Indonesian forest fires a “wake up” call
Indonesian forest fires a “wake up” call
24 June 2013
published by www.channelnewsasia.com
Indonesia —Plantation companies and environmental activists say the forest fires in Indonesias Riau province are a “wake up” call for the Indonesian government, and that more must be done to prevent this from happening every year.
JAKARTA: Plantation companies and environmental activists say the forest fires in Indonesias Riau province are a “wake up” call for the Indonesian government, and that more must be done to prevent this from happening every year.
They say the problems are deep rooted; fires have caused haze at unprecedented levels in certain parts of the region.
The Indonesian government has begun taking more concrete steps on the ground to put out the fires, including cloud seeding and water bombing operations.
However, some plantation companies say they began water bombing fires on their own as early as this month.
Now, stakeholders urge the government to go beyond reacting to the problems.
Aida Greenbury, managing director of Sustainability & Stakeholder Engagement at Asia Pulp & Paper, said: “We also need to understand this is a wake up call for everybody We have to come up with a stronger strategy to deal with these problems Forest fires can be seen as the tip of the iceberg.”
Plantation companies have been monitoring the hotspots in their concessions. Some have seen forest fires happening in their own supplier’s area. They say that it’s an obligation to report these cases to the authorities.
The Indonesian government has also begun naming those responsible for the fires.
Environmental activists welcome the move, but say authorities have to show greater commitment and prosecute the culprits.
Yuyun Indradi, a political forest campaigner with Greenpeace Indonesia, said: “Naming and shaming is not enough Since 1997 the biggest forest fires even in Indonesia, none of them got prosecuted, none of them went to jail, none of them got their permits revoked.”
Greenpeace Indonesia further suggests that the forest fire issue can be better tackled when governments in the region, companies and NGOs collaborate together.
