By: Robi Deslia Waldi
Bangkok, March 26, 2026 — Thailand continues to grapple with a severe wildfire and haze crisis, as new satellite imagery reveals widespread fire activity across mainland Southeast Asia, intensifying concerns over air quality and environmental damage.
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by: Robi Deslia Waldi
The province of Riau is once again facing a serious threat of forest and land fires (karhutla) in 2026. In response, the local government has officially declared a forest fire emergency alert status as an early preventive measure to reduce the risk of widespread haze disasters that occur almost every year.
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By: Robi Deslia Waldi
Tokyo, Japan — Bambang Hero Saharjo, Professor at the Faculty of Forestry and Environment, IPB University, emphasized the urgent need for concrete actions to reduce forest and land fires (karhutla) in Indonesia as part of global climate change mitigation efforts.
By: Robi Deslia Waldi
Bogor, Indonesia — Bambang Hero Saharjo, a distinguished professor from the Department of Silviculture at the Faculty of Forestry and Environment, IPB University, has been honored with the prestigious The Guardian Honor (Lifetime Achievement Award) at the Katadata Green Innovator Awards 2025.
November 19, 2024 – Siem Reap, Cambodia
Addressing the urgent need for regional collaboration on forest fire management, Prof. Bambang Hero Saharjo, a leading expert in forest and environmental fire science from IPB University, delivered a powerful keynote speech at the Mekong-Korea Forest Fire Symposium (MKKF) 2024 held at the Sokha Siem Reap Palace Hotel, Cambodia.
Photo: group photo (Copyright: Committee)
Bogor, August 5, 2024 – In a strong demonstration of international cooperation, IPB University and the French Embassy in Indonesia convened the 2nd International Fire Conference, bringing together experts and delegates from Malaysia, France, Brunei Darussalam, South Korea, and Thailand. The event served as a vital platform to strengthen global commitment in reducing greenhouse gas emissions caused by forest and land fires (Karhutla).
Jason Loh and Anis Salwana Abdul Malik
TRANSBOUNDARY haze affecting Malaysia has been an ongoing problem for decades, and is mainly caused by forest fires due
to agricultural techniques known as “slash-and-burn” from across the border (whether land, i.e. Kalimantan or
cross-straits, e.g. Riau). The root cause of this is the burning of peat lands for cultivation, which takes place especially during the drought season. This is when peat soil becomes flammable and fire spreads easily.
Forests cover just over 30% of the global land area, yet they harbour a vast majority of the world’s wildlife species – including 80% of the world’s amphibians, 75% of birds, and 68% of mammals. But since 1990, over 420 million hectares of forest have been lost as a result of human activity, largely due to deforestation and land clearing for agricultural purposes and logging. Southeast Asia has one of the highest rates of deforestation in the world to support the region’s agricultural and food production, as well as other raw material industries. We discuss what was the major cause of deforestation in Southeast Asia and look ahead to the future.
Southeast Asia, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Thailand, is home to nearly 15% of the world’s tropical forests, which makes it all the more attractive as a deforestation hotspot. The region has one of the highest rates of deforestation, losing at least 1.2% of its forests annually, which is comparable only to Latin America where deforestation rates in the Amazon account for one-third of global tropical deforestation.
PHITSANULOK: Local firefighters are combating a forest fire that broke out on Saturday, razing an area of about 500 rai in this central northern province.
BY :TIUR RUMONDANG | OCTOBER 09, 2020 Many living in Southeast Asia – and even…