Walhi blames concessionaires for forest fires

Walhi blames concessionaires for forest fires

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Environmental Forum (Walhi) said
yesterday that the widespread brushfires in Kalimantan were
started by forest concessionaires and not by the local practice
of slash and burn cultivation.

The Indonesian Environmental Forum (Walhi) said that its
monitoring of the situation in Kalimantan found that the Dayak
people, the dominant local tribe, practice slash and burn very
selectively and are well experienced in containing the spread of
fires.

Instead, according the Walhi officials, the current bush fire
that has engulfed almost all of Kalimantan with smoke was caused
by inexperienced plantation and forestry companies.

Emmy Hafield, Walhi's special program coordinator, told The
Jakarta Post that it was naive to blame the local tribes for the
disaster because they finished their land clearing schedule in
August.

The fire started sometime this month, she said.

In contrast, the concessionaires are burning the forest
arbitrarily to clear the land and later lost control when the
fire began to spread to other areas.

Walhi pointed out that in East Kalimantan, fire usually occurs
in areas occupied by non-indigenous people.

Walhi was challenging the government's suggestion that the
local tribes, who still practice slash and burn cultivation,
caused the majority of the fires in Kalimantan.

Emmy said the native Dayak people know when they should clear
the land to begin their planting season. The Dayak people make
use of the centuries-old methods in selecting the planting season
by referring to the moon and stars, she added.

In burning the tress to clear the land for planting, the
people also employ certain techniques so that fire will not
destroy the adjacent areas.

She said that nomadic tribes should not be held responsible
for the fires because the people live in thick and humid forests
and have permanent farming.

It was Minister of Transmigration Siswono Yudohusodo who
suggested that most of the fires on the island were caused by
transient farming practiced by the local people.

Minister of Forestry Djamaludin Suryohadikusumo however
admitted that politically motivated arson may have been behind
some of the forest fires in Kalimantan.

Widespread

The widespread brushfires have caused huge blankets of haze in
many parts of Kalimantan and paralyzed air transportation in
major cities in the four Kalimantan centers.

Neighboring Malaysia has complained about the smog blown over
from the brushfires in Kalimantan and Sumatra. In Singapore, the
smog has posed health problems for people.

The fire is most widespread in Central Kalimantan, where it
has affected over 80,000 hectares of forest. In East Kalimantan,
it has burnt some 200 hectares.

In Pontianak, the capital of West Kalimantan, the airport has
been closed and the local people are complaining about water
scarcity, eye and respiratory problems and diarrhea.

Walhi said that blaming the local people for their farming
method would not solve the problem because naturally, Kalimantan
is blessed with huge deposits of peat and coal, making the area
prone to fires.

Forest exploitation by the concession holders and the new
settlers has led to the rampaging fires, said the organization.

Walhi said that efforts should be made to solve the problem,
adding that the fires should not be treated as a seasonal issue.
The local people should also be invited to take part in efforts
to prevent forest fire. (par)