Category FAQs Search : Ecosystem
Question: Why are those peatland fires happening?
Answer: It’s not the first time Indonesia is facing huge fires. In 2015, they had mega-fires, and many of them on peatlands. Because peatlands are composed of thick layers of partly decomposed organic material that formed over thousands of years, they store lots of carbon. Fires are a regular problem for Indonesia during the summer months and this year again, they made the headlines.
Peatland health is under threat from drainage for agriculture, commercial forestry, peat extraction, infrastructure development and, of course, the effects of global heating. There are three main reasons why forest and peatland fires occur: various actors (companies, small scale farmers) use fire to clear land for development and agriculture; fires are often used to stake claims to land in disputes between big companies and small farmers; and drained peatlands are highly flammable during the dry season, so small-scale clearing and camp fires can easily burn out of control.
This situation is not specific to Indonesia—fires happen around the world, from the Arctic to the Amazon to the Congo Basin.
(Source: UN Environment Programme , 18 Feb 2021)
Source Link: https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/why-peatlands-matter