerns about climate change are now all part of the mix in
finding solutions to Southeast Asia’s fire and haze problems.
One of the key obstacles to finding these solutions is putting an end to
Indonesia’s forest-related fire problems without exacerbating the social,
poverty, and livelihood challenges millions of Indonesians face on a daily
basis.
Not all fires and their problems are the same. For Indonesia’s neighbors,
smoke and haze pollution have health and economic impacts. For
Indonesia itself, haze is also a major problem, but so are the fires and the
costs they inflict in timber losses, lost agricultural production,
biodiversity damage, property losses, lost productivity, school closures,
and the diversion of funds and human resources to fighting fires, among
many others.
Fires result from multiple causes, and in turn cause many different
problems. Better management of fires thus calls for a wide range of
solutions.
FIRES: the proximate causes
It is common knowledge that Indonesia’s annual fire and smoke problem
results from the use of fire to clear land for farming and tree crops.
Sometimes fire is also used to facilitate access to forested areas for
fishing or collection of non-timber forest products. Arson may also be
used as a weapon in land disputes: it is estimated that 14% of the fires in
1997-98 were the result of such conflict.
Fire users include large plantation and timber companies, small forestry
enterprises, nomadic shifting cultivators, and villagers seeking a
livelihood through small-scale farming.
Uniting this disparate group of forest stakeholders is the simple fact that
fire is cheap and effective compared to clearing land using manual labor
or large machinery.
FIRES: the underlying causes
The wide range of factors driving fires and resulting haze demand an
equally wide portfolio of solutions --- targeted solutions that address
these factors without inadvertently creating social and livelihood
problems for many of the 20 million Indonesians who fully or partly
depend on forests.
Some of the key underlying factors that need to be addressed are:
Fires of 2006
HAZE from illegal fires in
Indonesia could have caused
about US$50mil in losses to
Singapore's economy over
the month, a professor
estimated yesterday.
Euston Quah
Head of Economics
Nanyang Technological
University
Eight million hectares across
Indonesia were damaged by
forest fires during September,
Indonesia’s Ministry
for Forestry
Pontianak and
Palangakaraya in Kalimantan,
have suffered air pollution
levels ten to 20 times higher
than the internationally
agreed safe levels.
Indonesia’s Ministry
for the Environment
Fires cost the Indonesian
government, the public and
the private sectors almost
US$25 million a day in
deforestation, health and
other costs.
Greeneconomics
NGO
More than 53 percent of the
6,734 hot spots in Sumatra
during June to August
occurred on concessions held
by logging, industrial timber
estate and plantation firms.
Indonesia’s Ministry
for the Environment
CIFOR - FIRES – MEDIA BACKGROUNDER SIIA OCT 2006 // Page 1 of 4
• Large areas of forest land have been allocated for conversion to other uses, but without suitable
commensurate support for environmentally sound land-clearing practices.
• Law enforcement efforts have been compromised by confusion over which government agencies are
responsible for fire-related crimes, and incentives for compliance undermined by weak follow-up by
the judicial system.
• Forests are an important source of livelihoods for the rural poor, and fire is an important tool in
pursuing those livelihoods. Forest-depended communities often face insecure tenure over land and
resources. Fire solutions must also provide tenure and livelihood solutions in order to be both effective
and just.
• Decentralization of government authority means there are many more stakeholders involved in
forestry decision-making process than was the case in the 1990s, rendering obsolete top-down
implementation of national-level forest polices.
• As more easily accessible upland forests disappear, peatland areas are increasingly harvested by
companies and individuals. The shift to peatland areas exacerbates the haze problem. Indonesia’s 1997
peatland fires constituted some 60% of the region’s haze from only 20% of total area burnt.
• Fire management efforts have focused on suppression rather than prevention, diverting large sums of
money to often ineffective fire-fighting technologies at the expense of attention to underlying causes.
FIRES: the possible solutions
Peatland initiatives:
• Rather than banning all fires outright, target burning bans to times,
areas, and activities that pose a significant haze effect, such as fires
used to clear peatlands. Use total fire bans only during El Nino years.
• Prohibit large-scale developments that deforest or drain peatlands,
or that otherwise improve access into interior areas.
• Develop an El Nino response program for peatlands to reduce fire
use and offer alternative livelihood options during El Nino events,
preferably outside peatland areas.
• Negotiate with communities and offer incentives for them to control
burning and restore wetlands. Consider transfer payment programs to
compensate forest-dependent communities for peat forest
conservation utilizing financial mechanisms in international
environmental agreements such as the climate convention.
Legal/policy initiatives:
• Improve land tenure systems to encourage communities to protect
their forests and implement sustainable land management. Clarify
property rights to reduce the kinds of conflict between small
landholders and commercial interests that can lead to the use of
arson.
• Reconsider policies that designate forests areas for conversation to
large-scale activities such as palm and pulp fiber plantations. Once
forest land is reallocated to another use, fire becomes a standard tool
in the land’s management.
• Strengthen law enforcement mechanisms targeted at corporate
misuse of fire, and follow through on punitive measures to make
companies change their fire management practices. In 2005, 15
companies were charged with illegally causing fires, but the
Environment Ministry says none of the cases have been settled.
Indonesia’s
peatlands:
What the experts say
SE Asia has 60% of the world’s
tropical peatlands. Fire and
ecological change in these areas
could seriously exacerbate
regional haze and global
greenhouse gas emissions.
Daniel Murdiyarso CIFOR
If degraded peat lands are not
rehabilitated and appropriate
measures not enforced to
protect intact ones, it is unlikely
the 2002 ASEAN Agreement will
benefit the region
Luca Taconni CIFOR
Indonesia’s peat swamps
contain 21% of Earths landbased carbon. Unless actions
are taken, that carbon could
become hot-house gas in 40
years.
Una Chokalingham CIFOR
Peatlands should be recognized
as critically important to
negotiations on carbon sinks
under the Kyoto Protocol,
particularly in agricultural and
forested landscapes.
International Mire
Conservation Group
• Clearly articulate departmental responsibilities at all governmental
levels for fire management, prevention, and law enforcement.
CIFOR - FIRES – MEDIA BACKGROUNDER SIIA OCT 2006 // Page 2 of 4
• Strengthen the capacity of local governments to facilitate inclusive local decision-making on land
allocation, and provide fiscal incentives to implement fire control measures.
Technical initiatives
• Support research on zero or reduced burning technologies for use by communities and plantation
managers in areas vulnerable to escaped fires. For example, investigate harvesting practices to reduce
logging residue and eliminate the need to burn an area before planting oil palm or timber-crop
seedlings.
• Support research on how vulnerable ecosystems and human communities in fire-prone areas can
adapt. For example, research suggests that allowing salvage logging after forest fires and significantly
compromise the ability of forests to recover.
• Improve the skills of forest workers, communities, land managers in fire management.
Policy interventions are needed, but given the variety of fires, each type requires a specific intervention.
Daniel Murdiyarso CIFOR
Information about Indonesia’s fires of 2006
October 19, 2006: While the data for this year’s fires is still being analyzed, the enormity of the fire
problem is evidenced in the information below. This information has been compiled from publicly
available sources deemed reliable by CIFOR, but CIFOR has not independently verified specific content.
Size, extent and cost of fires:
• In July Indonesia’s Forestry Ministry reported over 4,000 hotspots in Indonesia, mainly in Riau,
Jambi, South Sumatra and across Kalimantan. Between Sept 27 and Oct 9, up to 500 fires a day
occurred in West Kalimantan. According to media stories in July/August, 6,800 hectares in Riau and
10,000 hectares in Jambi were burnt. (UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs)
• According to Indonesia’s Forestry Minister, MS Kaban, central Kalimantan has been the worst hit,
with around 1 million hectares of peatland in one area on fire. (Reuters Oct 13)
• In Java, 8,000 hectares have been destroyed, compared to 782 last year. This included 3,000 hectares
of concession areas belonging to state-owned forestry company Perhutani. (Jakarta Post Oct 14)
• South Sumatera Governor Syahrial Oesman says 55,815 hectares of land had been affected by fires
and caused Rp 129.7 billion (US$14 million), with 16% of the fires on peat land. (Jakarta Post Oct 16)
• Fires cost the government, the public and the private sectors Rp. 227 billion (almost US$25 million)
a day in deforestation, health and other costs, according to Greeneconomics. (Jakarta Post Oct 14)
Air pollution and health figures:
• Indonesia’s Environment Minister, Rachmat Witoelar, said air pollution is the worst since 1997. Air
particulate matter (ppm) was well above the official "very alarming” level of 300. Between Oct 1 – 3
the figure for Palangkaraya in Kalimantan ranged from 625 to 1,012 ppm.
(Jakarta Post Oct 11; State Ministry of Environment)
• Witoelar said his Department is yet to tally the data but says haze has caused respiratory problems,
closed schools, disrupted airports and disturbed rare animals in protected forests. (Jakarta Post Oct 11)
• On 5 Oct the WHO tightened its air pollution guidelines. It says air pollution causes over two million
premature deaths a year. Over 50% in developing countries. On Oct 8 Singapore reported a pollution
level of 150, its highest in nine years. (sci.dev.com)
Peatland figures:
July 2006, 56% of Riau’s fire hotspots and 30% West Kalimantan’s were on peatlands according to data
from “Eyes on the Forest”, an NGO coalition consisting of WWF Tesso Nilo, Forest Rescue Network
Riau and Walhi Riau, Friends of the Earth Indonesia.
CIFOR - FIRES – MEDIA BACKGROUNDER SIIA OCT 2006 // Page 3 of 4
Land ownership and fire figures:
NGO Eyes on the Forest says hotspots in Riau Province in July 2006 reached 1,419. Of that number:
• 786 hotspots (55.39%) were situated inside community areas
• 338 hotspots (23.82%) inside industrial timber plantation concessions
• 295 hotspots (20.79%) inside palm oil plantations
In the period of July 1–25 in West Kalimantan, there were 684 hotspots detected, with:
• 400 (58.48%) situated inside community areas
• 66 (24.27%) inside concession of palm oil plantations
• 60 (8.77 %) inside industrial timber plantation concessions
• 58 (8.48%) inside selective logging concessions. (www.wwf.biz/news_facts/newsroom/news/)
Groups blamed for 2006 fires
• Walhi reported 176 plantation companies to the police for allegedly burring forest to convert them
into plantations. (Jakarta Post Oct 14)
• The Government has identified seven companies to be investigated for starting fires. (UNOCHA Aug
25)
• Forestry Minister MS Kaban said [his] Ministry [was among] the victims, with 75% of fires not in
government forests but on plantations and farms belonging to private companies and local people.
(Reuters Oct 13 and Media Indonesia Oct 12)
• The South Sumatra Forestry Office is reported as saying “as usual, the local people burn the land
without stopping.” (Kompas Oct 13)
• The Governor for Garut Regency said the forest fires in Garut were due to carelessness by local
farmers. (Pikiran Rakyat Oct 13)
Recent Comment
• Central Kalimantan Governor Agustin Teras Narang said the government needed to enact a stricter
law and push for united action by local people to deal with the fires. "A government regulation in lieu
of law should be issued to enable us to take action.” (Jakarta Post Oct 16)
• Walhi executive director Chalid Muhammad called for stricter regulation authorizing the government
to revoke the licenses of businesses and punish individuals who cause fires. (Jakarta Post Oct 16)
• “Violations by plantation companies are still happening in the form of illegal land clearance,''
Yudhoyono said. “This is clearly a crime.'' (Bloomberg Oct 11)
ENSO (El Nino Southern Oscillation)
ENSO will likely create drier-than-average weather during November to March [2006-07] over most of
Malaysia and Indonesia, according to the Climate Prediction Center, an agency of the National
Oceanic Atmospheric Administration. (USA Today Oct 10)
For further information or an interview with CIFOR’s Director General Ms Frances Seymour
Contact: Greg Clough +62 8128646613 +62 251 322734 +62 251 622622 g.clough@cgiar.org
Ms Frances Seymour +62 8121115371 +62 251 622071 f.seymour@cgiar.org
---Headquartered in Indonesia, the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) (http://www.cifor. cgiar.org) is a leading international forestry research
organization established in response to global concerns about the social, environmental, and economic consequences of forest loss and degradation. CIFOR
is dedicated to developing policies and technologies for sustainable use and management of forest goods and services, and for enhancing the well being of
people in developing countries who rely on tropical forests. CIFOR is one 15 food and environmental research centers that are primarily funded through the
Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (http://www.cgiar.org).
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