{
  "id": 16431093,
  "title": "The world's oldest cave paintings in Sulawesi under threat of wildfires",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/25/the-worlds-oldest-cave-paintings-in-sulawesi-under-threat-of-wildfires",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-25T04:20:18.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Jakarta Post",
    "slug": "the-jakarta-post",
    "url": "https://www.thejakartapost.com/world/2026/10/25/the-worlds-oldest-cave-paintings-in-sulawesi-under-threat-of-wildfires.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Indonesia is grappling with its most severe forest and land fires in over a decade, driven by the extreme El Niño weather pattern that has raised temperatures and diminished rainfall across the archipelago. This climatic crisis has put at risk the world's oldest cave paintings, found in South Sulawesi, which are estimated to be around 67,000 years old. The fires not only pose a direct threat to the artistic relics but also accelerate their deterioration through heat and smoke. In Maros-Pangkep, a region in South Sulawesi, cave paintings depicting human-like figures interacting with a pig were dated to be at least 51,200 years old. Similarly, a reddish-colored hand stencil in a cave on Muna island was dated to be as old as 67,800 years. Firefighters in South Sulawesi managed to contain the flames near the site for more than a week, with smoke drifting over the distinctive karst landscape, a UNESCO Global Geopark. The fires have scorched over 270 hectares in the national park between September 30 and October 18, leaving the archaeological site vulnerable to heat-induced corrosion and soot deposition, which could blur the images and make them difficult to identify. Griffith University archaeologist Basran Burhan warned that even without direct contact with the flames, the heat from the fire could ruin the paintings by altering the surrounding temperature and hastening corrosion. Burhan emphasized the critical need for immediate intervention to prevent losing one of the most remarkable pieces of human history in the Maros-Pangkep region.",
  "summary": "Indonesia is battling its most intense forest and land fires since 2015 as a severe El Niño drives up temperatures and reduces rainfall, leaving its forest and peatland vulnerable to fire.",
  "key_points": [
    "World's oldest cave paintings in Sulawesi at risk from wildfires.",
    "67,000-year-old paintings in Maros-Pangkep region threatened.",
    "Heat and smoke from fires could damage ancient images."
  ],
  "editors_take": "Extreme weather patterns are transforming environmental crises into permanent losses for human heritage by exposing ancient archaeological sites to irreversible heat damage and soot deposition.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}