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Half of fire risk peatland in concessions areas, report says
About 30 percent of wildfires between 2015 and 2020 were found in peatland that overlapped with the concession areas, according to a report from environmental coalition Pantau Gambut.
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Volunteer firefighters spray water on burnt peatland in Kereng Bangkirai subdistrict, Palangka Raya, Central Kalimantan on Saturday, June 24, 2023. (Antara/Auliya Rahman)
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oughly half of the country’s peatland is at a high fire risk and located within concession areas, raising concerns about widespread wildfires due to the challenges of fire prevention and mitigation in these privately controlled lands ahead of this year’s dry season.
Environmental coalition Pantau Gambut previously estimated that 3.8 million hectares of peatland across the country were at high risk of wildfire. The estimate was made by analyzing hotspots and burned area data from 2015 to 2019 along with their geographic locations.
From the estimate, the coalition found that about 2.1 million ha of the peatland are located within and around concession areas mostly owned by oil palm and pulpwood plantation companies, Pantau Gambut revealed on Thursday.
Some companies convert the swampy peatland, which contains decomposed vegetation and holds carbon dioxide, into land that is suitable for oil palm and pulpwood, by digging canals to drain it. This practice leaves the peat dry and renders it highly flammable.
Most of the high-risk peatland is found in Central Kalimantan, which has 1.2 million ha of it, nearly 500,000 ha of which are overlapping with concession areas. The province has been in the top five provinces with the worst wildfires every year, especially in 2015 and 2019.
About 30 percent of wildfires between 2015 and 2020 were found in peatland that overlapped with concession areas, said Pantau Gambut campaigner Wahyu Perdana.
“Any peatland with a history of fire and located within a concession area should have their functions restored into a sustainable ecosystem,” Wahyu said in a discussion hosted by Pantau Gambut in Jakarta on Thursday.
