Fire destroys protected forest

Fire destroys protected forest

KUTACANE, Aceh: At least 10,000 hectares of protected forest
near Leuser National Park in Southeast Aceh has been destroyed by
fire.

Southeast Aceh Regent Syahbuddin said here Monday that the
fire was caused by a widening of fires burning in nearby forests,
which had been set alight by local farmers to clear land for
farming.

"Besides, the regency has yet to receive a downpour in the
past five months and the drought has damaged thousands of
hectares of paddy fields," he said as quoted by Antara.

The national park is known for its rich fauna and flora,
including the giant Rafflesia flower.

Syahbuddin also said there was a thick haze hanging over the
city due to the forest fires.

If the fires are not put out quickly they could spread to the
national park and threatened its ecosystem, he said.

Thousands of local people have been deployed to the site but
"we could not put out the fires because we were only using
traditional methods", he said. (rms)