KLH prioritises environmental restoration in 3 forest fire-prone provinces

The latest report from the Ministry of Forestry indicates that around 400,000 hectares of critical land have already been replanted.

Jakarta (ANTARA) — The Ministry of Environment (KLH) is prioritising a national environmental restoration movement in three provinces prone to forest and land fires (karhutla), namely Riau, West Kalimantan, and South Sumatra.

“So this is part of the same movement involving the government, businesspeople, communities, community figures, and religious leaders who have welcomed the plan for this national environmental restoration movement. The most fire-prone areas are mainly three: in Riau, particularly Pelalawan Regency; then in West Kalimantan, mainly Kubu Raya; and in South Sumatra,” said Environment Minister Moh Jumhur Hidayat in Jakarta on Friday.

He also stated that the government, in collaboration with various parties, has carried out revegetation — planting and restoration — of peatland in several critical areas across Indonesia.

Jumhur further stressed the importance of collaboration among various parties at the field level in preventing forest and land fires, one example being a working meeting held today involving around 400 companies holding concessions in peatland areas.

KLH has designated Muaro Jambi Regency (Jambi), Pelalawan (Riau), Ogan Komering Ilir (South Sumatra), and Kubu Raya (South Kalimantan) as the highest-priority regions for peatland rewetting and hydrological monitoring, given that dozens of groundwater table measurements there are below 40–80 cm, a vulnerable category that could trigger forest and land fires in these regions.