Runaway Fires, Smoke‐Haze Pollution, and Unnatural Disasters in Indonesia

Aiken, S. Robert

doi:10.1111/j.1931-0846.2004.tb00158.x

Cited by 57 publications

(59 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Multiple underlying causes can be at play at any given point and explain the land use activities which make landscapes vulnerable to fire spread. These land use processes reflect larger scale development initiatives and political agendas, and are even linked to globalization (Aiken, 2005;Dennis et al, 2005). Some researchers divide the social dynamics that drive fire use into "direct" causes assigned to the behavior of individuals who light fires and "indirect" causes, which describes the breadth of other motives and incentives surrounding land use practices and historical land cover change (Dennis et al, 2005).…”

Section: Contemporary Fire Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Potential hazards of land policy: Conservation, rural development and fire use in the Brazilian Amazon

Sorrensen

2009

Land Use Policy

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Section: Contemporary Fire Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Potential hazards of land policy: Conservation, rural development and fire use in the Brazilian Amazon

Sorrensen

2009

Land Use Policy

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“…They also result in major regional haze episodes with significant health implications for the health of many tens of millions of humans, including outside Indonesia (Aditama, 2000;Emmanuel, 2000;Kunii et al, 2002;Aiken, 2004;Heil et al,2007;Naeher et al, 2007).…”

Section: Disscusions and Conclusionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The extreme concentrations of particulates, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, ozone and other hazardous species in this haze are believed to result in very significant human health impacts (Aditama, 2000;Emmanuel, 2000;Naeher, 2007), including at locations rather distant (e.g. Singapore) from the burning regions (Kunii et al, 2002;Aiken, 2004). Based on such forecasts, temporary controls on major land clearance activities, which are believed to be the foremost ignition source in the region, may even be considered (Langner et al, 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fire, drought and El Niño relationships on Borneo (Southeast Asia) in the pre-MODIS era (1980–2000)

2012

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Abstract. Borneo (Indonesia) is Earth's third largest island, and the location of both extensive areas of rainforest and tropical peatlands. It is the site of both regular (seasonal) biomass burning associated with deforestation, land cover change and agricultural production preparations, and occasional, but much more severe, extreme fire episodes releasing enormous volumes of carbon from burning vegetation and peat. These extreme fire episodes are believed to result from anthropogenic practices related to (the still ongoing) forest degradation and clearance activities, whose impact with regard to fire is magnified by the effects of El Niño related drought. Since 2000, data from the MODIS Earth Observation satellite instruments have been used to study fire on Borneo, but earlier large fire events remain less well documented. Here we focus on a series of large fire episodes prior to the MODIS era, and specifically a 20 yr period covering both the two strongest El Niño events on record (1997-1998 and 1982-1983), along with an unprecedented series of more frequent, but weaker, El Niños. For the five El Niños occurring between 1980 and 2000, we develop quantitative measures of the fire activity across Borneo based on active fire counts derived from NOAA AVHRR Global Area Coverage (GAC) Earth Observation satellite data. We use these metrics to investigate relationships between the strength and timing of the El Niño event, the associated drought, and the fire activity. During each El Niño, we find areas of major fire activity confined within two or three fire sub-seasons (separated by monsoons) and focused in parts of South and Central Kalimantan, and sometimes also in East and/or West Kalimantan.For each El Niño we investigate various lag correlations, and find relationships of similar strength between monthly rainfall deficit and fire, but of more variable strength between indices of El Niño strength (ENSO indices) and rainfall deficit. The two strongest El Niño episodes (1982-1983 and 1997-1998) are accompanied by the most abundant fires (two and three times the active fire count seen in the next largest fire year), and the strongest correlations between measures of El Niño strength, rainfall and fire. We find the most significant positive statistical association between an ENSO index and fire activity to be that between the 16-month (first and second fire sub-seasons) cumulative NINO3 anomaly and the simultaneously recorded active fire count (r = 0.98, based on the five El Niño episodes between 1980 and 2000), although we find a negative association of equal strength between the cumulative NINO4 index and active fire count when considered over the entire two year duration of each El Niño episode (first, second and third fire sub-seasons). Our results confirm that the El Niño phenomenon, via its effect on precipitation, is a primary large-scale, short-term climatic factor that has a strong control on the magnitude of the fire activity resulting from the numerous land cover changes, agricultural preparation practi...

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“…Major fire events occurred in Kalimantan in 1846, 1902, 1915, and 1972, all of which were El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) years [8]. El Niño reduced precipitation drastically [9], which makes peatland more susceptible to fire due to lowered water table [10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Peatland Fires in Riau, Indonesia, in Relation to Land Cover Type, Land Management, Landholder, and Spatial Management

Prayoto¹,

Ishihara²,

Firdaus³

et al. 2017

JEP

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Peatland in Southeast Asia has an important function in the provision of ecosystem services such as carbon sink, climate regulation, water supply, biodiversity, and others. Recurrent fires in the peatland, especially in Indonesia, have changed peatland functions from carbon sequestration to carbon emission, causing severe environmental and economic problems. Fire prevention requires an understanding of the factors affecting fire in peatland. We compared fire occurrences in 2014 between different land cover types, land management systems, landholders, and proximity to roads and canals in Riau Province, Indonesia. Remote sensing and field data were collected and analyzed. Shrubland was the most fire-prone land cover, while plantations and mangrove forests were the least. Shrubland has high fire occurrence regardless of land management and landholder type. Peat swamp forests that are allowed to be utilized were more fire-prone than conserved peat swamp forests. Oil palms from unregistered companies had more fires than those from registered companies and smallholders. Coconut and sago plantations from companies had more fires than smallholder cultivation. Proximity to roads and canals affects the occurrence of fires in peat swamp forests; however, proximity had less of an effect on fire occurrence in shrubland. The high percentage of burned areas in shrubland showed that land cover was a major factor that affects fire in peatland, followed by land management, landholders, and proximity to roads and canals. These findings indicate the importance of law enforcement and land management systems, management schemes by different landholders, and the spatial arrangement of land cover, roads, and canals for integrated peatland management and restoration of shrubland into peat swamp forest and other fire-resistant land cover types with sustainable production.

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Runaway Fires, Smoke‐Haze Pollution, and Unnatural Disasters in Indonesia

Cited by 57 publications

References 33 publications

Potential hazards of land policy: Conservation, rural development and fire use in the Brazilian Amazon

Potential hazards of land policy: Conservation, rural development and fire use in the Brazilian Amazon

Fire, drought and El Niño relationships on Borneo (Southeast Asia) in the pre-MODIS era (1980–2000)

Peatland Fires in Riau, Indonesia, in Relation to Land Cover Type, Land Management, Landholder, and Spatial Management

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