Forest and land fires (karhutla) are not merely an anomaly caused by\nthe Super El-Ni\u00f1o weather pattern, but are also driven by corporate\nactivities, where the vulnerability of peatlands due to extractive\nindustries serves as a primary trigger, while prolonged drought is\nmerely a precondition, stated Bhima Yudhistira, Executive Director of\nthe Centre of Economic and Law Studies (Celios).<\/p>\n
Speaking in Jakarta on Wednesday, Bhima noted that the changing\npatterns of forest fires, which are now reaching areas outside\ntraditional epicentres, require the government to adjust its prevention\nstrategies. He argued that current prevention efforts have focused too\nheavily on the moratorium of permits in the peatlands of Sumatra and\nKalimantan, whereas data for 2026 indicates that the threat has spread\nto the peatlands of South Papua.<\/p>\n
Bhima urged the government to immediately declare a National Disaster\nStatus for forest fires in 2026. He also called for a comprehensive\nevaluation of business permits, particularly in palm oil plantations and\nmining, including activities designated as National Strategic Projects\n(PSN). Such an audit, he noted, must be followed by law enforcement and\nthe public disclosure of evaluation results.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, the government needs to strengthen the protection of\naffected communities by providing safe evacuation centres and medical\nsupport for vulnerable groups. \u201cThe safety of the people is the\npriority,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Bhima also assessed that ecosystem recovery must be an integral part\nof the fire management strategy. He encouraged the formation of an\nintegrated ecosystem recovery team that can integrate restoration\nefforts with evaluations of business activities that cause fires.<\/p>\n
This push is driven by the significant potential economic impact of\nforest fires reported by Celios, with estimated total economic and\nhealth costs from January to August 2026 reaching between Rp39.29\ntrillion and Rp123.1 trillion.<\/p>\n
Celios Economic Director, Nailul Huda, stated that these loss figures\ndemonstrate that forest fire prevention is not just an environmental\nagenda, but also a vital part of maintaining national economic\nresilience. \u201cThe figure of Rp123.1 trillion is equivalent to 49.1 per\ncent of the projected Regional Gross Domestic Product (PDRB) of Central\nKalimantan for 2026,\u201d Huda explained.<\/p>\n
In their calculations, economic losses from the loss of physical\nassets and economic activities\u2014such as trade, agriculture,\naccommodation, and food and beverage sectors due to smoke and production\ndisruptions\u2014amount to Rp29.54 trillion, or approximately 0.23 per cent\nof the national GDP.<\/p>\n
Regionally, West Kalimantan recorded the largest nominal impact at\nRp5.7 trillion, followed by West Papua at Rp4.3 trillion and East Nusa\nTenggara at Rp2.8 trillion. This data shows that strengthening forest\nfire mitigation must be implemented nationally as the risk areas\nexpand.<\/p>\n
Celios also estimates that forest fires could potentially reduce\nregional net tax revenue by approximately Rp269.86 billion in 2026. This\ncondition indicates that the economic impact of forest fires can spread\nto other regions through inter-sectoral links, including the timber,\npulp and paper, and furniture industries.<\/p>\n
From a health perspective, Celios estimates that in a scenario where\ncitizens are diagnosed with Acute Respiratory Infections (ISPA), 1.78\nmillion people could be affected, with total health costs around Rp9.75\ntrillion.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we include individuals experiencing ISPA symptoms who do not\nreceive medical examination, the number could potentially reach 17.4\nmillion people, with total health costs of around Rp93.56 trillion,\nequivalent to 67.6 per cent of the total health function budget in the\n2026 State Budget (APBN),\u201d said Huda.<\/p>\n
Given the massive potential economic, fiscal, and health costs,\nCELIOS is pushing for strengthened forest fire mitigation to reduce the\nstate\u2019s burden resulting from these impacts.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/celios-forest-fire-mitigation-crucial-to-prevent-economic-losses-1788329371", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }