Papua Fires Keep Spreading, Threatening Cassowary and Migratory Bird Habitats in Wasur National Park

MERAUKE — Forest and land fires in Papua, particularly South Papua, continue to escalate. As Kronologi.id reported, data from the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) as of 1 November 2026 showed 695 hectares affected in South Papua. About 253 hectares were still burning, while satellites detected 379 heat spots and 171 fire spots.

The impact goes beyond lost land cover and carbon released into the atmosphere. Biodiversity in key conservation areas is also at risk, especially in Wasur National Park in Merauke Regency, one of Indonesia’s richest wetland landscapes.

Wasur Has the Largest Burned Area of Any National Park

According to BNPB and MapBiomas Indonesia data, Wasur has recorded the largest burned area of any national park in Indonesia this year. As of August 2026, about 8,708 hectares had burned in Wasur, followed by Lorentz National Park at about 6,532 hectares and Mount Tambora National Park at about 6,138 hectares, as compiled by Katadata.

The figures have kept rising through the dry season. MapBiomas Indonesia and Auriga Nusantara Foundation data for January–September 2026, cited by detikINET, put the burned area in Wasur at 21,277.79 hectares. Nationwide, 70,808 hectares burned across 47 national parks over the same period.

Getting to Know the “Serengeti of Papua”

Wasur was declared a national park in 1990 by merging the Wasur Wildlife Reserve and the Rawa Biru Nature Reserve. In 2006 it was recognized as a Ramsar site, a wetland of international importance. The name Wasur comes from Waisol, a Marori word meaning garden.

The park, covering about 431,425 hectares, is dominated by savanna, swamps, forest and wetlands. About 70 percent is savanna, earning it the nickname “Serengeti of Papua.” This landscape makes it highly prone to fire during prolonged El Niño droughts. To the east, Wasur borders the Tonda Wildlife Management Area in Papua New Guinea, also a Ramsar site.

The park authority records 403 bird species in Wasur, 74 of them endemic to Papua, and about 114 protected animal species. Wasur is also home to the Kanume, Yeinan, Marori Men-Gey and Marind Indigenous peoples, who depend on sago, fish and game. Some residents run cajuput oil distilleries and birdwatching tourism with support from the park authority.

Wildlife Whose Habitats Are Threatened

No official report on wildlife casualties is available yet because much of the interior is hard to reach. However, experts and conservationists say several species now face high habitat risk, including:

• Southern cassowary (Casuarius casuarius), a large flightless bird that depends on lowland forest for food and shelter.
• Agile wallaby, an iconic species and key herbivore of Wasur’s savanna that risks losing its natural food.
• Western crowned pigeon (Goura cristata), a crested Papuan bird whose nesting habitat in trees and on the lowland forest floor is under threat.
• Greater bird-of-paradise, an icon of Papua’s biodiversity that reinforces Wasur’s status as a biodiversity haven.
• Migratory birds and wetland wildlife, including swamp crocodiles and endemic fish.

The threat to migratory birds comes at a critical time. Each year, roughly from August to November, birds from Australia and New Zealand stop over in Wasur, especially at Rawa Biru and Ndalir Beach, to rest and feed. This year’s fire peak coincides with that stopover period, so the loss of swamp and wetland vegetation can directly cut their food supply.

Smoke, Food Chains and Conflict With Residents

Gadjah Mada University animal health expert Prof. Raden Wisnu Nurcahyo warned that fires threaten wildlife beyond direct deaths. Heavy smoke can cause chronic respiratory problems, while a broken food chain can force animals out of their habitat into settlements, potentially sparking conflict with residents.

Recovery will not be quick either. A 2024 study in the journal PNAS on tropical forests in Indonesia, cited by Pojoksatu, found that fires reduced habitat structure, tree density and canopy cover by 58–98 percent compared with unburned forest. Signs of recovery appeared within 12 years, but repeated fires can hold that process back.

The smoke is also affecting people. detikINET earlier reported 81,355 cases of acute respiratory infection (ISPA) in Mimika Regency. Desa Bersuara has also reported that the total burned area in South Papua had reached about 319,000 hectares, according to Celios and GoodStats.

Putting Out Fires Is Not Enough

Conservationists stress that fire response must not stop at extinguishing flames. Important follow-up steps include post-fire habitat monitoring, close surveillance of fire-prone areas, protection of key habitats and gradual vegetation recovery.

The involvement of Indigenous communities living in and around Wasur is also key, as they know the landscape best and are the first to feel the impact. Public concern over the Papua fires has already spread online through the “All Eyes on Papua” campaign. What is needed now is concrete action so the “Serengeti of Papua” does not lose its natural riches.

What Residents Can Do

Beyond waiting for government action, residents near fire-prone areas can also help reduce risks and protect themselves. Recommended steps include:

• Not clearing land by burning, especially in the dry season, as fires in savanna and peatland spread easily and are hard to control.
• Reporting quickly to village officials, the Manggala Agni fire brigade, the regional disaster agency (BPBD) or park rangers when spotting any fire, however small.
• Monitoring hotspots through official government fire-monitoring channels such as SiPongi, along with updates from BMKG and BNPB.
• Limiting smoke exposure by wearing masks, reducing outdoor activity when smoke is thick and closing home ventilation.
• Watching out for vulnerable groups, such as toddlers, the elderly, pregnant women and people with asthma, and seeking medical care promptly for coughing, shortness of breath or fever.

For Indigenous villages around Wasur, protecting the area from fire also means protecting food sources and living space. Sago, swamp fish and game, which have long sustained residents, depend heavily on the savanna and wetlands now under threat.

Summarized from Kronologi.id, Pojoksatu, Katadata, detikINET and GNFI (in Indonesian).