EoF News (PEKANBARU) – As rain rarely pours Riau Province many fires hotspots found recently including in timber concessions and protected areas. At least 613 hotspots detected within three weeks in this month as the total of hotspots in the province are 1573.
There are 613 fire hotspots were totally found in several concessions of acacia plantation or industrial timber plantation during period of June 1-20 where the most hotspots detected were on concession of Asia Pulp & Paper’s timber supplier PT Satria Perkasa Agung (ex- HPHTI PT. Intipalma/ affiliated to APP) with 225 spots.
It is followed by PT Sumatera Riang Lestari Blok 3 (Asian Pacific Resources International Limited/APRIL) with 101, PT Dexter Timber Perkasa Indonesia (APP) 44, PT Rimba Rokan Perkasa (APP) 35, PT Rimba Lazuardi (APRIL) 22, PT Arara Abadi – Duri (APP) 21, PT Bina Daya Bentala (APP) 17, PT Rimba Rokan Lestari (APRIL) 17, PT Artelindo Wiratama (already split from APP) 11, and PT RAPP Baserah (APRIL) 11.
Other concessions that also significantly hit by hotspots are PT Suntara Gaja Pati (APP), PT Arara Abadi Pelalawan (APP), PT Perawang Sukses Perkasa Industri (APP), PT RAPP Pulau Padang (APRIL), PT Sumatera Riang Lestari Blok 4 (APRIL), PT Selaras Abadi Utama (APRIL) and PT Ruas Utama Jaya (APP). By affiliated companies, APP has 408 hotspots while APRIL 205.
The monitoring of forest and land fires hotspot is conducted based on satellite of Modis Terra Aqua that managed recently by NASA and it is analyzed by EoF coalition based on official mapping sources.
By HPH selective logging concession, PT Hutani Sola Lestari in Tesso Nilo landscape has 38 spots followed by PT Siak Raya Timber in Tesso Nilo with 13 spots, and PT Diamond Raya Timber in Senepis with 7 spots.
By protected and conservation areas, Tesso Nilo National Park is the most hotspots detected with 108 and followed by Giam Siak Kecil biosphere reserve with 8 hotspots.
Hariansyah Usman of Walhi Riau said that the government should prove to minimize forest and land fires as they pledge. “Therefore, application of Environmental Law number 32 year 2009 is urgent to nab perpetrators of forest and land firest.”
Hariansyah also called on timber concessions to protect their areas from any fires unless they can be blamed as the perpetrators of such a crime.