PETALING JAYA: Satellites detected 9,841 raw hotspot counts in August across land managed by 53 Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) members in Malaysia and Indonesia.
The monitored regions encompass both RSPO-certified and non-certified land disclosed by members to the organisation.
Releasing the figure, RSPO said it, however, did not mean there were 9,841 fires because several satellite detections could be linked to the same flame, while some detections could later be found to have been caused by something other than fire.
“RSPO relies on the member’s on-the-ground verification and supporting information to establish whether a hotspot represents an actual fire and, where possible, its cause,” it said yesterday.
It added that detecting a fire near or within a plantation does not automatically imply the landowner started it or breached RSPO standards.
While satellite hotspots can indicate vegetation blazes, they may also stem from industrial facilities or non-fire heat sources.
Emphasising its strict prohibition on open burning for land preparation, the RSPO warned that violations are taken seriously.
“Predetermined sanctions are not assigned solely based on reported fire causes,” it stated.
“Where a breach of RSPO standards is formally established, penalties escalate strictly based on severity - ranging from corrective action and formal warnings to certification suspension or membership termination.”
It said reported causes identified through the monitoring process and communication with members may include a range of activities and circumstances.
These include shifting cultivation, burning by local communities, hunting, fires spreading from neighbouring areas, sabotage, arson, the use of fire as a wildlife deterrent, encroachment or temporary occupation of land, and land preparation or new planting activities.
No formal investigations had been opened for the August monitoring period, it added.
