Peat-Forest Fires Out Of Control On Borneo - Direct Threat To Largest Remaining Orang Population

[hatrack]

Raging fires have broken out in the peat-swamp forests of Central Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo, threatening the largest population of orangutans in the world. The fires were started by people but have spread uncontrollably due to the extreme drought that Borneo is currently experiencing as a result of El Niño conditions.

‘These fires have started as a result of human actions.’ says Dr. Suwido Limin, Director of the Indonesian peatland conservation organization CIMTROP. ‘Newcomers to the area have attempted to follow traditional Dayak farming methods for land clearance but they lack the experience to control the fires they start. When peat dries out it burns very easily and at great temperatures. Once these fires take hold, they burn and burn and can be almost impossible to put out until the rains come again. In that time huge areas of forest and irreplaceable peat deposits may be lost.’ Peat fires can smolder for years below the surface.

Borneo is currently in the grips of severe El Niño drought, making this an ‘exceptionally worrying’ time for the fires to break out. Previous El Niño years have seen hundreds of thousands of hectares of primary forest go up in flames, home to endangered plants and wildlife including orangutans. The reduced rainfall and stronger southeasterly winds that El Niño also creates provides favorable conditions for larger scale smoke haze pollution.

The area currently at risk, the peat-swamp forests of Sabangau National Park and surrounding areas, houses an estimated 8,000 orangutans as well as eight other primate species, clouded leopards, sun bears, flying squirrels and 154 species of bird. The Sabangau forest is the largest area of lowland rainforest remaining in Borneo. ‘Orangutan sleeping nests can be seen in trees shrouded in smoke and rhinoceros hornbills fly through the haze overhead.’ was the scene described in a press release issued by OuTrop (Orangutan Tropical Peatland Project). OuTrop is an independent research and conservation project carrying out research into the biodiversity of the Sabangau Forest, with a focus on the area’s orangutans.

EDIT

http://news.mongabay.com/2009/0816-moses_borneo.html

[GoddessOfGuinness]

1. I'm not finding relief fund info...

Checked NRDC and WWF so far...

[bananas]

2. At the end of the article it says "Potential donors to the fire-fighting team can contact ..."

<snip most of the article>

Potential donors to the fire-fighting team can contact karenjeffers(at)msn.com, simon_husson(at)yahoo.com or cimtrop_suwido(at)yahoo.com.

This article is based on a news release from OuTrop.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

3. Doh!

Thanks...I don't know how I missed that! :hi: