Asean environmental diplomacy – fire, smoke and haze

ORIGINALLY, forest and land fires in Southeast Asia were associated with the practice of swidden agriculture and to help in hunting pursuits. Nowadays, fires set or spread accidentally or intentionally are still linked to subsistence livelihood but more so with commercial activities. These include conversion of forestland to other land uses (i.e., industrial plantations, kaingin or traditional slash-and-burn agriculture).

The ecological impact of forest or land fires includes, but is not limited to, degradation of vegetation quality, reduction of wildlife habitat, loss of biodiversity, pollution in rivers and estuaries, danger to human health and even loss of life. Fires contribute also to climate change and global warming. These destroy important sinks for carbon while biomass burning is acknowledged as a global source of emissions.