Haze crisis: Blame can’t be limited to big firms, study says
Haze crisis: Blame can’t be limited to big firms, study says
15 July 2013
published by www.straitstimes.com
Indonesia / Malaysia — The trail of accountability for the haze that blanketed Singapore and Malaysia last month is not limited to large plantation companies, according to research by forest scientists in a Bogor institute.
The study by scientists at global environment research outfit World Agroforestry Centre (WAC) found that independent plantation owners also resorted to burning to clear large areas of land in recent weeks.
In the four-page report entitled Hotspots In Riau, Haze Over Singapore, its researchers said these mid-level plantation owners “acquire land under local rules and bring in their own labour to clear the land for oil palm expansion, regardless of the formal land status and in the absence of any permits”.
While some acquired land under a transmigration programme, others could be local investors from other provinces who exploited land rules and bought land titles illegally, forest campaigners said.
