Full Breakdown
Threat to Sulawesi’s Prehistoric Cave Paintings Amid Indonesia’s Worst Wildfires in a Decade
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Core Event: Wildfires Endanger 67,000-Year-Old Art
Limestone caves in the Maros-Pangkep district of South Sulawesi hold the world’s oldest known cave paintings, including a human-like figure with a pig dated to at least 51,200 years and a reddish hand stencil on Muna Island dated to at least 67,800 years. Firefighters reported flames within 800 m of the Maros-Pangkep cave and more than 270 ha (667 ac) of the surrounding national park burned between September 30 and October 18. Heat and smoke risk accelerating pigment corrosion and depositing soot that can blur the images, even without direct flame contact.
Background & Context: El Niño-Driven Fires Across Indonesia
An intense El Niño has raised temperatures and reduced rainfall, sparking the country’s most severe forest and peat-land fires since 2015. While Sumatra and Borneo have suffered the greatest damage, the blaze has spread to Sulawesi, threatening biodiversity and cultural heritage. The government has declared a high-alert status for wildfires, noting that the rainy season, normally beginning in October, is expected to be delayed until November.
Data & Statistics
- Area burned: > 270 ha (667 ac) in Maros-Pangkep national park (Sept 30 – Oct 18).
- Hotspots: 565 “high-confidence” hotspots on Oct 22, down from over 1,200 on Oct 14.
- CO2 emissions: 14.44 million t (Oct 15 – 21), down from 22.22 million t the week before.
- Firefighting resources: > 69,000 personnel and roughly 50 aircraft deployed, up from 44,000 personnel in mid-September.
Official Statements & Responses
Griffith University archaeologist Basran Burhan warned that heat alone can alter the temperature around the paintings, accelerating corrosion, and that soot will obscure the images. Indonesia’s disaster-mitigation agency spokesperson Berton Panjaitan noted a recent decline in hotspot numbers but said the trend remains volatile and uneven rainfall could spark new fires. President Prabowo Subianto asserted the fires are “not purely natural,” ordering police, the Attorney General’s Office, the Ministry of Forestry, the Armed Forces and intelligence services to investigate and warning that companies responsible for illegal burning could lose their licences.
Verbatim Quotes
- “The first and most destructive effect is the heat. Even without direct fire touching the paintings, it could ruin them because it changes the temperature around the paintings and accelerates the process of corrosion,” — Basran Burhan
- “Based on the latest developments, the number of hotspots has shown a decline; however, the trend remains volatile and is not yet uniform across all regions,” — Berton Panjaitan
- “I am asking the police, the Attorney General's Office, the Ministry of Forestry, with the support of the Armed Forces and intelligence services, to investigate,” — President Prabowo Subianto
Why It Matters
The Maros-Pangkep caves are part of a UNESCO Global Geopark and represent irreplaceable evidence of early human artistic expression. Their loss would erase a unique window into prehistoric cognition and cultural development, diminishing scientific knowledge and Indonesia’s cultural legacy.
On-the-Ground Reports
Firefighter Muhammad Ikfar described the fires as having burned near the site for more than a week, emphasizing the dry conditions and lack of rain that hampered suppression efforts and the ongoing challenge of protecting the fragile karst landscape.
What's Next
Authorities will maintain high-alert firefighting operations, continue aerial water-bombing, and test new suppression methods such as chemical agents and dry-ice cloud seeding. The disaster-mitigation agency plans to strengthen patrols to prevent reignition, while the president’s investigation aims to identify and penalise entities responsible for illegal burning.