Integrated forest fire management in tropical peat swamp forest:

role of local community

Resumo

Tropical Peat swamp forests are one of tropical wetland ecosystems that has dynamic link between land and water and also transition zone where the water flow, the nutrients cycling and the solar energy combine together to create an irreplaceable environment of hydrology, soils and vegetation. The peat swamp forest functioned as carbon sink and carbon storage, their presence have been beneficial to human kind. During dry period, tropical peat swamps are prone to forest fires and causes transboundary haze in South East Asia in 2005 and 2015. Local community around tropical peat swamp can play an important role in integrated peat forest fire management but little research has been done to understand their knowledge and attitude towards forest fire. A study was conducted to assess the attitudes and perception of villagers affected by forest fire. Likert questionaire is used to elicit repondents attitudes and perception by asking the degree to which the individual agree or disagree with the statement. Respondents from all three groups agreed that forest fire would cause air pollution, soil erosion, green house effect and thick haze, so indirectly cause disease like asthma, respiratory disease, skin infection. Villager affected by forest fire supported immediate fire suppression and agree that forest fire is a big problem in this country. The findings from this study will help the relevant authorities to formulate a better integrated forest fire management programme.