Story | 30 Mar, 2008

The Economics of Fire Use in Agriculture and Forestry - A Preliminary Review for Indonesia

Author(s): Gouyon, Anne ; Simorangkir, Dicky
IUCN ; WWF ; Project FireFight South East Asia, ID
Published: 2002
Series: Project FireFight South East Asia
ISBN: 979-3260-00-9
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Photo: IUCN

Jakarta, ID : Project FireFight South East Asia, 2002. xi, 79p.

This report reviews existing knowledge on the financial costs and benefits of using fire in agriculture and forestry for different types of land holdings. It also compares burning with the zero-burning method, which has been developed by large-scale commercial companies in South East Asia, especially in Malaysia, in the last 20 years. The study identified that smallholders do not have the resources to invest in no fire land clearing techniques. Instead, establishing appropriate community institutions and clearly defined tenure will help to promote responsible fire use among local communities. The financial analysis of the costs and benefits of fire versus no fire land clearing techniques indicates that zero-burning methods are not more expensive than burning. When comparing the relatively low financial costs of zero burning and fire management with the enormous socio-economic costs of fire damage and impacts, it is clear that in economic terms there are market and institutional failures in fire management.
The economics of fire use in agriculture and forestry : a preliminary review for Indonesia

Note: Includes bibliographic references