Indonesian Forest Restoration Burns

Why this is here: Between January and March, roughly 67,450 hectares burned across Indonesia, with over 65% of the affected land consisting of peatlands prone to underground fires.

Yayasan IAR Indonesia and local residents in Pematang Gadung, West Kalimantan, Indonesia, fear losing restored habitat to recurring fires. The organization spent ten years replanting roughly 300 hectares with about 150,000 trees after the 2015 fires, attracting orangutans, birds, and wild boar. Recent fires in March, sparked by a palm oil plantation, burned at least 171 hectares within the restoration area.

The forest's recovery is threatened because orangutans reproduce slowly, and each loss impacts the population for decades. The fires spread quickly due to low vegetation and even jumped a river 15 to 20 meters wide. YIARI has invested in fire response tools, but lacks sufficient resources for an extreme dry season.

Karmele Llano Sánchez of YIARI notes the organization could lose all progress and “start again from zero.” The organization estimates needing $250,000 to improve fire preparedness this year, and access to water remains a significant challenge. The work to rebuild habitat continues, but faces ongoing risks.