Forest and land fires in East Java burned 7,363.30 hectares between\nAugust and September 2026. Almost all of the affected land was in\nconservation areas.<\/p>\n
East Java Deputy Governor Emil Elestianto Dardak said the fires\noccurred across three areas managed by different authorities, according\nto data from the provincial Forestry Office.<\/p>\n
\u201cSeventy-nine per cent of the fires were in conservation areas, 14\nper cent in Perum Perhutani areas and 7 per cent in Raden Soerjo Grand\nForest Park,\u201d Emil said in Surabaya on Tuesday (20 October).<\/p>\n
Data presented by Emil showed that conservation areas recorded the\nlargest burned area, at 5,814.90 hectares. This figure covered four\nnational parks and areas managed by the East Java Natural Resources\nConservation Agency (BBKSDA). Baluran National Park was the worst\naffected, with 2,970.05 hectares burned.<\/p>\n
Production and protected forests under the East Java regional\ndivision of state forestry company Perum Perhutani suffered fires across\n1,031.95 hectares, or 14 per cent of the provincial total.<\/p>\n
Emil said legal enforcement in those two areas fell under the central\ngovernment, through the relevant ministries. The data he presented\nshowed that investigations were being handled by a technical\nimplementation unit of the Ministry of Forestry, within the jurisdiction\nof the Jabalnusra Law Enforcement Centre.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe coordinate with the authorities responsible for each location:\nthe national parks under the Ministry of Forestry and Perhutani,\u201d he\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Fires also affected Raden Soerjo Grand Forest Park, where 516.45\nhectares burned, accounting for 7 per cent of the East Java total over\nthe past two months. Emil said this was the only area under the full\nauthority of the East Java provincial government.<\/p>\n
\u201cRaden Soerjo Grand Forest Park is directly under the provincial\ngovernment\u2019s authority. The fires occurred at an exceptionally high\naltitude,\u201d Emil said.<\/p>\n
He said fire sites in East Java generally fell into two categories,\nand each required a different response strategy.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome fire locations can be reached and some cannot. At inaccessible\nsites, our focus is on prevention and creating firebreaks so the fire\ndoes not spread to settlements,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
At sites that cannot be reached, Emil said, personnel do not tackle\nthe flames directly. Instead, they contain them at the furthest point\naccessible by land, with joint teams working from there to extinguish or\ncontain the fire.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe fires are at an exceptionally high altitude and cannot be\nreached by officers. So the question is: where did the fire come from?\nIf officers cannot reach it, who can\u2014was it set deliberately or what?\nOur focus now is on creating a perimeter to stop it spreading,\u201d Emil\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Emil said the East Java Forestry Office had 53 Manggala Agni\nforest-fire personnel and forest rangers. They were responsible for fire\nmanagement at Raden Soerjo Grand Forest Park through regular patrols and\ncontainment efforts.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe must make the most of our responsibility for the areas under\nprovincial authority. The East Java Forestry Office has around 53\nManggala Agni personnel, as well as forest rangers, and their efforts\nmust be stepped up. But the key point is that no personnel must become\ncasualties,\u201d he said.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/forest-and-land-fires-in-east-java-burn-7-363-hectares-79-in-conservation-areas-1792515048", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }