NATURAL SCIENCE

ASSIGNMENT

Angeline Tancherla 01071170034

Cindy 01071170142

Denia Anissa Kurniasari 01071170167

Jessica Anastasia Setiawan 01071170027

Kenisha Aprina Lukita 01071170149

Nabila Puspa Irianti 01071170090

Ramadhania Putri Wibowo 01071170082

NATURAL SCIENCE, FACULTY OF MEDICINE

UNIVERSITAS PELITA HARAPAN
2017
 Forest Fires: The Fury Raging in Indonesia

Indonesia's forest fires have been a catastrophe that happens almost every
year. Many of them were deliberately caused by men. In the past, forest fire was a
practical method to clear the land. However as time passes by, we are starting to
be conscious of its impact towards our lives and the environment. Therefore, we
should look into it and find ways to prevent the problem.

According to the Ministry of Forestry, forest fire is the condition where

fire occurs in the forest and may cause damage to the forest itself, including the
surrounding environment.1 Forest fire can occur naturally or as human-caused.
The natural causes include thunder, volcanic lava, and friction between the trees.
However, thunder and friction between trees can only cause fire in dry conditions.
Fire in Indonesia's tropical rain forest is unlikely to happen due to the humidity.
On the other hand, human-caused forest fires can happen accidentally or
intentionally. Accidental fires are usually due to people's carelessness, such as
making campfires and throwing cigarette butts. And intentional fires are
commonly caused by people who wanted to clear the land. 99% of the forest fires
in Indonesia were caused by human. And only 1% of them were naturally
occuring.2

Over the last 15 years, the most of the fires in Indonesia occurred in South
Sumatra, Central Kalimantan and Riau. Together, these three provinces are
responsible for 44% of all fires in Indonesia since 2001. In 2015, the fire alert
count in Central Kalimantan and South Sumatra exceeded 27,000, compared to
the 5,500 alerts each of other provinces had on average in the previous five years.
In Riau, fires are decreasing overall, but 4,058 fires were detected in 2016, despite
it being a wet year. That’s more than four times as many fires than were detected
in the fire-prone Central Kalimantan and South Sumatra. And majority of the fires
were driven by agriculture. This can be seen from the observation that more than
60% of the fires in Central Kalimantan and South Sumatra happened on peatlands.
50% of South Sumatra’s fires in 2015 were on pulpwood and wood fiber
concessions. Similarly, in 2016, Riau had 47% of fires that were also on wood
fiber concessions.3 Moreover, according to Lindsey Allen, executive director of
the conservation organization Rainforest Action Network, most of the fires are
direct result of industrial manipulation of the landscape for plantation
development.

So, what are the impacts of the forest fires? Forest fires affect several
different aspects of life. Firstly, it affects the ecology. Forest fire is a disaster to
our biological diversity. It causes the loss of natural shelters of wildlife and causes
the death of animals, plants, and human beings. Forest, with its ability to
photosynthesize and store carbon, is the source of oxygen. Therefore, forest fires
cause the decreasing of oxygen produced. The fire also release greenhouse gases
and carbon emission to the atmosphere. The smoke that is inflicted by the fire
contains carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, benzene, ozone, formaldehyde,
nitrogen oxide, and other harmful gases that may not only cause respiratory
disorders, but may also lead to an extreme climate change and global warming. In
2015, 19 people have died and an estimated 500,000 cases of respiratory tract
infections have been reported since the start of the fires in Kalimantan and
Sumatra. It was estimated that the fires could cause more than 100,000 premature
deaths in the region.4 As mentioned before, more than half of the forest fires in
Indonesia occurred on peatlands. Tropical peatlands store some of the highest
quantities of carbon on Earth that was accumulated over thousands of years.
Burning these lands for agricultural expansion (such as conversion to oil palm or
pulpwood plantations) gives rise to greenhouse gas emissions. Fire also emits
methane, a greenhouse gas that is 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide.
Furthermore, peat fires may emit up to 10 times more methane than fire occurring
on other types of land. Consequently, the impact of peat fires on global warming
may be more than 200 times greater than fires on other lands.5 Another function of
the forest is to protect the land from erosion by holding the soil together with their
roots. Hence, forest fires may result to erosion and flood. Aside from its
ecological functions, forests also contribute in the economic aspect, acting as the
asset to manufacture a lot of products to be sold. Forest fires may also spread to
other locations and damage infrastructures or properties around the forest.

In order to avoid those impacts, preventive measures must be taken. It is

important to focus in longer-term solutions that will provide a low-cost and
sustainable alternative. These measures include collaborating with local
communities. The Fire-Free Alliance, made up of companies, NGOs and
communities, is exploring the use of no-burn rewards, village leaders, educational
materials and trainings to stop fires.6 WWF is also holding several events to
anticipate fires, enabling the community to increase the capacity of land and forest
fire control, providing socialization about zero burning, and increasing awareness
of the dangers of fire.7 Joining forces, the communities can help in reducing the
number of forest fires in Indonesia. Apart from that, the government shall provide
land-clearing alternatives, such as providing low-cost access to mechanical land
clearing equipment. This can keep farmers away from using the burning method.
Communities can also stabilize water levels in soil so that it is dry enough for oil
palm, and at the same time being humid enough to avoid fires. The government,
private sector, communities and firefighters can use the Global Forest Watch Fires
to monitor fire risk and receive alerts on where fires are occurring using near-real-
time information. This can help people to quickly respond and take action before
fires burn out of control.6 Using innovative technologies in investigations and
clarifying prosecution criteria can help investigators, police, state prosecutors and
judges to inflict penalty on those who caused forest fires. Despite having anti-fire
regulations and policies, corruption and lack of enforcement in Indonesia have
hindered the progress. Therefore, Indonesia should strengthen its law
enforcement.

Enforcing law on intentional forest burning might help lessen the occurrence,
but educating the society on the importance of forests will make them understand
better to why forests must be protected and preserved. To prevent accidental
forest fires, there are several things we should do. First, do not carelessly lit
campfire or throw cigarette butts throughout burning season or dry season.
Second, if we want to burn something, we have to make sure that it is natural
vegetation or untreated wood, as dry vegetation burn easily. Ensure as well that
your burn piles are at least 50 feet away from any structure and 500 feet from any
forest slashes. Third and most importantly, attend the fire until it is completely
out. Even a little burn lit, with the help of wind, can turn into a raging wildfire.

Fire prevention is far more economical and more effective than firefighting.
However, the preventive measures would not work without the cooperation and
participation of the government, companies and local communities. Therefore, we
need to work together in order to make lasting changes and help make Indonesia a
better place to live.
References:
1. Peraturan Menteri Kehutanan Nomor: P.12/Menhut-II/2009 tentang Pengendalian
Kebakaran Hutan
2. Syaufina, L. “Kebakaran Hutan dan Lahan di Indonesia”. 2008. Bayumedia,
Malang
3. Chamerro, Andreas, et al. “Exploring Indonesia's Long and Complicated History
of Forest Fires.” Global Forest Watch, 2 Feb. 2017,
blog.globalforestwatch.org/fires/indonesias-fire-history-provides-insights-
to-prevent-future-fires.html.
4. Balch, Oliver. “Indonesia’s Forest Fires: Everything You Need to Know.” The
Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 11 Nov. 2015,
www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/nov/11/indonesia-forest-
fires-explained-haze-palm-oil-timber-burning.
5. Harris, Nancy, et al. “Indonesia’s Fire Outbreaks Producing More Daily
Emissions than Entire US Economy.” World Resources Institute, 16 Oct.
2015,
www.wri.org/blog/2015/10/indonesia’s-fire-outbreaks-producing-more-
daily-emissions-entire-us-economy.
6. Wijaya, Arief, et al. “After Record-Breaking Fires, Can Indonesias New
Policies Turn Down the Heat?” World Resources Institute, 19 Sept. 2016,
www.wri.org/blog/2016/09/after-record-breaking-fires-can-indonesias-
new-policies-turn-down
-heat.
7. “Finding solutions to forest fire in Indonesia.” WWF International, 28 Nov.
2012,
wwf.panda.org/?206862%2Ffinding-solutions-to-forest-fire-in-indonesia.