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Sumatra has a large and persistent wetland/peatland fire problem. Perspectives differ
on the source and nature of the problem. There have been large negative environmental
and socio-economic impacts arising from the fires. At the same time, fire is a useful
tool for wetland use, and there are increasing population and development pressures on
the wetlands. There is an urgent and critical need to identify, assess and resolve the
problem fires; and work towards sustainable development and conservation of wetland
resources.This book documents the insights and perspectives of different stakeholders
in the wetlands of Sumatra on the key fire issues and their possible solutions in four
common settings – a) Plantation and estate crop development, b) Remaining protection
and production forests, c) Deforested wetlands mainly subject to local community use,
and d) Transmigration agricultural development. They look beyond the fires at the
underlying issues that need to be tackled such as development policies, livelihood
pressures and options, and viable alternatives to burning in the wetlands. It is hoped that
these insights from the ground will be useful for policy makers, forest managers,
plantation companies, development agencies and non-governmental organizations to
understand and work towards resolving Sumatra’s wetland fire problem. Lessons from
Sumatra are also relevant for other wetland regions of Indonesia.