Pertanyaan

The forest and peatland fires and smog, billed the worst in Indonesian history, still dominated medaia headlines this week, with thousands of hot spots covering Sumatra and Kalimantan. At least 19 people in Sumatra and Kalimantan have died, and mostly children, have been hospitalized because of severe respiratory illnesses caused by the haze. According to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), the ongoing haze crisis has resulted in more than 500,000 people in six provinces - Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, and South Kalimantan - suffering from respiratory infections. As evidence indicates that most hot spots are related to oil palm and pulp wood plantations, President has instructed Forestry and Environment Ministry to stop issuing new permits for peatland cultivation for monoculture, restore damaged peatland and review all peatland licenses that have been issued. Put bluntly, companies can no longer convert active forests and deep peat or any peat area into monoculture plantations, such as acasia for pulp and oil palm plantations. Recent research by forest scientist at the Bogor, West Java-Based center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) found that the main cause of haze in Riau came from dry and deforested peatland, and not just from the slashing-and-burning of forested areas, as commonly thought. The research found that peat swamps in their natural state are resistant to fire because they are wet underground, but they can be highly flammable when they dry out and are degraded What does the text tell us about?