Malaysia experienced one its most serious haze problem in 1997/98. Although the main source of the haze has been attributed to have come from rampant forest and bush fires in neighbouring Indonesia, there were significant outbreaks of such fires in Malaysia as well, that exacerbated the situation. In Peninsular Malaysia, the incidences of forest fires mainly occurred in Selangor, Pahang, Kelantan and Terengganu covering an area of about 2800 ha. Haze and forest fires although not new to Malaysia, were never taken very seriously until the 1997 haze incident that not only affected us but also Singapore, Brunei, Thailand and even the Philippines. We have experienced several forest fire episodes over the last two decades. These episodes seem to coincide with dry conditions brought about by the ENSO phenomena.
The haze and forest fires had caused significant damage to property, vegetation, wildlife, environment and public health. Most of the forest fires reported in Malaysia occurred in degraded or logged-over peat swamp forests and is thus a major threat to the conservation of such ecosystem. The destruction of the peat which had accumulated over thousands of years is globally significant as carbon storage may have greater impacts than the burning of surface vegetation. It contributes greenhouse gases to the atmosphere and also releases particulate matter and sulphur and nitrous oxides harmful to human health. Serious occurrences of forest fire are due to improper peat land management, slash and burn activities and poor water regulation in cultivated lands. The forest fire experience have created awareness on the severity of forest fires in this region and its transboundary nature. It also reflected the urgent need to address the issues concerning sound management of forest resources at the local level as well as the need to enhance forestry cooperation in the region.
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APFP 2010-2014
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