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View all search resultsForestry reform critical as wildfires threatens health, ecosystems
The plan to revise the 1999 Forestry Law may fail to address decades-long poor governance in the sector that has resulted in wildfires in large parts of Sumatra, Kalimantan and Papua throughout this year’s dry season, civil groups say.
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A firefighter sprays water to extinguish wildfire on Aug. 26 in Palangka Raya, Central Kalimantan. Around 7,600 hectares of land have been burned across the province between January and late July, according to data from the Forestry Ministry. (Antara/Auliya Rahman)
A
s Indonesia continue to burn, civil society groups are blaming poor forest governance and demanding sweeping regulatory reform on forestry affairs to prevent future wildfires and other hazards.
In recent weeks, the country has seen more forest and land fires particularly across Kalimantan, Sumatra and Papua, triggering haze that has been damaging the health of the local population as well as neighboring countries of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei Darussalam.
Data from the Forestry Ministry shows that around 107,000 hectares of land nationwide have been burned between January and late June. By late July, the figure spiked to more than 202,000 ha, more than the size of three Jakartas.
The widespread fires have put the country’s health at risk. More than 3.4 million people across Kalimantan, Sumatra and Papua have been impacted by forest and land fire haze as of Monday, according to the Health Ministry.
In Riau, where around 16,000 ha have been engulfed by fire, the provincial administration reported more than 260,000 cases of respiratory illness since January, with an influx in emergency room visits being recorded over the past week.
Hundreds of kilometers away from the burning forests and peatlands, the House of Representatives approved a revision to the 1999 Forestry Law as an initiative during a plenary session at the Senayan legislative complex in Jakarta, marking the start of formal deliberations of the bill.
The bill revises 26 of 84 articles in the 1999 law and adds two new chapters on financing as well as data and information, according to a copy of the draft law obtained by The Jakarta Post.
