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Related Information:

Haze Alert Update (Provided by WWF Malaysia)

Indonesian Fires: WWF Calls for Preventive Actions (9/25/97)

Special Fact Sheet: Species Affected by the Fire


WWF Netherlands Statement: Fires in Protected Forests

haze in Malaysia
Photo Credits: The Star, Malaysia
Zeist, October 2nd 1997

There seems to be no end to the forest fires in Indonesia. The fire has now also struck in protected forest areas. WWF estimates that 500,000 hectares have already been lost in Sumatra alone. The fires in the south of Sumatra and Jambi still are gaining ground. When these two fires meet, an immense unstoppable fire of thousands of hectares will be created. In addition to the toll on humn lives, more than 30,000 people are suffering from breathing difficulties. Nature, too, is seriously suffering. The loss of tropical rain forest means a loss of much-needed living area for a variety of animal species. In particular, the future of the orang-utan is at stake. This catastrophe for both man and nature makes it clear that burning land for cultivation purposes is no longer admissible. More responsible land use and better controls are necessary to protect the forests from fires in future.

Wildlife
Like people, the animals in the Indonesian Archipelago are suffering from fire and suffocating smog. A complete assessment of the damage to plants and animals, such as the honey bear, the Sumatrian tiger and orang-utan will have to wait till the fire and smog clear out. WWF fears for the future of the orang-utan in particular. In the past decade, the orang-utan population has declined by 30 to 50 per cent. Today, orang-utans in the wild are less than 30,000 more than 9,000 of which live in Sumatra and between 10,200 and 15,500 in Kalimantan. If the animal succeeds in taking refuge in a neighbouring forest, the chances are that it will have conflicts with fellow orang-utans of a "foreign" population.

Children protecting themselves from haze
Photo Credits: The Star, Malaysia
West Java
The forest fires are no longer restricted to Sumatra and Kalimantan. On West Java there are fires on the Honje mountain in the Ujung Kulon National Park. More than two hectares of tropical forest have been lost. WWF ecologist Aji Santoso in Ujung Kulon National Park said "The cause of the fire is not known and meanwhile it has been extinguished. Fortunately we in Ujung Kulon are not affected by smog though it is close to the coast of South Sumatra where fires are raging. The persistent drought is a bigger problem. Next week, WWF experts will visit the burnt area to check damage to plants and animals."

East-Kalimantan
The Kayan Mentarang National Park is out of the danger zone, but the area already has been suffering from a thick layer of smog for two months. Christina Eghenter - Integrated Conservation and Development expert from Kayan Mentarangin East Kalimantan states: "Since the middle of August it has been impossible to enter the area by air. At the borders of the nature area we had some small fires, lit by local farmers. These have meanwhile been extinguished. However, on September 30th a new fire was spotted near the place on the coast Tanjung Selor". WWF staff have not seen any fleeing animals yet.

fisherman surveys the haze
Photo Credits: The Star, Malaysia
Irian Jaya
A heavy smog in Irian Jaya has been causing a nuisance for weeks, restricting vision to less than two kilometers. There were fires on Kumbur Island, an area likely to be declared reserved, as well as in the Lorentz nature reserve in the neighbourhood of the Habbema Lake. The Lorentz area is very rich in wildlife and has recently been nominated for the World Heritage List of the United Nations.

For more information and for betacam material, please contact: Marie-Christine Reusken, press officer WWF-Netherlands, tel.: 030-6937374 or semadigit 06-57650435.