Jakarta (VNA) – Forest and land fires in Indonesia have decreased since 2015, a result partly attributable to technology application, its Ministry of Forestry reported.
Indonesia recorded 1.8 million hectares of burned land in 2015, 1 million hectares in 2019, and only around 600,000 hectares in 2023. Between January and August this year, just 8,955 hectares burned nationwide, according to the ministry.
Wildfire cases were reported in provinces including Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, Central Kalimantan, West Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, East Nusa Tenggara, Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra.
Minister of Forestry Raja Juli Antoni credited the country's success in reducing forest and land fires to the effective use of meteorological technology and the synergy between air and land operations.
The decline in the area of land burned over the past eight years is proof of the success of this comprehensive strategy, he said during a coordination meeting on wildfire management in Jakarta on August 12.
He noted that Indonesia has learned from past disasters. The combination of air operations such as water bombing and aerial patrols, land operations, and law enforcement has proven effective in reducing the risks and impacts of wildfires.
The official emphasised the role of satellite-based monitoring systems in mapping vulnerable areas, developed in collaboration with the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) and the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB).
The ministry is also boosting human resource capacity not only for firefighting but also for quick and coordinated hotspot detection and response, Antoni said, highlighting the work of Mandala Agni, an organisation under the ministry dedicated to wildfire management.
He expressed his hope that continued synergy and collaboration will help keep total burned land below 600,000 hectares in 2027 — predicted to be a peak year in the four-year wildfire cycle./.
Forest fires in Indonesia down more than 30%
Forest and land fire areas in Indonesia totalled 8,955 ha as of August 1, declining by 33.3% from the same period last year.
