Indonesia and South Korea Strengthen Collaboration on Forest and Land Fire Management in South Sumatra
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian government and South Korea are strengthening collaboration in efforts to control forest and land fires (karhutla) through the development of the Forest and Land Fire Management Center in Ogan Komering Ilir Regency (OKI), South Sumatra.
Director of Forest Fire Control at the Ministry of Forestry (Kemenhut) Thomas Nifinluri, in a statement confirmed from Jakarta on Friday, said the development of this fire management centre will also be equipped with supporting accommodation facilities in the form of the Manggala Agni Dormitory.
“Efforts to control karhutla cannot be carried out independently but require strong and sustainable collaboration not only domestically but also between countries. This cooperation is important to encourage the exchange of knowledge, experience, and the utilisation of technology to strengthen karhutla control capacity in a more effective and integrated manner,” he stated.
He explained that the construction of the dormitory is part of the implementation of the cooperation agreed upon by both parties, which includes the construction of a forest fire command and training centre, enhancement of Manggala Agni capacity, provision of supporting infrastructure, and development of information and communication technology systems for karhutla detection.
He said this collaborative step is important given that Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) will experience the El Niño phenomenon earlier in the second semester of this year.
Along with this climate phenomenon, with rising global temperatures, the potential for karhutla is expected to become more widespread, occur more frequently, and be more difficult to control. This situation demands readiness and strengthening of more adaptive and integrated karhutla control strategies.
Thomas stated that through support from the Korea Forest Service, the construction of the Forest and Land Fire Management Center is expected to provide real benefits for Indonesia, ASEAN, and the international community.
In a similar statement, Counsellor of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea Ha Kyung Soo explained that the construction of the dormitory is part of strengthening supporting facilities in enhancing the capacity of Manggala Agni, particularly within the framework of Indonesia-South Korea cooperation in the forestry sector through the Development of Forest and Land Fire Management System in South Sumatra project.
“This facility is expected to support the effectiveness of training, coordination, and integrated and sustainable operational control of forest and land fires,” he said.