The Politics of Forest Fires in Southeast Asia

This article explicates the relationship between forest fires and political processes in Southeast Asia. Forest fires in Southeast Asia have been identified as man-made disasters caused by the excessive extraction of forest resources and the conversion of forests into profit-oriented landscapes. Forest degradation caused by fires is primarily blamed on the perpetuation of colonial practices in the forestry sector. However, this argument does not sufficiently explain the parallel patterns of forest extraction—including in countries with no experience of formal colonialism—and the differing impacts of forest fires across the region. Using fire datasets and cases from Indonesia, Thailand and Myanmar, this article offers a comparative lens to understand why forest fires matter to Southeast Asia and why, compared to other countries, Indonesia suffers the greatest from forest fires, politically and economically. I argue that this is because political elites and oligarchs in Indonesia have neglected the environmental risks of peatland resources. This argument marks a significant break from the colonial legacy argument and explains the distinct implications of forest fires for the Indonesian economy and politics.