Slash-and-burn land clearance goes on unabated

Small farmers have no incentives to change; plantations stick with cheap and easy way
Salim Osman, Straits Times 5 Sep 09;

PEKANBARU (RIAU): Indonesia's battle against slash-and-burn agriculture seems to have stalled, raising the prospect that Singapore and other neighbours may have to live with bouts of choking haze for years to come, regional officials and environmentalists warn.

Jakarta has worked to train villagers in fire-prone areas in Sumatra and Kalimantan to practise 'zero burning' with the goal of 'zero haze'.

'But it appears to have had little effect, as people still turn to slash-and-burn methods to clear land during the dry season,' said environmentalist Zulfahmi of Greenpeace Indonesia.

One problem is that there are no incentives for small-time farmers to abandon the age-old practice. The government has not provided them with the mechanical equipment they could use to clear land for planting without burning.

But big, wealthy plantation companies also continue to use the cheap and easy method of land clearing because the ban against open burning is not being strictly enforced.

Thus, forest and land fires have ravaged thousands of hectares in Sumatra and Kalimantan, many of them on land belonging to oil palm plantation and paper-and-pulp companies.

'These fires take place in areas spanning more than 2ha,' says Mr Hariansyah Usman, the executive director of environmental group Walhi Riau. 'That goes to show that claims that the fires were started mainly by local residents, namely farmers, are just not true.'

While the government has effectively punished small-time farmers, companies with larger land concessions continue to get away with it.

Under the current environmental laws, the only action civilian investigators can take is to seek explanations and evidence from individuals or companies, and to report them to the police for prosecution. Those found guilty of damaging the environment can be jailed for up to 10 years and fined as much as 500 million rupiah (S$70,000).

The Indonesian government hopes to amend the laws to give the Environment Ministry powers to punish both companies that start fires and regional governments that fail to stop the burning.

It has also pledged to supply poor communities with mechanical land-clearing equipment.

Last week, Environment Minister Rachmat Witoelar appealed to the governors and regents of fire-prone areas to stop all burning of forests by revoking by-laws that allow local farmers to clear land by burning.

His ministry is investigating 14 companies in Riau for allegedly starting forest and land fires and will submit findings to the police for legal action.

But an official at the provincial environmental agency in Riau which is investigating the companies says that will be tough due to budget constraints.

'It would cost at least 300 million rupiah to prosecute one case,' said the official, who asked not to be named. 'We don't have enough in the budget.

'In most cases, the culprits seek an out-of-court settlement. And that's the end of the matter. They can also bribe officials to close the case.'

Indonesia appears hesitant to ask for help or accept offers of assistance from its neighbours in tackling the problem, although officials here claim they would welcome any aid other than manpower.

But Ms Masnellyarti Hilman, a deputy for environmental damage control at the Environment Ministry, was quoted by The Jakarta Post as saying: 'If we can deal with it on our own, why do we need to seek help from others?'

The Riau administration, however, appears to be powerless to tackle forest fires, mainly because of a lack of money and technical expertise.

The province was hit hard by recent forest fires in July and August. The resulting haze closed the airport in Pekanbaru for three days and resulted in thousands of students being sent home.

At a meeting in Singapore on Aug19, Mr Rachmat told his Asean counterparts that Indonesia would mobilise the Forestry Ministry's forest fire prevention brigade and improve the early warning systems and also deploy military planes to launch water bombs.

But the forestry agency in Pekanbaru says the administration has allocated only 500 million rupiah to deal with forest fires this year, far less than the proposed three billion rupiah required.

'What can we do with such money?' says an agency spokesman, Mr Zulkifli. 'We don't get enough allocation because forest fires are not seen as national disasters here.'

Scarred landscapes in Riau heartland
Straits Times 5 Sep 09;

PEKANBARU (RIAU): Farmer Tholib digs tiny holes in the ground between charred tree stumps on his farm and puts tiny padi seeds into each of them.

'In six months, I will be able to reap the harvest,' he says at his 2ha plot in the Pelalawan regency.

For two straight weeks last month, fires consumed his rubber trees and bushes. All that remains are the blackened stumps.

Such scarred landscapes were common sights during my two-day journey into the Riau heartland.

Large tracts of forest land went up in smoke in July and August when fires were set deliberately to clear land during the dry season.

Things have changed little since 2005 and 2006 when I made two trips and was appalled to find a landscape of ashen remains where forests used to be.

Areas other than Pelalawan that are prone to fire include Indragiri Hulu, Rokan Hilir, Kampar, and Siak. Many of them cover an area as large as Singapore.

Wearing only soiled shorts and with his bare body streaked with soot, Mr Tholib, 50, claims that he does not know who burnt the land.

He is among a dozen farmers I spoke to in Pelalawan, about three hours drive from Pekanbaru, who clear land by the traditional method but do not want to admit it.

Echoing the words of farmers in other districts, Mr Tholib says the villagers are aware that burning the forests is harmful, but he adds that their choices are limited.

'The government should not only prohibit, but also provide a solution, such as supplying us with mechanical equipment for land clearing,' he says.

Excavators and tractors can cost up to a billion rupiah (S$142,000) - well beyond the reach of small-time farmers, who earn only about two million rupiah a year.

As their plots are on peat land, flames will continue to smoulder deep beneath the earth for weeks even when fires on the surface have been put out.

That not only releases enormous levels of carbon dioxide, a prime contributor to climate change, but also produces the thick pall of smoke that sometimes blows towards nearby Singapore and Malaysia.

Although small-time farmers contribute to the fires, the main culprits are owners of oil palm plantations and paper-and-pulp companies, say environmental groups and regional officials.

'Because these companies own thousands of hectares, there is more devastation as larger areas of land are burnt and more smog blankets the region,' says Mr Hariansyah Usman, the executive director of environmental group Walhi Riau in Pekanbaru.

The same problem prevails in the neighbouring Indragiri Hulu regency, another four hours drive from Pangkalan Kerinchi town in Pelalawan.

Here, village officials, while acknowledging that small-time farmers are also guilty of open burning, charge that one plantation company started fires on their newly-acquired concession land.

Kuala Mulia village elder Raja Anis, 57, says a fire broke out on the plantation behind his house in June and burned for two months before rain put it out.

'But the company had the cheek to accuse local residents of starting the fire,' said village head Ramli, 50. 'How could that be as its area is fenced off?'

The villagers, however, seem better prepared for fires this time around. Many have attended fire-fighting classes organised by civic groups and regional officials.

'They can cope with small fires on their farmland,' says student Iskandar, a volunteer from civic group Masyarakat Peduli Alam in Rengat town, Indragiri Hulu. 'But I don't think they will be equipped to fight bigger fires.'

Mr Ibrahim, Kuala Mulia village secretary, says fires will continue to break out in Riau as 60 per cent of the province is peatland that is easily flammable.

'The government should stop giving concessions to companies for oil palm and paper-and-pulp production on peatland,' he says, 'because this is destructive to the environment.'

SALIM OSMAN