Deforestation and its impact on health: An Indonesian case study

Annisa Rahmalia

Module 217: Global Environmental Changes and Health

Homework Assignment

December 2010

Indonesia

• More than 17,000 islands, size 1.9 million square km1

• 48% of its land area are forests2

Source: http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/asia/idnewz.gif

Deforestation in Indonesia

Annual deforestation rate: -2.0%2

Main reasons for land clearing: timber industry, palm oil plantation, mining industry, agricultural expansion

Source: http://e360.yale.edu/images/digest/deforestation-wwf-large.jpg

MA Conceptual Framework3

Ecosystems and Human Well-being: Hea l th Synthes is 13

lead to malnutrition and related ailments. Deforestationmay alter disease patterns as well as local and regionalclimates, potentially affecting disease vector distributionsover time. Processes stemming from disruption ofecosystems may lead to the emergence or resurgence ofdisease, while local factors such as poverty, poorprevention and treatment and heightened susceptibility

may lead to local establishment of transmission. Whenthese events combine with human activities related toglobalization (such as international trade and travel)global pandemics can arise, as illustrated already by thedevelopment and spread of HIV/AIDS and, potentially,by the appearance in human populations of other newinfectious disease strains, e.g. avian influenza.

Figure 1.1 MA: conceptual framework

Changes in drivers that indirectly affect ecosystems, such as population, technology and lifestyle (upper right corner of Figure 1.1 ) can lead tochanges in drivers that directly affect ecosystems, such as fisheries' catches or fertilizer applications to increase food production (lower right corner).The resulting changes in the ecosystem (lower left corner) cause ecosystem services to change and thereby affect human well-being. Theseinteractions can take place at more than one scale and can cross scales. For example, a global timber market may lead to regional loss of forest cover,increasing flood magnitude along a local stretch of river. Similarly, interactions can take place across different timescales. Actions to respond tonegative changes or to enhance positive changes can be taken at almost all points in this framework (cross bars).

Drivers that indirectly affect ecosystems influences drivers that directly affect ecosystems.

Changes can cross scales: Global timber market >>> regional deforestation >>> local proneness to natural disasters

Deforestation

Loss of biodiversity4

Change in dynamics of infectious disease transmission

Air pollution

Natural disasters (landslide, floods)

Ecosystem degradation Emerging infectious disease ex. Nipah/Hendra virus

Loss of plants with potential pharmacological benefits

Ex. Malaria, Leishmaniasis, Chagas disease

Local and regional respiratory diseases

Health-related impacts of deforestation*

*Not limited to those observed in Indonesian setting

Disruption of cultural and spiritual connection with the forest

Mental health problems

Physical and psychosocial injuries, communicable diseases related to displacement, etc.

Illustrations• Hendra virus in Australia (horse/human) and Nipah virus

in Malaysia (pig/human) are viruses of the same origin, philogenetically an ‘old virus,’ with flying foxes (pteropid bats) as common reservoir. Dissemination of both diseases to domesticated animals/human population are linked to bats’ habitat loss due to deforestation.5

• During and after the 1997 Indonesia forest fires, a significant increase in respiratory diseases (particularly acute respiratory illness, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and asthma) observed in nearby provinces of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore compared to the time period before the forest fires (1995-1996). 6,7,8

• So far there are no studies on mental health status of forest communities, but sociological studies have shown that the forest has cultural and spiritual importance for them, such as the indigenous Dayak ethnic group of Tonyooi in Indonesian Borneo. 9,10

Most vulnerable groups

In Indonesia, the adverse health impact of deforestation is more likely to hit the poorer community in rural areas because they:

• Live in the ecosystem degraded environments prone to infectious diseases and disasters

• Lack of resources to prevention/treatment - there is no universal health coverage

23.6 million rural Indonesians are living below the national poverty line (20% of rural population; 11% of total population). Thirty percent of population above the line are at risk of sliding into poverty. 11

Strategy for actions and challenges

• Indonesia is the 3rd largest greenhouse gas emitter in the world, and the government have committed to take a step through reducing deforestation. 12

• REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation) are investment programs aimed at reducing deforestation while encouraging sustainable development.

• In Indonesia, it has started in several provinces in Sumatra and Borneo (Kalimantan) in collaboration with the global financial firm Merrill Lynch (Bank of America), an Australian investment outfit, and the government of Norway.

• Transparency is the key of success of REDD (as any program), and it is a big challenge in Indonesian highly corrupt government, with a long history of graft in forestry sector. 13

• At the public health side, not much has been done by the government. Many Indonesians still do not have health insurance. Various non-governmental organizations are providing services for forest communities and displaced people due to natural disasters, but it is rather sporadic.

Concluding remarks

• Deforestation in Indonesia has significant health impact - immediate as well as remote - within the country and surrounding region

• Reducing deforestation will be beneficial for the ecosystems at the local as well as global level

• Efforts to reduce deforestation should be conducted simultaneously with reducing vulnerability of certain populations and improving ‘good governance’

References1. Central Intelligence Agency (2010). CIA - The World

Factbook. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/id.html [Accessed December 26th, 2010]

2. Butler, RA (2006). “Indonesia: Environmental Profile.” Mongabay.com / A Place Out of Time: Tropical Rainforests and the Perils They Face.

3. Millenium Ecosystem Assessment Team (2005). “Ecosystems and Human Well-being: Health Synthesis”. World Health Organization.

4. Herndon, CN and Butler, RA (2010). “Significance of Biodiversity to Health.” Biotropica 42(5): 558-560

5. Field H et al (2001). “The natural history of Hendra and Nipah viruses.” Microbe and Infection 3(4): 307-314.

6. Aditama, TY (2000). “Impact of haze from forest fire to respiratory health: Indonesian experience.” Respirology 5(2): 169-174.

7. Mott, JA et al (2005). “Cardiorespiratory hospitalizations associated with smoke exposure during the 1997 Southeast Asian forest fires.” International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health, 208(1-2): 75-85.

8. Emmanuel SC (2000). “Impact to lung health of haze from forest fires: The Singapore experience.” Respirology 5(2): 175-182.

9. Colfer, CJP et al (2006). “Forest and human health in the tropics: some important connections.” Unasylva 224(57): 3-10.

10.Nanang M (2003). “Forest values and livelihood uncertainty in two indigenous communities of Indonesian Borneo.” In M. Inoue and H. Isozaki (eds.), People and Forest--Policy and Local Reality in Southeast Asia, the Russian Far East and Japan, 215-229. Kluwer Academic Publishers.

11.International Fund for Agricultural Development (2010). “Rural Poverty in Indonesia.” http://www.ruralpovertyportal.org/web/guest/country/home/tags/indonesia [Accessed December 26th, 2010]

12.Butler, RA (2010). “Indonesia is the 3rd largest GHG emitter but reducing deforestation offers big opportunity, says government.” http://news.mongabay.com/2010/0927-indonesia_abatement.html [Accessed December 26th, 2010]

13.Butler, RA (2010). “Indonesia’s Corruption Legacy Clouds a Forest Protection Plan.” Yale Environment 360 http://e360.yale.edu/feature/indonesias_corruption_legacy_clouds_a_forest_protection_plan/2353/ [Accessed December 27th, 2010]