Controlling a regional threat : fighting fire in Indonesia

Abstract

Larger-than-expected fires in Indonesia last month have given a renewed sense of urgency to international efforts to prevent and fight forest fires in that country, and funds are flowing into an ASEAN fund earmarked for such efforts. But analyses of past fire-fights efforts suggest that improved technical assistance will not be enough: real progress requires that the underlying causes of fires, the political climate that hampers response, and traditional barriers that impede the flow of critical information all be addressed. This update is based on papers by the authors who worked with the special fire control team to manage all aspects of fire-related information.