Expert: Forest and Land Fire Mitigation Efforts Must Be Careful and Precise

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Forestry law expert from Al-Azhar University Indonesia, Dr Sadino, stated that efforts to mitigate the impact of forest and land fires (karhutla) amidst the extreme El Niño phenomenon must be carried out quickly, precisely, and with careful consideration.

“The handling of forest fires must be conducted carefully and should not immediately generalise that every fire is caused by a specific company or group. The cause of the fire needs to be proven based on facts on the ground,” Sadino said in a statement in Jakarta on Saturday.

He noted that the involvement of all parties, ranging from the government and concession-holding companies to the community, needs to be strengthened.

Sadino mentioned that El Niño conditions also have the potential to make the impact of fires larger and of longer duration, meaning that management requires significant readiness in terms of resources, facilities, and costs.

“Looking at the El Niño conditions, there is indeed a potential for larger impacts over a longer period. This certainly requires substantial costs, therefore cooperation from all parties is necessary,” he said.

Furthermore, Sadino emphasised the importance of tracing the ‘fire origin’ during the fire investigation process. He noted that determining the initial point of a fire can help identify where the fire first appeared, but it does not automatically indicate who started the fire or which party should be held responsible.

“The fire origin might be identifiable via satellite, but factually, tracing the actual source of the fire remains difficult,” he said.

According to him, the issue becomes more complex because there are still forest and land areas that are ‘open access’ or not optimally guarded. Therefore, the location of the fire, the starting point, the source of the fire, and the responsible party must be distinguished during the investigation process.

“A fact-based approach is necessary so that forest fire management does not devolve into mutual accusations between parties,” he said.

In facing the extreme El Niño, Sadino believes that collaboration must be the primary approach, especially in efforts to extinguish fires and prevent them from spreading. He suggested that the facilities and infrastructure owned by companies could be optimised to assist in fire management.

At the same time, central and local governments can deploy human resources and their existing capabilities to support field operations.

“If necessary, technologies such as weather modification can also be used as part of the efforts to face El Niño conditions,” said Sadino.

“At the community level, fire-care groups in fire-prone areas also need to be reactivated and actively involved,” he added.