September 25th, 1997
( En Espaņol )
GLAND, Switzerland - WWF-World
Wide Fund For Nature today declared
the fires raging in Indonesia as a
'planetary disaster' and a great
tragedy.
"What is happening in Indonesia is an
extreme case of man-made natural disaster," said Dr Claude Martin,
Director General of WWF International. "Now we need a coordinated
international effort to stop the Indonesian fires and to prevent similar
recurrence. Governments must take urgent preventive measures
such as better monitoring of plantations and forestry companies'
operations."
WWF appreciates President Suharto's gesture of apologizing to
neighbouring countries for the smoke pollution, and the Indonesian
Government's threats to revoke land use permits of plantation firms
found guilty of intentional burning. Plantation owners have been
blamed for much of the fires.
Eighty per cent of the fire comes from burning of waste wood to clear
land, which is cheaper than other alternatives, for oil palm and
industrial pulpwood plantations. Land clearance for commercial
plantations has increased dramatically over the past few years in
response to high palm oil prices.
So far, an estimated 500,000 to 600,000
hectares of plantations and forests have been
burnt creating haze problems in the
neighbouring countries. In addition to the
human lives already lost, there is
unprecedented disruption of road, sea and air
traffic.
"The sky in southeast Asia has turned yellow,
and people are dying," added Dr Martin.
"What we are witnessing is not just an
environmental disaster but a tremendous
health problem being imposed on millions of
people."
With air pollution at such alarming levels, WWF urges action to
reduce vehicle exhaust emissions, and pollutants from factories and
construction operations, mining and energy generation. Contingency
plans are also needed to prevent further deaths and serious illnesses
from deteriorating air quality.
Recent satellite images indicate that fires are now spreading from
scrublands into forests, although there is no indication that any
protected areas in Sumatra nor Kalimantan have been burned. The
lowland tropical rainforests of Sumatra and Kalimantan are among the
most biologically rich ecosystems on Earth. These forests, unlike
those that grow in drier climates are not adapted to fire, and suffer
greater damage when burned. The current persistent drought can
exarcebate the fires and cause irreparable damage to the forests.
WWF is helping the Indonesian Government in locating and monitoring
the fire spots. Staff and equipment have been provided, and the
organization is looking into long term solutions to help prevent similar
occurrence in the future. These solutions include fire prevention and
improved forest management techniques and expertise.
Contact:
Katarina Panji in Indonesia at tel: +62-21 7203095, Sabri Zain in
Malaysia at tel: +60-3 7033772, or Chng Soh Koon in Switzerland at
tel: +41-22 3649326.