Indonesia set to restore fire-ravaged ecosystem at peatland

The Indonesian government is set to restore ecosystem at large peatland territory, wich has been ravaged by recent massive forest fires.

The fires lasting from July to October damaged over 2.10 million hectares of peatland across the nation.

"There must be an action to comprehensively restore the impacts," Minister of Law and Human Rights Yasona Laoly said Tuesday after meeting Vice President Jusuf Kalla at the vice presidential office.

The meeting also attended by Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya gave an approval to establish a national board, directly under the command of President Joko Widodo, for restoring peatland, Laoly said.

The Indonesian president has ordered ministers to end issuance of licences for the opening of plantation at peatland due to its vulnerability.

The recent forest fires in Indonesia, which has the world's largest palm oil industry, had mostly occurred due to the annual slash-and-burn practices to clear for new plantations. The situation worsens this year due to the El Nino effect.

The forest fires had led Indonesia to carry out the biggest firefighting operation with aid from foreign countries, deploying over 22,000 soldiers, police and officers to douse the blaze spreading from the west to the east of the country. Enditem