Sumatra, Indonesia – March 7th, 2014
Hundreds of fires burning across the Island of Sumatra release plumes of smoke that blow towards the southwest.
Clearing land for timber and agriculture is likely to blame for Indonesia’s latest bout of fires. According to data from Global Forest Watch – a new online system that tracks tree cover change, fires, and other information in near-real time – roughly half of these fires are burning on land managed by oil palm, timber, and logging companies – despite the fact that using fire to clear land is illegal in Indonesia.
