Forest fires cause $900m losses<\/p>\n
By Hotib<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian forests are vulnerable to fires which
\ninflict losses, both economically and environmentally.<\/p>\n
From July to September last year, enormous forest fires
\noccurred in Sumatra and Kalimantan, causing direct economic
\nlosses of billions of dollars, inflicting health problems
\nnationally and internationally and jeopardizing transportation.<\/p>\n
The catastrophe also resulted in losses of habitat,
\nbiodiversity, flora and fauna, including Sumatran tigers, Malayan
\nsunbears, proboscis monkeys, orangutans, Storm's stork, the false
\ngavial and other species of animals as yet unidentified.<\/p>\n
The long-term impacts naturally still remain, disturbing local
\npeople and adjacent areas. They include the loss of hydrological
\nfunctions (which will result in increased floods and drought),
\nincreased water pollution, loss of sustainable forestry products
\nand the extinction of species. To a larger extent, the fire can
\nresult in global warming.<\/p>\n
Indonesia and the international community inevitably hoped not
\nto confront such a disaster again in the future. What Indonesia
\nis facing in 1998 is different -- forest fires are happening
\nagain repeatedly in East Kalimantan. Even though the extent of
\nthe current forest fires in East Kalimantan is less than in 1997,
\nit will cause direct and indirect impacts both on people and the
\nenvironment.<\/p>\n
A report said the fires had already affected more than 395,000
\nhectares of forests in East Kalimantan, causing about Rp 9
\ntrillion (US$900 million) in direct and uncountable natural
\nbiodiversity losses. The fire could not yet be extinguished due
\nto the condition of the fire locations and the prolonged dry
\nseason, probably caused by the El Nino phenomenon.<\/p>\n
A TV news report said recently that only about 60 hectares of
\nforests remain in the Wanariset Semboja area, where an orangutan
\nrehabilitation program operates.<\/p>\n
An official said in the TV report that the last effort to
\nprevent fires from affecting orangutan was to create a moat
\naround the rehabilitation site.<\/p>\n
A radio news report said that local people in East Kalimantan
\nfaced a serious water scarcity as the water from the Mahakam
\nRiver was already infiltrated by sea water. About 84,000 hectares
\nof paddy crops could not be harvested, causing 64,000 people to
\nface food shortages. In addition to this, the economic crisis
\nwhich began in the middle of 1997 has weakened the purchasing
\npower of the local people.<\/p>\n
Forest fires will certainly decrease Kalimantan's forest
\ncoverage, which, according to RePProt, in 1990 reached about
\n395,597 square kilometers, as compared to the 2,358,566 square
\nkilometers of total forests in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
In fact, during the 1968-1990 period, Kalimantan's total
\nforestry areas declined by seven million hectares, according to
\nthe Ministry of Forestry and the Food and Agricultural
\nOrganization (FAO).<\/p>\n
Apart from forestry products, Kalimantan is also rich in
\nnatural resources such as oil, natural gas, coal and other
\nminerals. Kalimantan also has the largest tropical rainforest in
\nthe Indomalayan realm, which supports measureless biodiversity
\nrichness (mega diversity) and a fascinating place for researchers
\nto study natural ecosystems.<\/p>\n
Likewise, forest fires also took place in many places in the
\nworld, Maine and Chicago in the United States, New Brunswick in
\nCanada, Italy, France, Australia and the Amazon.<\/p>\n
According to RePProt 1990, Indonesian forests as of 1990
\nreached around 2,358,566 square kilometers and became the world's
\nlung -- regulating the world's air and climate -- besides the
\nforests in Amazon Russia.<\/p>\n
However, according to the Consultative Group on International
\nAgricultural Research (CGIAR), a total of 29 hectares of forests
\ndisappear every minute in the world. And to make it worst, 50
\npercent of the world's forests have already been cleared and only
\n6 percent of the remaining 3.3 billion hectares of forests are
\nprotected, according to the World Wild Fund's (WWF) annual report
\nof 1996.<\/p>\n
Considering that such forest fires can happen anytime and
\nanywhere around the globe, it is deemed necessary to establish an
\ninternationally-supported forest fire brigade which will have a
\nmain duty to extinguish forest fires in the world. Assisted by
\nsuch a brigade, a country will be able to overcome any forest
\nfire more quickly than seeking other help while the fire is
\nexpanding wider.<\/p>\n
The existence of such a brigade will be very important to
\novercome forest fires because the loss of the forest ecosystem in
\nany country by forest fires will also affect the international
\ncommunity and global ecosystem.<\/p>\n
Therefore, relevant international organizations, like IUCN,
\nWWF, RAMSAR, CITES and ITTO, should cooperate with the United
\nNations (UN) to establish such a brigade.<\/p>\n
To overcome huge forest fires in Indonesia, Australia the
\nUnited States, serious attention and action with great force is
\nnecessary. This can only be created through worldwide cooperation
\nwith such an international forest fire brigade.<\/p>\n
The writer is an observer of environmental issues and staff
\nmember of the Wetlands International-Indonesia Program.<\/p>",
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