In Laos, Thailand and Myanmar, haze spreads across mainland Southeast Asia every dry season and causes respiratory and other health problems. Haze is air pollution from smoke and fine particles (PM2.5) released by agricultural burning, shifting cultivation and forest fires, and it crosses borders into cities and neighboring countries. Our surveys show that fires concentrate along the boundary between farmland and forest and near roads, and spread quickly in degraded, grassy forests. As the “Haze and Agriculture/Forestry” module of the Kyushu University Institute for Asian and Oceanian Studies (Q-AOS), we work with experts in public health, agriculture and forestry, law and air quality monitoring to find ways to reduce haze and its health impacts from the side of land use. Our main field is Laos, with Thailand and Myanmar also in scope.
For more details, please see “Sustainable Agriculture and Forestry to Reduce Health Damage from Haze” on the website of the Laboratory of Natural Resource Management.
