Forestry Minister Strengthens Governance and Prevention to Reduce Forest and Land Fires

“Ideally we could achieve zero forest and land fires — that would be very ideal — but at the very least we can bring the numbers down as much as possible.”

Jakarta (ANTARA) — Minister of Forestry Raja Juli Antoni has said that strengthening governance for handling and prevention is a strategic effort to reduce the number of forest and land fires (karhutla).

In a statement in Jakarta on Tuesday, the minister emphasised that the improvements should not focus solely on handling cases, but also encompass regulatory refinement so that fire control can run more effectively in the long term.

“What I want is structural improvement, so not just cases. What regulations need fixing, what must we do so that the change is structural and long term, so that there is something more solid for our colleagues to work with,” he said.

Furthermore, Minister Raja Antoni said these steps are being taken in line with projections that the dry season will arrive earlier and last longer than usual.

He also stressed that various concrete efforts need to be prepared early so that forest and land fires can be better controlled.

According to him, the main goal is not merely to respond to fires, but also to suppress the number of incidents as much as possible through preventive measures.

“What concrete things can we do so that forest and land fires this year and next year can be better controlled, with the numbers coming down further,” the minister said.

“Ideally we could achieve zero forest and land fires — that would be very ideal — but at the very least we can bring the numbers down as much as possible,” he added.

Beyond strengthening prevention, he said the Ministry of Forestry will continue to evaluate various control instruments, ranging from the needs of Weather Modification Operations (OMC), monitoring of groundwater table levels (TMAT) in vulnerable areas, to the readiness of personnel and equipment in the field.

“All these steps will be calculated based on real needs so that the handling of forest and land fires can run more effectively,” said Minister Raja Antoni.