Scientists Call for Collaborative Effort to Study Marine Ecosystem Damage Caused by SE Asian Fires

Systemic burning of cropland and forests in Southeast Asia can create thick plumes of smoke that pose a health threat to many people, but little is known about how the smoke affects marine and coastal ecosystems. Now, a new study proposes ways to study the unseen impacts of biomass burning.

The research, published in Global Change Biology, stems from an episode of cropland burning in Indonesia last year that caused unprecedented levels of pollution in Singapore once the smoke traveled across the South China Sea.

In June 2013, Singapore reported three straight days of all-time high pollution, brought on by forest-burning in Indonesia.

About 850 hectares of forests were burned in Sumatra to make way for commercial palm oil plantations. The burning tactic was considered to be a quick and cheap solution to make way for the oil plantations, but doing so came with many unintended consequences, including a period of tense international relations between Indonesia and its affected neighbors, as well as environmental damage.

The hazard of large-scale burning to human health and terrestrial environments are typically immediately apparent, but that is not the case for coastal and marine ecosystems.

Little is known about how coral reefs, mangroves and sea grasses are affected by the haze, according to researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS).

"Marine ecosystems of Southeast Asia are global hotspots for biodiversity and supports high levels of endemism. Natural resources derived from these areas sustain local economies and meet global demands. Yet, many marine ecosystems in this region are over-exploited and highly threatened," NUS wrote in a statement. "The reduction in sunlight from the haze, and the mass deposition of particulates from forest fires into coastal habitats are likely to have a negative impact on these marine ecosystems. Interactions between these primary impacts are likely to further damage these already imperiled ecosystems."

Zeehan Jaafar, a lecturer for the department of biological sciences at NUS, and his collaborators content that marine ecosystems have been affected by the systematic burning of forests in Indonesia, and offer their suggestions on how to study the impact. They suggests a collaborated effort between scientific institutions, non-governmental agencies, government bodies and policy-makers in the region, as well as a coordinated regional response plan for monitoring and studying the impacts of burning and haze to marine ecosystems.

Through gathering what the researchers call "critical baseline information" they hope it will enable a a more effective management strategy of Southeast Asia's marine ecosystems.

"Marine areas are vast and at the same time, a shared resource," Jaafar said. "International collaborations for the long-term monitoring of regional marine ecosystems increase efficiencies, decrease costs and maximize areas under surveillance. Ensuring the rapid sharing and dissemination of information is key in managing these threatened areas."