FILE PHOTO: Burnt trees are pictured during a forest fire in Kapuas regency near Palangka Raya, Central Kalimantan province, Indonesia, October 3, 2019. REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan/File Photo

Fires in Indonesia that spread a smoky haze over Southeast Asia this year burned at least 1.6 million hectares of mostly degraded land and carbon-rich peatlands, data from a respected research group showed on Monday (Dec 2).