Leonardo DiCaprio highlights massive rainforest blazes
Catastrophic forest and land fires have scorched approximately 800,000 hectares, or roughly 2 million acres, of primary rainforest across Kalimantan and Sumatra, according to data shared by actor and environmental activist Leonardo DiCaprio. Hollywood actor and prominent environmental activist Leonardo DiCaprio drew international attention to the blazes through his official Instagram account on Monday, Oct. 5, 2026, highlighting severe environmental destruction and massive carbon releases from burning peatlands. Meanwhile, Mongabay News reported that Indigenous activist and filmmaker Kynan Tegar joined the Mongabay Newscast to explain that about 48,000 hectares of land have burned in Kalimantan this year alone due to intentional fires set by agricultural corporations.
Corporate concessions drained over 1 million hectares
The roots of the current crisis stretch back to the 1970s, when the Indonesian New Order regime under Suharto began leasing vast tracts of land as concessions for logging, palm oil, and gold mines, according to Kynan Tegar via Mongabay News. Corporations have drained more than 1 million hectares, or 2.5 million acres, of peatland in the region. In a separate report, writers Nisa Novita and Israr Albar noted that despite government efforts like Ministry of Environment Circular Letter No. 16/2026 and Presidential Instruction No. 11/2026, zero-burning policies and partial rewetting have failed to prevent fires during exceptional droughts.
Severe Drought and El Niño Strain Local Communities
The fires coincide with a severe water crisis driven by El Niño and human-caused climate change, leaving communities struggling for freshwater. Kynan Tegar told Mongabay News that some areas experienced over two months without rain, causing water sources to evaporate and leaving a lake resembling a desert. Thick smoke from these burning peatlands halts regional air travel, disrupts daily life, and triggers widespread respiratory illnesses, particularly among children.
What caused the Kalimantan peatland fires?
What caused the massive peatland fires in Kalimantan this year?
According to Indigenous activist Kynan Tegar via Mongabay News, the fires are intentional and stem from decades of corporate land concessions for logging, palm oil, and gold mining that began in the 1970s and drained over 1 million hectares of peatland.
How many hectares of land have burned during the 2026 crisis?
Data shared on Instagram by Leonardo DiCaprio indicates that approximately 800,000 hectares of forest land have been consumed by the blazes across Kalimantan and Sumatra.
Why have government zero-burning policies struggled to stop the fires?
Writers Nisa Novita and Israr Albar reported that zero-burning policies and partial rewetting fail during extreme El Niño droughts because they do not adequately address degraded land where dry peatlands act as massive carbon fuel sources.
How are rescue teams protecting local wildlife?
The Natural Resources Conservation Agency and the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation carried out an emergency rescue in Central Kalimantan to treat a distressed orangutan displaced by the fires.
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