haze news from mongabay.com

5,000 Muslim imams to battle haze, deforestation in Indonesia

2011-07-18T18:06:00Z

The Indonesian government plans to recruit and dispatch 5,000 Muslim imams across the archipelago to discourage forest destruction and open burning that contributes to the choking haze now spreading across Singapore and Malaysia, reports the Jakarta Post.

Plantation fires in Indonesia trigger haze-related health warnings in Malaysia

2011-07-13T17:35:00Z

Smoke from plantation fires in Indonesian Borneo and Sumatra are casting a pall over cities in Malaysia, triggering health warnings from officials, reports The Straits Times.

Fires burn in Sumatra, drive air pollution in Malaysia

2011-05-13T17:29:00Z

More than 100 Indonesian firefighters are battling peatland fires set by oil palm plantation developers in Riau province on the island of Sumatra, reports the AFP.

Will Indonesia's big REDD rainforest deal work?

2010-12-28T01:12:00Z

Flying in a plane over the Indonesian half of the island of New Guinea, rainforest stretches like a sea of green, broken only by rugged mountain ranges and winding rivers. The broccoli-like canopy shows little sign of human influence. But as you near Jayapura, the provincial capital of Papua, the tree cover becomes patchier—a sign of logging—and red scars from mining appear before giving way to the monotonous dark green of oil palm plantations and finally grasslands and urban areas. The scene is not unique to Indonesian New Guinea; it has been repeated across the world's largest archipelago for decades, partly a consequence of agricultural expansion by small farmers, but increasingly a product of extractive industries, especially the logging, plantation, and mining sectors. Papua, in fact, is Indonesia's last frontier and therefore represents two diverging options for the country's development path: continued deforestation and degradation of forests under a business-as-usual approach or a shift toward a fundamentally different and unproven model based on greater transparency and careful stewardship of its forest resources.

Oil palm plantation fires driving air pollution in Singapore

2010-10-24T16:35:00Z

Oil palm plantation fires in Sumatra are contributing to air pollution in Singapore, according to Indonesia's forestry minister.

Forest fires set by Borneo dam developer contributes to haze in Malaysia, Singapore

2009-08-17T15:43:00Z

The developer of a massive hydroelectric project in Borneo plans to set fire to thousands hectares of logged over rainforest in the dam area, contributing to polluting haze already blanketing the region and raising the risk of forest fires in adjacent areas, reports a local environmental group. The Sarawak Conservation Action Network has learned that Sarawak Hidro Sdn Bhd, the operator of the Bakun Hydroelectric Power Dam project, is in the process of clear-cuting 80,000 hectares (200,000 acres) of rainforest set to be flooded by the dam. The remnants are being torched, in direct violation of Malaysia's laws against open burning.

Air quality worsens in Malaysia due to forest fires

2009-08-10T23:37:00Z

Air quality in Malaysian Borneo is worsening as large numbers of fires rage near the Sarawak-Brunei border, reports the Star newspaper.

Burning by Asia Pulp & Paper contributes to haze in Indonesia, Malaysia

2009-07-28T21:54:00Z

One quarter of fire hotspots recorded in the Indonesia province of Riau on the island of Sumatra in 2009 have occurred in concessions affiliated with Sinar Mas Group's Asia Pulp & Paper (APP), according to new analysis by Eyes on the Forest, a coalition of environmental groups. The fires are contributing to the "haze" that is affecting air quality and causing health problems in Malaysia.

Forest fires burn in Sumatra

2009-06-15T18:21:00Z

Fires set by developers in Sumatra are causing a choking haze to spread across the island and over to Malaysia, reducing visibility and raising health concerns, reports Reuters.

Haze risk returns as fires increase in Indonesia

2008-08-26T14:30:39Z

The number of forest fires burning in Indonesia is increasing, raising concerns for the potential return of choking haze to the region.

Is peat swamp worth more than palm oil plantations?

2007-07-16T14:30:39Z

Could peat swamp be worth more intact for their carbon value than palm oil plantations for their oil? Quick analysis suggests yes, though binding limits on emissions will be needed to trigger the largest ever flow of money from the industrialized world to developing countries. At stake: the bulk of the world's biodiversity.

Poverty and corruption reduce effectiveness of rainforest parks

2007-07-09T14:30:39Z

Poverty and corruption are linked to higher incidence of fire in tropical forest reserves, reports a new study published in the journal Ecological Applications. Poor, corrupt countries -- like Cambodia, Guatemala, Paraguay, and Sierra Leone -- have the least effective parks when measured in terms of the incidence of fire relative to surrounding "buffer" areas. The findings have significant implications for rainforest conservation efforts.

Indonesia pledges to cut haze-causing fires by half

2007-06-22T14:30:39Z

Indonesia say it aims to reduce forest fires by 40-50 percent this year, following nearly a decade of devastating seasonal fires that release large amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere, threaten critical orangutan habitat, and raise regional health risks.

How to stop haze and forest fires in Indonesia

2007-04-19T14:30:00Z

In recent years, annual forest fires in Indonesian have destroyed millions of hectares of forest and caused billions of dollars in economic damage. After each episode of fires the Indonesian government, facing criticism from neighboring governments, promises it will crack down. Nothing happens and the fires burn again the next year.

Fires burn across Burma; pollution levels rise in Thailand

2007-03-20T14:30:39Z

Fires are raging across Myanmar (Burma) causing 'haze' pollution in neighboring Thailand, Laos, and southern China according to new satellite images release by NASA. The fires are set annually during the dry season for clearing brush and scrub for agriculture. In especially dry years the fires often spread into adjacent forest areas.

2006 Indonesian forest fires worst since 1998

2007-03-01T14:30:39Z

NASA has linked el Nino to the worst fires in Indonesia since the 1997-1998 conflagration that burned nearly 25 million acres (10 million hectares) of land across the country.

Asian pollution fuels rain in Australia

2006-12-12T15:00:39Z

A new study says that the haze produced by fires in southeast Asia causes increased rainfall in Australia by lowering regional ocean temperatures. Particulate matter in the upper atmosphere has been shown to reflect sunlight, hence lowering temperatures.

Southeast Asian nations propose haze fund, but fail to address root cause

2006-11-13T05:50:39Z

Southeast Asian nations agreed to create to a fund to help fight forest fires in Indonesian according to a report from Retuers. The pledge however stops short of addressing the root cause of the choking haze: deforestation.

Fires in Indonesia kill 1,000 endangered orangutans

2006-11-07T04:00:39Z

1000 orangutans perished this year in forest fires that raged across Borneo and Sumatra according to a conservationist interviewed by Reuters. Willie Smits, an ecologist at the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation in Indonesia, told Reuters that the fires forced hungry orangutans into agricultural areas where they were killed as pests. Orangutans are known for feeding on fruit of oil palm and other crops in fields adjacent to forest areas.

Rain bring haze reprieve in Indonesia, Singapore

2006-10-27T04:58:39Z

Rain has brought a temporary reprieve for areas affected by forest fires-caused haze in Indonesia according to a report from Reuters. Officials at Sultan Thaha airport in Jambi province, on the island of Sumatra, said that planes are again taking off and landing after a 10-day closure due to low visibility, according to Reuters. In Singapore, the pollution index was at 19, down from Thursday's reading of 38, and a high of 128 on October 7, its worst level since the 1997-1998 fires. In Kuala Lumpur, the Air Pollution Index stood at 24 on Thursday, down from 72 on Tuesday, according to local reports.

Forest fires result from government failure in Indonesia

2006-10-16T00:58:39Z

Indonesia is burning again. Smoke from fires set for land-clearing in South Kalimantan (Borneo) and Sumatra are causing pollution levels to climb in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Bangkok, resulting in mounting haze-related health problems, traffic accidents, and associated economic costs. The country's neighbors are again clamoring for action but ultimately the fires will burn until they are extinguished by seasonal rains in coming months

Malaysia urges neighbors to help prevent haze

2005-09-27T15:19:39Z

Malaysia urged its neighbours on Tuesday to ratify an agreement to control air pollution in southeast Asia, a month after forest fires in Indonesia caused some of the worst haze in the region in eight years.

Fires in peat lands cost climate

2005-09-06T15:19:39Z

The tropical rainforests of Kalimantan have long been threatened and increasingly endangered by deforestation and other invasive types of human activity. However, a lesser known ecosystem in the region that is literally coming under fire, is the tropical peat lands, particularly in the central area of the province of Indonesian Borneo.

Forest fires have serious economic and health consequences warns FAO

2005-09-05T15:19:39Z

Large forest fires in South-East Asia, notably in Indonesia, have caused serious health and environmental problems, in particular choking haze in the region, FAO said today.

Illegal loggers to be imprisoned in Malaysia, possibly executed in Indonesia

2005-08-30T15:19:39Z

Illegal loggers will now face mandatory jail time in Malaysia under new laws expected to be implemented sometime early next year. Existing enforcement efforts, which rely on fines but are poorly enforced, have largely failed to curb illegal wood harvesting in the country's tropical rainforests.

Haze in Malaysia worsens, may last until October

2005-08-11T15:19:39Z

Haze in Malaysia worsens, may last until October.

Indonesian forest fires again cause haze in Malaysia

2005-08-04T15:19:39Z

Forest fires in Indonesia's Sumatra province covered Malaysia's main city Kuala Lumpur and 32 other towns Tuesday with a smoky haze that reduced visibility to as low as one kilometer (half a mile).

Borneo's peat lands going up in smoke

2005-04-21T15:19:39Z

Kalimantan at the Crossroads: Dipterocarp Forests and the Future of Indonesian Borneo

2005-04-17T15:19:39Z

Kalimantan at the Crossroads: Dipterocarp Forests and the Future of Indonesian Borneo

Smoke from forest fires reduces rainfall and spells trouble for the Amazon rainforest

2005-04-14T15:19:39Z

Smoke from forest fires reduces rainfall and spells trouble for the Amazon rainforest

Deforestation in Borneo

2005-04-13T15:19:39Z

Deforestation in Borneo