Trial by fire: forest fires and forestry policy in Indonesia's era of crisis and reform

This report examines the destruction and systematic plunder of Asia's greatest rainforests under former Indonesian president Suharto. The report focuses on the 1997-1998 forest fires in Indonesia that resulted in the burning of 10 million hectares of forests. Many of these fires were deliberately set by plantation owners who take advantage of the dry season to clear the forests and plant export crops like palm oil. The problem was worsened by a drought induced by the periodic El Niño climatic phenomenon, which was particularly severe that year.The report recommends: Instituting a moratorium on new concessions for oil palm, timber and other plantations until a national inventory of permanent forest estate is completedStrengthening rules and penalties against clearing plantations with fireDeclaring a five-year moratorium on the transmigration program and re-examining the objectives and methods of this massive resettlement programGranting legal protection of forest ownership and use by indigenous peoples and assisting them to manage the forests sustainablyGranting clear legal protection as permanent forest estate to all remaining forested areas in IndonesiaEstablishing effective mechanisms for independent citizen monitoring of trends and threats related to forest lands and resources