The Underlying causes and impacts of fires in South-east Asia: Site 4. Musi Banyu Asin, South Sumatra Province, Indonesia

This report provides the results of an analysis of the causes and impacts of vegetation fires in the Musi Banyu Asin (MUBA) coastal swamp area in South Sumatra Province, Sumatra, Indonesia. The 250,000 ha study area can be generally classified as coastal swamps with a fringe of mangroves and nipah (Nypa fruticans) palm situated along the tidal rivers and seacoast. Inland from the coast, most of the swamp forests have disappeared due to logging (both legal and illegal), fires and transmigration development. In 1997, large-scale fires burned up to 45 % of the land area of the site, destroying most of the remaining, albeit degraded, swamp forest. The largest, single, contiguous burnt area was almost 32,000 ha in size producing much smoke in the process.

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