Peatland fires and transboudnary haze

Part of CIFOR's ongoing work on peatland fires, Rachel Carmenta and I are leading part of the DFID-supported project, "Political Economy of Fire and Haze in Indonesia".

Peatland fires represent one of the most critical, yet challenging and complex forest and land management issues in Indonesia---releasing massive carbon stocks and impacting public health, quality of life and economies both locally and in neighbouring countries (Singapore, Malaysia).

Importantly, many actors disagree and conflict over the causes of fire (e.g., tensions between communities and companies), moreover, the benefits and burdens of fire are unevenly experienced across actor groups. Despite the complexity of these issues, popular solutions to fire are often simplistic and technology-driven so far limiting successful problem-solving.

Our contributions to this project draw heavily on the Q-method approach to perceptions research, to understand how different actor groups perceive 1) the burdens and benefits derived from fire, and 2) prospective solutions to fire. Perceptions data is being collected from diverse actors within Riau, Sumatra (e.g., industry, small farmers, investors, decision-makers), as well as in Jakarta and Singapore (e.g., policy arena actors).

These results will enable us to identify the major viewpoints held about fire. Such perceptions research will help to clarify debates, serving as a "boundary object" that can bring together different, often conflicting actors, to more openly discuss protective solutions and concerns.