Wildfires in Indonesia, fuelled partly by an intense El Niño weather pattern, have destroyed approximately 2.88 million hectares of land in 2026, according to a satellite imagery monitoring organisation.
Gatekeepers News reports that the figure, equivalent to about 7.1 million acres or 18 times the size of London, represents a nearly one-million-hectare increase since the last update by deforestation monitoring platform Nusantara Atlas in September.
The organisation’s founder, David Gaveau, disclosed the latest figures to AFP on Wednesday, warning that the actual extent of the destruction could be higher because thick smoke has obscured some satellite images.
Gaveau said the estimate, based on satellite analysis through the end of October, was conservative, adding that the affected area had already surpassed the full-year figure recorded in 2019, previously the worst year in Nusantara Atlas’ records.
Indonesia also experienced devastating wildfires in 2015, although differences in the satellite imagery used during that period make direct comparisons difficult.
Despite this limitation, Gaveau said the scale of the latest destruction was evident.
“Basically, it’s a really bad year,” he said.
The Indonesian government has yet to release updated official figures on the affected areas, having previously reported that approximately 202,000 hectares had been destroyed by the end of July.
Authorities had said more time was needed to analyse the data before publishing updated estimates. AFP said it had requested a response from the government regarding Nusantara Atlas’ latest findings.
Although recent rainfall has helped bring some of the most severe fires under control, monitoring data indicate that the number of fire hotspots is beginning to stabilise or decline.
However, the total area destroyed is expected to increase as some fires remain active and previously obscured burn areas become visible in satellite images over the coming months.
Indonesia experiences wildfires during its annual dry season, but this year’s outbreak has been particularly severe, partly because of an intense drought associated with the El Niño weather phenomenon.
Environmental experts have also linked the scale of the fires to decades of deforestation and the drainage and drying of peatlands for plantation development, leaving large areas more vulnerable to burning.
The fires have triggered severe air pollution, affecting hundreds of thousands of people and spreading hazardous haze into neighbouring countries, including Malaysia and Singapore.
