This presentation by CIFOR scientist Daniel Murdiyarso talks about the haze problem in South East Asia (SEA). He focuses on the El-Nino Southern Oscillation, if the fires are a problem, the history of fires in SEA, what different impacts the fires can have and how fires and haze should be addressed.

1. Past forest and land fires in SEA:
What did we learn?
Daniel Murdiyarso

2. Outline
• Introduction
•
•
El-Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) – a
teleconnection
Is fire a problem?
• SEA fire history
• Fires can have differentiated impacts
•
•
•
GHG emissions
Transboundary haze pollution
Health
• Addressing fires and haze

3. ENSO – a teleconnection

4. This week

6. SST Anomaly (oC) for Nino 3.4
Tahiti-Darwin SOI

7. Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD)

8. IOD and SOI predictability: rainfall and NDVI
IOD
SOI
IOD & SOI
Source: Adiningsih and Murdiyarso, 2009

9. But….. El-Nino has never been the cause

10. Daily Average PSI in Klang Valley
(Sep 1997)
600
500
KL
PJ
Kajang
Kelang
S. Alam
Gombak
400
300
200
29-Sep
22-Sep
15-Sep
8-Sep
0
1-Sep
100
(Source: Noor, et al., 1998)

11. Daily Average PSI in Singapore
(2013)

12. Fire emissions
2000-2006 (moderate El Nino)
• Southeast Asia = 128 + 51 Tg C/y
• Borneo = 74 + 33 Tg C/y
• Sumatra = 49 + 39 Tg C/y
(van der Werf et al. 2008)
1997 (strong El Nino)
• Indonesia = 2.12 Mha burnt
• C release = 2570 Tg C
(Page et al. 2002)

13. Fire Danger Rating Systems
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999

14. Addressing fires and haze

15. Mapping the impacts and responses
Global
Spatial scale
Regional
Technical assistance
programs
Greenhouse gas emissions
impacts on climate
Regional
atmospheric haze
Regional cooperation on early warning
systems and fire-fighting capacities
Changes in land
development policies
National
Altered human access
Elevated watershed
sediment exports
Landscape
Landscape fragmentation
and mosaic structure
Damages to property
and crops
Patch
Improving local capacities to
manage altered fire regimes
Post-fire
Nutrient releases
days
Vegetation succession
dynamics
year
Temporal scale
years
decades

16. Key messages
• In the last three decades fire regimes in SEA has
changed considerably due to anthropogenic factors
• Fires still part of land management tool
• Zero burning may not be a viable policy
• Haze as problems: symptom, transboundary, health
• Fire fighting and early warning system are in place
• Addressing the underlying causes of fires are more
challenging