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 Farmers in Central Kalimantan use fire to clear land for agriculture
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Peatland fires are an increasing problem in Indonesia, where over 80% of Southeast Asia’s peatlands are found. These fires lead to major economic losses, widespread health problems, increased local poverty, and biodiversity losses. They are also a significant contributor to global carbon emissions. In Indonesia’s Central Kalimantan province, millions of hectares of forest have been logged, and peat swamps drained and converted for agriculture. Drained peatlands are at greater risk of fire – especially when rainfall is below normal.
An early warning system based on climate information can enable government and other key stakeholders to respond earlier and help prevent some of these damaging impacts. IRI is working with CARE Indonesia and the Institut Pertanian Bogor (Bogor Agriculture University or IPB), to develop a system of early warning and response. This effort is part of the Central Kalimantan Peatlands Project (CKPP), a large consortium effort funded by the government of the Netherlands and managed by Wetlands International.
IRI, in partnership with researchers at IPB, has identified a close relationship between satellite rainfall data and fire hotspot activity. Based on this, IRI has developed an online tool within the IRI MapRoom to enable stakeholders to view satellite rainfall indices over Central Kalimantan. Seasonal forecasts of rainfall can offer an early warning of the likely severity of fire activity during the dry season. IRI has been in collaboration with the Indonesian meteorological service (BMG) and others to improve capacity for seasonal forecasting.
In order to understand how decision-makers could use this early warning to help reduce fire impacts, IRI and its partners have been assessing the current institutional and policy context for fire management in Central Kalimantan. A system of incentives to assist local communities in avoiding fires, combined with seasonal-scale early warning, is emerging as key to reducing peatland fire incidence. IRI, CARE and IPB are continuing to collaborate and engage with key government stakeholders to improve capacities for early warning and response in Central Kalimantan.
