Forest and land fires (karhutla) that regularly hit various regions\nin Indonesia, especially Kalimantan and Sumatra, are often associated\nwith the impact of global climate phenomena such as El Nino. However,\nanalysis from academics, non-profit environmental organisations, and the\nMeteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) points to one\nconclusion. El Nino only acts as a provider of dry physical conditions,\nwhile the main source of fire comes from human (anthropogenic)\nactivities.<\/p>\n
Kalimantan and Sumatra have a long historical record of severe forest\nand land fire incidents. The first major recorded forest fire occurred\nin East Kalimantan in 1982. At that time, the El Nino phenomenon caused\nsevere drought between June 1982 and May 1983. In addition to prolonged\ndrought, shifting cultivation by burning new land for seasonal crop\nplantations (such as rice, sweet potatoes, and corn) was considered a\ntriggering factor for forest and land fires. There were also illegal\nlogging activities that left accumulations of wood waste and dense\nvegetation that were highly flammable.<\/p>\n
The fires in the 1982-1983 period burned 3.2 million hectares of land\nin East Kalimantan. The World Resources Institute (WRI) reported that\neconomic losses from the forest fires reached US$9 billion. After that,\nseveral major forest and land fire incidents occurred again with similar\ncauses, including the 1997-1998, 2006, 2015, and 2019 fires. These\nincidents not only caused economic losses but also damaged the\nenvironment, triggered global warming, and claimed lives.<\/p>\n
Data from the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) recorded 454\nforest and land fire incidents in various regions of Indonesia.\nMeanwhile, data from the Ministry of Forestry\u2019s Forest and Land Fire\nMonitoring System shows that from January to July, the total burned area\nreached 202,010.96 hectares. This figure jumped sharply compared to the\nend of June position of 107,465.47 hectares. This means that around\n94,545.49 hectares burned in July alone, which made the area of forest\nand land fires in Indonesia nearly double within one month. Forest and\nland fire incidents are feared to continue increasing due to the\ninfluence of El Nino which is still ongoing and is expected to last at\nleast until early next year.<\/p>\n
The Kalimantan and Sumatra regions are dominated by peatlands.\nNaturally, a healthy peat ecosystem acts like a giant sponge that\nabsorbs and stores massive amounts of water, making it resistant to\nfire. However, if the condition of the peatland has begun to be\ndisturbed, for example due to land conversion, its ecological balance\nwill be disrupted. Under these conditions, during the dry season,\npeatlands will become very dry to a certain depth and easily catch\nfire.<\/p>\n
Peat contains organic fuel from the remains of plants, wood, leaves,\nand roots that have decomposed over thousands of years. In dry\nconditions due to canalisation or land drainage, peat loses its\nwater-absorbing properties and turns into a very dense expanse of fuel.\nCanalisation is often carried out when land is opened for plantations.\nThe construction of water canals for plantations and land conversion\nlowers the groundwater level. When the dry season arrives, the peat\nlayer dries to a depth of several metres below the ground surface.<\/p>\n
In dry conditions, a small fire can trigger a massive blaze due to\nthe phenomenon of \u2018underground fire\u2019 (subsurface fire \/ smouldering) in\npeatlands. Unlike mineral soil forests where fire only burns the\nsurface, in peatlands fire spreads below the ground surface through the\npores of organic material. Combustion occurs without large flames\n(smouldering fire), but rather as hidden embers. Fires in peatlands are\ndifficult to extinguish, can last for months, and can only be\nextinguished by intensive rain.<\/p>\n
Fire below the peat surface is often invisible to the naked eye and\nprotected from water bombing. Temperatures in the soil can reach extreme\nlevels, causing water to evaporate before reaching the core of the fire.\nAs a result, fires can persist for months and re-ignite at any time even\nthough the surface appears to have been extinguished.<\/p>\n
The emissions released are also significant. Peatlands store enormous\ncarbon reserves. Peat burning produces very high carbon\/greenhouse gas\nemissions as well as toxic smoke emissions that have a severe impact on\nrespiratory health, such as the emergence of Acute Respiratory\nInfections (ISPA).<\/p>\n
According to an expert from the Faculty of Forestry at UGM, Fiqri\nArdiansyah, dry forest conditions alone are not enough to cause fire\nnaturally. El Nino plays a role in creating ideal conditions, namely\ndrying vegetation and lowering the groundwater level so that land\nbecomes very sensitive and flammable. However, if there is no external\nignition, fires will not occur. Fiqri highlighted that the practice of\nusing fire in land clearing without adequate control is still the\ndominant factor. The method of clearing land by burning (slash and burn)\nremains a major contributor.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/not-just-el-nino-the-causes-behind-indonesias-recurring-forest-fires-1787583105", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }