Why slash-and-burn fires in Indonesia are so harmful | DW News

The native landscapes of Sumatra are disappearing with alarming speed: Fires in Indonesia release more harmful greenhouse gases and toxic smoke than fires in the Amazon. And most of them are being set deliberately.

Every year, farmers here slash and burn large swaths of rainforest mainly to make way for palm oil plantations. They're also burning peatlands, a type of wetland that stores huge amounts of natural carbon. When peat soil burns, it releases more carbon dioxide and causes toxic smoke that's thicker and more dangerous than smoke from other forest fires. In 2016, Indonesia's government established an agency to restore some 2 million hectares of peatland by 2020. But critics say much more is needed to put an end to the fires that are destroying the country's precious ecosystems.Subscribe:

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