Increased fire hazard in human-modified wetlands in Southeast Asia

Vast areas of wetlands in Southeast Asia are undergoing a transformation process to human-modified ecosystems. Expansion of agricultural cropland and forest plantations changes the landscape of wetlands. Here we present observation-based modelling evidence of increased fire hazard due to canalizatio...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ambio 2019-04, Vol.48 (4), p.363-373
Main Authors: Taufik, Muh, Setiawan, Budi I., Van Lanen, Henny A. J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural ecosystems
Agricultural land
Agricultural management
Aquatic ecosystems
Asia, Southeastern
Atmospheric Sciences
Canal water level
Canalization
Canals
Drainage
Drainage canals
Drought
Drought index
Earth and Environmental Science
Ecology
Ecosystem
Environment
Environmental Engineering/Biotechnology
Environmental Management
Fire hazard
Fire hazards
Fires
Forest ecosystems
Genetic transformation
Humans
Hydrologic models
Hydrology
Indonesia
Modelling
Physical Geography
Plantations
RESEARCH ARTICLE
SWAP
Water levels
Water management
Wetlands
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Summary:Vast areas of wetlands in Southeast Asia are undergoing a transformation process to human-modified ecosystems. Expansion of agricultural cropland and forest plantations changes the landscape of wetlands. Here we present observation-based modelling evidence of increased fire hazard due to canalization in tropical wetland ecosystems. Two wetland conditions were tested in South Sumatra, Indonesia, natural drainage and canal drainage, using a hydrological model and a drought-fire index (modified Keetch–Byram index). Our results show that canalization has amplified fire susceptibility by 4.5 times. Canal drainage triggers the fire season to start earlier than under natural wetland conditions, indicating that the canal water level regime is a key variable controlling fire hazard. Furthermore, the findings derived from the modelling experiment have practical relevance for public and private sectors, as well as for water managers and policy makers, who deal with canalization of tropical wetlands, and suggest that improved water management can reduce fire susceptibility.
ISSN:0044-7447
1654-7209
DOI:10.1007/s13280-018-1082-3