1990-2010 - Borneo Deforestation Area = Spain & France Combined; ENSO Fire Cycle Taking Control

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EDIT

In Figure 1: Extent of Deforestation in Borneo 1950-2005, Projection to 2020, Borneo's rate of deforestation, primarily in Indonesia, can be understood as catastrophic and unprecedented. The amount of land deforested in the last 20 years is about the same size as Texas and California combined, or the total landmass of Spain or France. This astounding rate of deforestation has resulted in an increase in Indonesia's carbon emission load, due to peatland fires and related decomposition of peat, to over 2 billion tons of carbon annually. This is equivalent to three times the German economy and greater than Russia's annual carbon emission rate <12>. Borneo's forests, which only 20 years ago were dipterocarp primary tropical rainforests, now are a patchwork quilt of palm oil plantations, degraded forested land, and timber plantations <13>.

Since 1983, Indonesia has experienced many disastrous periodic forests fires during each El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) period. In 1997-98, an area the size of Connecticut and Rhode Island burned. Borneo's ecological system has characteristically been driven by ENSO-related microclimate changes, with extensive drought in each ENSO period. The drought conditions cause the dipterocarp trees to synchronously bloom and then bear fruit, contributing food to vertebrate populations that in turn feed larger vertebrates further up the food chain.

Because of unparalleled uncontrolled and unmitigated deforestation, Kalimantan now experiences a destructive cycle related to ENSO. ENSO causes widespread drought that is enhanced by deforestation, lack of leaf transpiration, and draining of the lowland peat forests <14>.

The dry peat soil then is the fodder for remarkable forest fires that degrade millions of hectares of Kalimantan's rainforest. In fact, the forest fires are so large they can be seen from space (see Figure 2: Borneo's Fires from Space September 22, 1997). During 1997-98, more than 5 million hectares of rainforest burned in the province of East Kalimantan <15>. This burned area is an equivalent area to Connecticut and Rhode Island combined.

EDIT

http://news.mongabay.com/2009/1204-thoumi_kalimantan.html

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