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.
Photo Credits: The Star, Malaysia
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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.
Photo Credits: The Star, Malaysia
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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.