THINKING beyond the canopy

Political Economy of Fire and HazeHerry Purnomo, David Gaveau, Rachel Carmenta, Bayuni Shantiko and

Budhy Kristanty

British Embassy, Jakarta, 26 October 2015

THINKING beyond the canopyLAPAN, 2015

THINKING beyond the canopy

Political Economy Study Funded by DfID-UK (January-December

2015) – Extended to 2017 Aims to better inform decision makers with

an understanding of the on-the-ground dynamics (economic, social, and political) that are resulting in fire.

THINKING beyond the canopy

Sites and Methods Riau Province

11 sites represent clearly identifiable fire ignition points

Part of the largest fire events in 2013, 2014 and 2015

Methods• Mapping, surveys, policy

reviews, FGDs, CBA and network analysis.

THINKING beyond the canopy

No Site name District Characteristic1 Ayu Junaidi Dumai Fire occurred in community land (2014)2 Giam Siak Bengkalis Fire occurred in state land (2013, 2014)3 Pulau Rupat Bengkalis Fire occurred in village proliferation area

(2013, 2014).4 Rokan Adi Karya Rokan hulu Fire occurred in APL (area penggunaan

lain/land for other land use) and private HGU (hak guna usaha/land cultivation right) (2013)

5 Satria Perkasa Agung (SPA)

Dumai Fire in state land and far from village/settlement area (2014)

6 Sumatra Lestari (SL) Rokan Hilir Fire in community land (2013)

7 Suntara Gaja Pati (SGP)

Dumai Fire in private HGU land (2013, 2014)

8 Torganda Rokan Hilir Fire occurred in village proliferation area9 Tumpuan Bengkalis Fire in private HGU land (2010)10 Buruk Bakul Bengkalis Fire in land ex-managed by cooperative

(2014, 2015)11 Kampung Jawa Bengkalis Fire in community land (2015)

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Findings The situation on the ground is really complex Caused by multiple actors

• Government, private actors, local community and non-state actors

Multiple land types• State forest area, corporation concession,

private/community lands• Peat and mineral soil

Multiple drivers• Economy, politic, social and climate/weather 

Who gets what: Slash and clearing cut

Village head & officers $88 (13%)

Land claimant,$29 (4%)

Farmers group member, tree cutting $77(12%)

Farmers group member, slashing $96 (14%)

Marketing team $38 (6%)

Total BenefitSlash & cut$665/ha

Farmers group organizer $338 (51%)

Economy of Fire

Who gets what: Burning land (ready to plant)

Village head & officers $88 (10%)

Land claimant,$38 (4%)

Farmer group member, tree cutting $77 (9%)

Farmer group member, slashing $96 (11%)

Marketing team, $54 (6%)

Total Benefit$856/ha

Farmer group organizer $486 (57%)

Farmer group member, burning $15 (2%)

Farmer group member, cheap/free land $2 (0.2%)

Village head & officers $88 (3%)

Land claimant,$38 (1%)

Farmer group member, tree cutting $77 (3%)

Farmer group member, slashing $96 (3%)

Marketing team, $54 (2%)

Total Benefit$3,077/ha

Farmer group organizer$1567 (51%)

Farmer group member, burning $15 (1%)

Farmer Group member, cheap/free land $2 (0.1%)

OP development$992 (32%)

Farmer group member, OP maintenance wage

$147 (5%)

Who gets what: Three-year oil palm

THINKING beyond the canopy

Between-ness centrality: The most influential actors in brokering land transaction

Law and regulationsLaw Article About Controversy

41/1999: Forestry

50: 3d 78: 2

Prohibit to burn and sanction

39 /2014: Agricultural plantation

56 108

Prohibit to burn and sanction AND further detail on fire uses

Agricultural Minister regulation No. 47/2014

UU 32/2009: Protection and management of environment

69:1.h; 2 and explanation of 2

116

Prohibit to burn with exception for traditional uses ANDSanction

Govt. Regulation: - Central Kalimantan: No 15/2010 - Riau: No 11/2014

THINKING beyond the canopyFIRMS NASA, 2015

Bigger picture

THINKING beyond the canopy

Land usesTimber logging

3%Oil palm in forest

area7%

Oil pam in APL13%

Planted forest20%

Overlapped2%

APL outside oil palm23%

Forest area

outside conces-

sion32%

Fire SpotsTimber logging

4%

Wood plan-tation23%

Oil palm - APL11%

Oil palm- forest area5%

Overalpped2%

Non-OP - APL34%

Non-concession - forest area

21%

Fire intensity (fire spots/million ha area)

Timbe

r logg

ing

Woo

d plan

tation

Oil palm

- APL

Oil palm

- fore

st are

a

Overal

pped

Non-O

P - APL

Non-co

ncess

ion - f

orest

area

- 50

100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 20150

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

35,000

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Fire spots District election National election

Fire Spots and District election

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Fire Fighting VS Fire Prevention

Many government agencies prioritize fire fighting (e.g. water bombing, rain-making) over fire prevention (e.g. canal blocking, community-based water management, conflict resolution, spatial planning)• Visible and creates many new income streams

through jobs, equipment and other payments• Budget politic

Needs to shift to fire prevention for long-term solution

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Key points Many players benefit enormously from fire. The scale of these financial benefits means

livelihoods alternatives need to be significant. These players (elites or cukong) wear multiple

hats e.g. farmers, politicians, businessmen, government officers and academician.

These elites form protective patronage network that hinder the government’s capacity.

Actors who get benefit are not those who suffer from fire

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Efforts to Overall Goals

Reconciling agriculture development and forest conservation

Moving to Inclusive Green Growth

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Proposal for the future (1) Public investment (fiscal policies to address the

needs of rural people, such as schooling, healthcare, job creation, incentives for non-fire agriculture);

Engagement by banks and financial institutions to curb inappropriate investments (in Indonesia and abroad) by conditioning financial services;

Deeper engagement with corporations active in large-scale land use;

THINKING beyond the canopy

Proposal for the future (2) Easing bureaucracy and raising the accountability

of public institutions and government; Reforms of land-use and land tenure policies and

spatial planning to reduce commercial use of peatlands;

Targeted public awareness campaigns (education, TV, media, social networks) to promote sustainable development, alternative technologies/investments in agriculture and enforcement reforms.

THINKING beyond the canopy

Thanks