Fires Destroy 165,000 Hectares of Forests
11/13/97
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Headline: Fires Destroy 165,000 Hectares of Forests
Source: CNN
Date: 11/13/97
Copyright 1997: Cable News Network, Inc. A Time Warner Company
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
JAKARTA (Nov. 13) XINHUA - Fires in some regions of
Indonesia had destroyed 165,000 hectares of national forests
by the end of October, an official said here today.
"It is possible that there will be more forest resources
destroyed," Director General of Forest and Nature
Conservation Soemarsono said at a discussion on forest fires
in the House of Representatives.
The forest fires, which started in mid-August this year in
Sumatra, Kalimantan, Java and Irian Jaya islands, have also
caused haze in the country as well as in Malaysia and
Singapore. The haze has affected the health of more than 20
million people in the region.
The forest fires have destroyed the wood potential in the
forest, besides impacting the biodiversity and wreaking
havoc with its ecosystem.
The Indonesian Forum for Environment said earlier that the
forest fires have caused losses amounting to 3.15 billion
U.S. dollars.