Greenpeace is calling on the Indonesian government to stop all land
clearing operations in fragile forest environments in order to break
this annual cycle, which is destroying large tracts of forests in
Sumatra, Indonesia, home of some of the world’s most endangered animals,
like the Sumatran rhinoceros, tiger and the Asian elephant.
Forest clearing for acacia pulpwood and oil palm plantations are the
leading causes of the fires and also a factor in creating environmental
conditions that perpetuate the problem.
“Most of the forests in the area are peatland forests,” Greenpeace
forest campaigner Hapsoro said. “Once these peat swamps are exposed due
to logging, clearing for canals and concessions, they dry out like a wet
sponge exposed to sunlight and become extremely flammable. Unless the
conversion of these types of forests is stopped we will continue to
experience large scale forest fires and continued environmental
destruction on an annual basis.”
“The Indonesian government must seriously reconsider allowing any type
of land clearing to be done in these areas to minimise the possibility
of large and uncontrolled forest fires in Indonesia” he said.
Conversion of peatland and forest fires are also doing environmental
damage on a global scale by releasing massive quantities of carbon
dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere further adding to the problem of
climate change.
“Release of CO2 from forests destruction especially fires (human induced
or otherwise) exacerbates climate change which in turn creates drier
conditions that exacerbate forest fires, locking the planet into a
vicious and destructive cycle,” Greenpeace South East Asia climate
campaigner, Nur Hidayati said. “National, regional and international
efforts must be made to protect these forests from illegal logging,
forest conversion and fires in order to protect humanity from the
adverse effects of climate change.”
There are 4 million hectares of peatland in Riau alone. Large pulp and
paper corporations like APP and APRIL are receiving woodchip from
logging operations which convert peatland forests in Riau for pulp wood
plantations. In the Bukit Batu forest area, Greenpeace found a forest
fire located in PT. Satria Perkasa Agung concession – a pulpwood
plantation subsidiary company under Sinar Mas Forestry. Sinar Mas
Forestry is a sister company of APP. While both companies apply a zero
burning policy in their concessions they are still susceptible to fire.
“The problem with these concessions is that they are operating in a very
fragile forest ecosystem,” Mr Hapsoro said. “One small fire started on
the edge of, or accidentally within, these concessions can easily burn
all of this dry swamp. Once it starts burning it is very difficult to
stop without heavy rain.”
Greenpeace calls on the Indonesian government to:
1. Declare the forest fires a national disaster/state of emergency
and to enable movement of resources to combat the fire,
2. Investigate and hold liable plantation companies responsible for
slash and burn clearing,
3. Put in place permanent mechanisms to build capacity to assess
vulnerability, develop regional climate models and design and
assess adaptation strategies that consider the vulnerability of
local communities and indigenous species.
4. To stop all forest clearing in fragile peatland eco-systems,
including the extension of new area for both pulpwood and oil palm
plantation.
