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Managing Haze : Using
Ecosystem Interactions to Our
Advantage
Siti Azizah Mohd Nor
Shuhaida Shuib
Nadine Ruppert
Noor Adelyna Mohammed Akib
Danial Hariz Zainal Abidin
“The transboundary haze pollution has been an
almost annual occurrence in Southeast Asia since
1982. It usually occurs during the southwest
monsoon season between June and September,
and becomes more severe during periods of dry
weather. Haze pollution affects several SEA
countries,
notably
Indonesia,
Malaysia,
Singapore, and Brunei, and to a lesser extent
Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines.”
http://www.wwf.sg/take_action/the_haze/#sthash.49x6oiiP.dpuf
INTRODUCTION
What is HAZE?
– Atmospheric phenomenon where dust, smoke, and
other dry particles obscure the clarity of the sky.
Sources for haze particles include farming
(ploughing in dry weather), traffic, industry, and
wildfires.
http://www.wmo.int/
INTRODUCTION
What causes HAZE?
Agricultural Expansion
– This haze pollution is largely caused by widespread peat and forest fires in
Indonesia. Many farmers there practice the slash-and-burn method of
clearing land for cultivation. Agricultural expansion, driven by the growing
demand of palm oil and pulp and paper has exacerbated the problem.
Land Conflict
– The lack of transparent land-use planning by Indonesian government
authorities in the major producing regions has led to several land-conflicts
between farmers. These conflicts often escalate to the point where farmers
use fire as weapons, setting large areas of land on fire.
Climate
– It has been suggested that the recent intensification of fires and their
potential to burn out of control may be linked to El Nino weather patterns
detected in the region. Historically, strong El Nino systems are associated
with severe droughts that exacerbate regional environmental problems –
such as deforestation, forest fires, and haze.
DESTRUCTIVE PERTURBATION:
HAZE
 Annual occurrence
 Highly disruptive
 Negative impacts:
– Biodiversity
– Ecosystem function
– Ecosystem goods and services
Lack of sufficient data – how affected are the
plants and animal species? Is the damage
irreversible? How do ecological studies address
these problems?
WHAT IS ECOLOGY?
A branch of science concerned with
the interrelationship of organisms
and their environments
How does HAZE affect BIODIVERSITY?
Rapid deforestation and forest fires are threatening this
region’s precious biodiversity. From plants to insects to
Sumatran tigers, rhinos, elephants, and orangutans. Many
are critically endangered and clinging for survival. Moreover,
habitat loss makes these species more vulnerable to
poachers, and conflicting with humans.
STRATEGIES
MONITOR
HAZE
ECOSYSTEM
RESILIENCE
ECOSYSTEM
SERVICES
STRATEGIES
Monitoring:
- Collect ecological data before, during and post haze
- Set up database to predict impacts of haze on terrestrial and
aquatic ecosystems
Ecosystem Resilience:
- Record resilience of ecosystem and diversity to disturbance
- Design models to preserve resilience, conserve habitat
- Alleviate haze impacts
Ecosystem Services:
- Correlate monitoring data with resilience
- Increased resilience = increased function = Increased
resilience
- Increased function and services
INTERACTIVE EFFECTS OF
HAZE TOWARDS ECOSYSTEM
Botany
Zoology
(terrestrial)
(terrestrial
& aquatic)
ECOLOGY
Chemistry
(soil, freshwater
& marine)

Effects of haze on
photosynthesis rates

Effect of forest fire on plant
regeneration / growth rates

Succession profile of posthaze plant communities

Effects of haze on pollination
rates e.g. visitation rate of
pollinators, pollination
efficiency

Identifications of fruit trees
(animal food)
Botany
FOREST REGENERATION
Zoology
Pollination
Seed
dispersal
FOREST REGENERATION
Assessment of key pollinator
species & diversity
= insects (bees, stingless bees etc.)
- pollinating species
- pollination rates
- impact on haze on pollinator
abundance
- recovery time of pollinator
populations
- reintroduction efforts
Assessment of key seed
dispersers
= primate communities
- species & population
count
- food / diet identification
- seed dispersal ability
- seed dispersal rates &
efficiency
- impact of habitat loss on
population sizes
- impact of food scarcity
- Soil
- Freshwater
- Marine
Chemistry
Energy &
Nutrient Flow
Effects of haze on P/ N
cycle (affects plant growth)
 Changes in water
chemistry in different
ecosystems (marine, river,
mangrove etc).
Eutrophication,
HAB (Harmful Algal Bloom)
CASE EXAMPLE 1:
MANGROVES




High primary production
Regulate temperature, gas cycles
Sequester carbon
Haze will affect the productivity of
mangroves, inhibit photosynthesis
 But how do we know the magnitude of
haze impact on mangroves?
MANGROVE
MACROINVERTEBRATES
 Resistant to extreme conditions
 Potential: resistant to haze impacts, example
to lack of oxygen and sunlight
 Focus on keystone species that could
accelerate recovery of ecosystem after haze
 Select species as bioindicators biomonitoring
CASE EXAMPLE 2: PEATLANDS/
PEAT SWAMP FOREST
Carbon Emissions
–
A particular problem for parts
of Indonesia is that almost a
fifth of palm oil expansion
has taken place on peat
lands. Peat lands store
massive amounts of carbon.
Once burning, underground
peat land fires are extremely
difficult to put out, often
releasing smoke and carbon
into the atmosphere for
months!
CASE EXAMPLE 2: PEATLANDS/
PEAT SWAMP FOREST
• Peat swamp forests support a high proportion of
specialized, endemic taxa, yet diversity is
surprisingly high despite the inhospitable
conditions (waterlogged).
• Rehabilitation attempts of peat swamp forests
such in various parts of the region [e.g. the
Central Kalimantan Peatlands Project in
Borneo),
Borneo
Orang
Utan
Survival
Foundation, CARE, Wetlands International and
the University of Palangka Raya
DISASTER RISK MANAGEMENT
PREPAREDNESS (borrowed from CGSS)
So what could be done (research
conducted) to address the 4
pillars of DRM for saving
BIODIVERSITY and ecological
health?
Thank You
Transforming Higher Education For A Sustainable Tomorrow
• Fires can affect extensive tracts of forest
and can emit significant amounts of
carbon to the atmosphere. They plays a
significant role as a threat to the biological
balance of the forest and causes loss of
biomass and emission of greenhouse
gases that have critical implications for the
future of forests and its inhabitants
• The importance of atmospheric deposition
of nutrients in terms of their biological
responses in the coastal waters of the
Singapore region was investigated during
hazy days in relation to non-hazy days i.e.
investigating nutrient fluxes from
atmospheric (dry and wet) deposition onto
the coastal waters and ocean
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Concerns on rising nutrient loads and their adverse effects on large scale freshwater,
estuarine and marine environment (and their inhabitants) requires for a strong need for
extensive research and management of nutrients. Atmospheric deposition of nitrogen
compounds can contribute significantly to eutrophication in coastal waters.
The
coastal and oceanic primary production due to atmospherically transported N and other
nutrient sources may be promoting the major biological changes that are now apparent in
coastal and oceanic waters, including the proliferation of harmful algal blooms (HAB) and
decline in water quality and
fish stock (Jickells, 1998). Excessive N loading to
surface waters is the key cause of accelerating eutrophication
and the associated environmental consequences (Nixon,
1995). Ecological effects caused by eutrophication are enhanced
productivity, but these can also result in changes in
species diversity, excessive algal growth, DO reductions and
associated fish kills, and the increased prevalence or frequency
of toxic algal blooms.