Fire and Haze

Fires in forests and former forestlands occur in Indonesia in the dry season every year – particularly in the provinces of Riau and Jambi on the island of Sumatra, and West Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan on the island of Borneo.

However, the haze that spreads to other countries is no longer restricted to drought years, and has become increasingly frequent due to ongoing deforestation of peatlands in Indonesia.

Fires begin and spread for many reasons, so it is misleading to think of “fires” as the problem — or even as a single problem. Complex socioeconomic, ecological and governance factors are involved, meaning that the problem — and the solutions — go beyond who actually lights the match.

Project news

View all

9 Jun 2017 A deeper look at media discourses on fire and haze

2 Dec 2016 Explaining the variable performance of fire management interventions: field season begins

The field season has begun for the research led by CIFOR Postdoctoral Fellow Rachel Carmenta, conducted in collaboration with UK based universities and a team of students and scientists from…