Alternative needed for slash-and-burn practices

Alternative needed for slash-and-burn practices

Forest fires have become a constant scourge to the forestry
ministry. Forest expert Achmad Sumitro suggests that slash-and-
burn practices be abandoned for good.

YOGYAKARTA (JP): Compared to other countries in Asia,
Indonesia is endowed with a relatively vast cover of rain
forests, which rank second in the world after that of the Amazon
basin in Brazil.

In scientific jargon, our forests -- with the exception of
those of East Nusa Tenggara -- are classified as "tropical
rain forests" since they are nourished by rainfall throughout
most of the year, the exception being the few (two or three)
months that, with a rainfall of less than 60 mm a month, are
relatively dry and are known as the dry season. Seasonal
fluctuations do occur, but the rain forest is never as dry as the
"deciduous forests" of Thailand and northern Myanmar, for
example, that are almost bare of leaves during the dry season.
"Monsoon forests" prevail in the zone that stretches from the
eastern parts of Java to West Nusa Tenggara, where a distinct dry
season with six dry months and six wet months a year exists.

What gives reason for concern is the question why it is
precisely in our rain forests, also known as "wet forests" that
fires occur with such frequency and often to such an extent that
they harm the environment and obstruct life not only in our own
country but in neighboring countries as well.

The main reason, in my belief, is the fact that Indonesia has
a large population and that development is proceeding at a rapid
pace. Thus the forests, which are viewed by some among us as
"reserved areas" for eventual clearing and use (among the
Javanese the process of building is often referred to as babad
alas or "clearing the forest"), are under pressure in the form of
both logging and land cultivation by what is known as the slash-
and-burn technique for shifting agriculture.

Many soil experts and ecologists deplore this practice, which
is widespread in many of the world's developing countries,
because it tends to widen and because it cannot be controlled. In
the past, when forests grew in abundance and people were much
less numerous, such slash-and-burn practices were acceptable. At
present, although in Indonesia forests still grow in abundance,
the population has greatly multiplied. As a consequence, a
condition is now needed to bring about such a change of attitude
which will enable the halt of the practice and find alternative
methods.

Traditional method

What our planners, managers and conservationists of our
natural resources oppose is not shifting agriculture in itself
but rather the slash-and-burn procedures that could devastate all
that the forest contains, from micro-organisms to giant trees and
animals, by the simple stroke of a match.

Admittedly, this is a traditional method of land cultivation
that is practiced by the indigenous peoples and it is therefore
part of their basic rights that must be respected. For a
developing nation, however, such a privilege is too wasteful to
be continued. At the same time, the development process must be
able to come up with an alternative to the slash-and-burn
technique that is environment-friendly and beneficial.

It is regrettable that up to the present, large land users
such as agricultural crop and forest estates, human settlements
and mining industries still employ such slash-and-burn methods
for their land preparation purposes although they are part of the
modern sector. This is indeed the cheapest and quickest method
for that purpose. However, it is unethical and unjust of big
businesses to emulate those traditional practices and resort to
easy, albeit destructive, methods. A satisfactory alternative of
technology that is cheap and does not use fire has not been found
but could be with the help of sufficient willpower and serious
research efforts. International agencies such as the FAO, ITTO,
ICRAF, USAID, GTZ and others have paid much attention to this
problem and have done much research in this particular area.

The question of land ownership is a sensitive one, especially
when ownership patterns are not very clear. In such cases one
party's claim of ownership over one particular tract of land,
whether or not it is covered with forests, could easily be
countered by another party. Conflicts over land could heat up
tempers and raise feelings of vengeance among the dissatisfied
parties. This in turn could lead to fires being set without much
prior thought to the consequences.

If all the feelings of dissatisfaction were translated into
fires, the green forests that now cover our land from our
seashores to our mountains could soon be transformed into burnt
tinder, which would not only be an uncomely sight to see but
could give our country a bad reputation. A wise but firm approach
is thus needed. It would be ironical if our forests, which are
known to be high in humidity and rich in plant and animal life,
should be transformed into barren wastelands.

Many variables

It would be no less ironic if such a tragic development should
be further aggravated by an exchange of accusations among members
of the public, non-governmental organizations, government
officials and even experts. Our experts and government officials
should anticipate such developments long beforehand so that the
proper measures can be taken. Our experts should support those
policies with consistent research findings rather than by coming
out with controversial statements.

The problem that affects our forests, land and water are
complex and involve many variables. It is not possible to simply
come up with the assumption that, for instance, evaporation due
to logging has caused the peat layers to dry up and make the area
vulnerable to fires. Some experts even offer the reasoning that
it is actually the presence of forests that, by the process known
as transpiration, is causing water sources such as rivers and
lakes to dry up, and that therefore the forests should be cut
down. This kind of controversy exemplifies the over-hastiness
with which some of our experts draw their conclusions. It also
underlines the lack of research that must be overcome and the
hard work that must be done.

The writer is a professor at the Forestry Faculty of the
University of Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta.

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