Regional – Page 6

Lack of snow brings fire concerns

Kurt Hildebrand

February 16, 2018

With half the snowpack average, and nowhere near where it was this time last year, lack of snow has public lands and fire officials nervous.

Lake Tahoe snowmobilers are being asked to ride where there is actually snow.

“This winter has been a challenge for all winter recreation users,” said Tahoe Sierra Snowmobiling Club president, Greg McKay. “Snowmobilers should take extra care to minimize resource damage that low snow conditions present when they recreate and should follow Forest Service guidance.”

Snow is in the forecast for Washington’s Birthday, but accumulations are expected to be light, with even the high Sierra only forecast to see around 4 inches.

Forest Fire Forestry Global HAZE Hotspots INDONESIA International Regional RFMRC-SEA

Inggris Kucurkan Rp40 Miliar ke RI-Malaysia, untuk Apa Saja?

Inggris Kucurkan Rp40 Miliar ke RI-Malaysia, untuk Apa Saja?

By: Ezra Natalyn

Published by: Viva

VIVA – Inggris mendanai proyek baru untuk penanganan kebakaran hutan di Indonesia dan Malaysia dengan nilai 2 juta Poundsterling atau setara dengan Rp40 miliar. Program yang digagas Badan Antariksa Inggris ini disalurkan melalui jalur Program Kemitraan Internasional yaitu untuk mengatasi kebakaran hutan melalui satelit.

Proyek ini disebutkan merupakan salah satu dari 10 proyek baru di dunia yang melibatkan sejumlah organisasi di bidang ruang angkasa dengan total proyek seluruhnya hingga Rp720 miliar.

ASEAN CAMBODIA Forest Fire Forestry International Regional RFMRC-SEA SOUTHEAST ASIA

Still no action taken on threatening of forest patroller

Phak Seangly | Publication date 09 February 2018 | 10:54 ICT

Forest patrollers and rights groups are questioning why the Oddar Meanchey Forestry Administration has yet to take action after a soldier transporting illegal timber allegedly beat and threatened to kill a patroller last month.

Patroller Loeut Las and Sorng Rukhavorn community forest chief Venerable Bun Saluth say they have filed complaints with local representatives of the rights groups Adhoc and Licadho in hopes of bringing the suspect to court.

“If I were them, I would not keep the complaint like that,” Las said, adding that he believes the delay is due to the influence of the armed forces. “As far as I know, the suspect is not afraid of anything.”

Community forest patrollers say Regiment 424 soldier Moeng Duong hit Las and threatened to set his family on fire last month after being caught allegedly transporting luxury timber. Forestry Administration officials who were at the scene of the confrontation have confirmed the account.

However, when reached yesterday, provincial Forestry Administration Director I’m Savarith said the agency needed more time to investigate.

“It is like trying to catch a cobra,” Savarith said. “If we make a wrong move, the cobra will bite us dead.”

He declined to say when the investigation would end before hanging up.

Regiment 424 commander Sin Pean could not be reached for comment yesterday, but told The Post earlier this week that he had punished and “educated” Duong.

Saluth and Las sent a report to the provincial Forestry Administration shortly after the incident, which took place on January 28. Srey Naren, a provincial coordinator for Adhoc, said he plans to file a complaint with the court next week in hopes that they can spur action.

Contact author: Phak Seangly

Forestry HAZE International Regional

Thai capital known for tourist sites chokes in polluted haze

BANGKOK (AP) — A cloud of unhealthy haze has settled across the Thai capital, shrouding the gilded temples and towering skyscrapers that draw millions of tourists to the city each year.

The country’s Pollution Control Department said Thursday that concentrations of tiny particles known as PM 2.5 that are a benchmark measure of air quality were almost double the levels considered safe.

Department officials blamed high humidity for contributing to the haze, while environmentalists cited the capital’s famously traffic-choked streets.

Forest Fire Forestry Global HAZE Hotspots INDONESIA International Regional RFMRC-SEA

Asian Games should remain unaffected by forest fires: President

Jakarta (ANTARA News) – Implementation of the ASIAN Games in Indonesia should not be affected by smoke arising from forest and land fires, according to President Joko Widodo.

The 18th Asian Games will be organized from Aug 18 to Sept 2 at the Bung Karno Sports Arena of Jakarta and Jakabaring Sports City of Palembang in South Sumatra Province.

“This year, we host the ASIAN Games in Jakarta and Palembang. I remind you to not let the smoke from forest and land fires arise during the implementation of the event,” Widodo noted during a briefing to participants of the National Coordination Meeting on Forest and Land Fire Control in 2018 at the State Palace in Jakarta on Tuesday.

He pointed out that smoke from forest and land fires will tarnish the image of Indonesia and disrupt flights during the ASIAN Games.

“We have to work hard to ensure that the ASIAN Games run smoothly without any disturbance from forest and land fires,” he stated.

Reported by Joko Susilo
(T.M052/A/KR-BSR/F001)

Forest Fire Forestry Global HAZE Hotspots INDONESIA International Regional

Jokowi pledges fewer forest fires for this year

Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja Indonesia Correspondent

JAKARTA – President Joko Widodo has reminded all Indonesian officials on the need to continue to prevent forest and plantation fires, noting that the leaders of Malaysia and Singapore had praised him for the progress made so far.

The Indonesian leader said he had issued a guarantee of fewer forest fires for this year. (2018).

“In 2015, every time I met with the Singapore and Malaysian prime ministers and they complained to me about the haze,” the president said at a national coordination meeting at Merdeka Palace on forest and plantation fire mitigation on Tuesday (Feb 6).

Forest Fire Forestry Global Hotspots International Regional

Indonesia unveils plan to halve forest fires by 2019

by Hans Nicholas Jong on 29 December 2017

JAKARTA – The Indonesian government has unveiled an ambitious plan to nearly halve the number of fire hotspots in the country by 2019, in part through the restoration of degraded peat forests.

The fires are an annual occurrence, linked to the clearing of forests for logging and monoculture plantations. In recent years the problem has been exacerbated by the draining of peat swamps, which leaves them highly combustible.

Under the new plan revealed Tuesday by the Coordinating Ministry for the Economy, the government aims to tackle the fires through a two-pronged approach.

First is ensuring that the 24,000 square kilometers (9,266 square miles) of degraded peat areas slated to be restored by Indonesia’s peatland restoration agency (BRG) are not burned. Second is boosting prevention efforts in 731 villages in Sumatra and Kalimantan, the Indonesian portion of Borneo, identified as being historically prone to fires.

In all, the plan calls for the protection of 121,000 square kilometers (46,718 square miles) of land, which, if kept successfully free of fire by 2019, will reduce the anticipated number of hotspots by 49 percent compared to business-as-usual levels.

Reed more Indonesia unveils plan to halve forest fires by 2019

Forest Fire Regional RFMRC-SEA

Five named suspects in Jambi land, forest fires

9 September 2017

JAMBI, The Jambi Police have named five people as suspects during their investigation into seven land and forest fire cases, which occurred from January to August.

Jambi Police spokesperson Comr. Wirmanto Dinata said three out of the seven cases were handled by the Tebo Police while two cases were investigated by the Batanghari Police. The East Tanjungjabung Police and the Muarojambi Police handled one case each.

(more…)

Forest Fire Regional RFMRC-SEA

Jambi land, forest fires continue

6 September 2017

JAMBI, While the number of hot spots in some areas across Sumatra is declining with the onset of the rainy season, land and forest fires in Jambi continue to break out.

The Jambi administration’s Land and Forest Fire Task Force data shows that fires in the province cover 488 hectares in seven regencies. They comprise Batanghari, Bungo, East Tanjungjabung, Muarojambi, Sarolangun, Tebo and West Tanjungjabung.

(more…)

Category: Regional

Lack of snow brings fire concerns

Lack of snow brings fire concerns

Inggris Kucurkan Rp40 Miliar ke RI-Malaysia, untuk Apa Saja?

Still no action taken on threatening of forest patroller

Still no action taken on threatening of forest patroller

Thai capital known for tourist sites chokes in polluted haze

Asian Games should remain unaffected by forest fires: President

Jokowi pledges fewer forest fires for this year

Indonesia unveils plan to halve forest fires by 2019

Five named suspects in Jambi land, forest fires

9 September 2017

Jambi land, forest fires continue

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