Indonesia has declared a new national park in the top palm-oil producing area located in the Siak district of Riau province on Sumatra Island.  The region's peat swamps have been widely drained and dried for 3 million hectares of oil palm and pulpwood production.

This has caused the perfect conditions for the annual fires that shroud the region in a sooty and toxic haze.  Last September and October, wildfires in this region released more carbon into the atmosphere than the entire European Union.  Hundreds of local people suffered respiratory illnesses because of the extra-chunky air, and the haze reached all the way to Malaysia and Singapore.

Zamrud National Park aims to conserve the remaining forest and ecosystem against industry in the region.  It covers more than 31,000 hectares and is home to Pulau Besar Lake and Bawah Lake.  More than three dozen kinds of bird live there, including twelve protected species.  Rare mammals like the Sumatran tiger and the sun bear also live there.

Zamrud is one of the last stands of pristine, untouched forest.  But palm oil and paper producers tearing up the island have been heading in its direction.  "Even now, certain parties are attempting to claim land on the periphery of Zamrud.  It is just a matter of time.  That's why we need to start protecting it now," said Siak's regent Syamsuar, who like many Indonesians goes by only one name.  "We strove to convince the Environment and Forestry Minister to grant national park status to Zamrud forest.  If Zamrud forest is damaged, there''l be no more forest in Siak," Syamsuar added.

Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo campaigned on promises to put a moratorium on new oil palm plantation licenses in light of severe deforestation, especially in Kalimantan and Sumatra.