Moh Khory Alfarizi, Jakarta – WWF Indonesia said that the land and forest fires in Kalimantan and Sumatra were caused by among others, landowners deliberately setting their property on fire to clear up land. This pattern is similar to what is happening in Amazon, where people burn trees to open up farmlands.

"Not only is it caused by weather and natural reasons as well as weak supervision, the forest fire is also caused by men – both individuals and corporates," WWF Indonesia director of policy and advocacy Aditya Bayunanda said during a discussion in Jakarta, Tuesday, September 17.

WWF-Indonesia conservation director Lukas Adhyakso confirmed that the causes of the fire varied. Apart from the dry weather, there are also things related to illegal land clearing.

"We at WWF are overwhelmed. We all must be involved in handling this. We are asking [the government] to declare emergency status becayse the fire is so extensive. We must extinguish it together," he said.

Data from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry showed that the size of forest and land burned this year has reached 328,722 hectares. Without the support and innovation of handling, that size can expand.

Last year, the total size of land and forest fires was 510,564.21 hectares.

Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/1249266/wwf-indonesia-forest-fire-cause-same-as-in-amazon