Preventing, mitigating, and monitoring haze pollution is the theme of the Conference to Enhance Cooperation for the Implementation of the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution, currently taking place in Hanoi (May 11-13), with the participation of over 120 scientists and managers from nearly 20 countries worldwide.
Haze from forest fires covering Malaysia. Photo: AP
The conference is organized by the Department of Environmental Protection (Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
During the conference, delegates unanimously agreed that the issue of forest fires in most countries in the region is primarily due to shifting cultivation, slash-and-burn agriculture, and other factors such as the collection of non-timber products (e.g., using torches to find honey). Forest fires sometimes occur due to tourists carelessly littering waste and flammable materials in tourist areas…
Currently, ASEAN countries have implemented many proactive measures to prevent forest fires, such as reducing shifting cultivation, allocating land for people to stabilize their livelihoods, and designating forest areas for local communities to participate in forest protection. Some countries at high risk of forest fires have developed large-scale forest fire prevention and protection systems, such as Thailand, which has 1,362 observation stations, 52 coordination centers for forest fire prevention, 164 forest fire monitoring stations nationwide, and 64 specialized firefighting teams.
Vietnam has also established a National Steering Committee for Forest Fire Prevention from the central to local levels, with over 20,000 community forest protection groups, 4,000 forest rangers supporting localities, and 11,000 monitoring stations.
However, the latest statistics from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of Thailand indicate that the number of forest fire hotspots in the region continues to increase, and haze has spread across the borders of many countries. Specifically, on March 27, 2006, satellite images recorded 1,922 forest fire hotspots in the Mekong River area; on March 21, there were also 1,182 forest fire hotspots in Myanmar.
Mr. Faizal Parish from the Global Environment Facility stated that most countries have only prepared emergency budgets to respond to major forest fires and do not have regular funding for implementing management, protection, and prevention measures for forests and peatlands under vegetation. The reason is that countries lack an appropriate mechanism to attract contributions from governments, international organizations, citizens, and businesses that cause pollution…
At the conference, delegates focused on disseminating the contents of the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution. This is an opportunity for ASEAN countries to share experiences and needs to effectively implement the Agreement; to strengthen and consolidate cooperation with international and regional organizations as well as to seek donors for the implementation of the Agreement; and to identify areas of cooperation to respond to the challenges of forest fires and transboundary haze pollution.
H.Yên
