Toward a nuanced and targeted forest and peat fires prevention policy: Insight from psychology

Abstract

Indonesian forest and peat fires have become global concern. Not only the fires have caused regional environmental and humanitarian crises, they also have exacerbated global climate change. Radical and rapid land use change couple with irresponsible practice of clearing land through burning are key contributing factors. In response, the Indonesian government issued a strict ban on the practice. While this policy outcome continues to shortfall, it implicates traditional farmers whose subsistence depends on such a practice. This reality necessitates effort to develop a more nuanced and targeted intervention. Thus, this study examines individual's intention to clear land using fire. We surveyed 151 Indonesian traditional farmers based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), the Norm Activation Model (NAM) and past behavior. We identified the TPB, which is augmented by the past behavior and awareness of consequences, as the optimal model for explaining variance in the intention. Implications for developing more effective educational campaigns are discussed.