List of 9 National Parks Closed Amid Rising Forest and Land Fires

The Ministry of Forestry (Kemenhut) has temporarily closed nine national parks deemed at risk of forest and land fires (karhutla) as a mitigation measure and to maintain the effectiveness of fire response efforts.

Minister of Forestry Raja Juli Antoni said the closures were implemented after several national park areas experienced fires, requiring additional firefighting resources.

The temporary closure policy will be formally announced through a circular. The government is first informing the public as an initial notice.

The nine national parks temporarily closed include Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, particularly the Mount Semeru hiking route, Kerinci Seblat National Park, Mount Ciremai National Park, Tambora National Park, Manusela National Park, Bukit Baka Bukit Raya National Park, Mount Gede Pangrango National Park, Mount Leuser National Park, and Lorentz National Park on certain routes.

In addition to the temporary closures, the Ministry of Forestry is implementing limited access in several conservation areas. These include Mount Rinjani National Park, Mount Merbabu National Park, the Hyang Highlands Wildlife Reserve (Argopuro), and Mount Halimun Salak National Park.

“These measures are taken by considering the level of fire risk and the conditions of each area,” Raja Juli told reporters in Palembang on Monday, 31 August 2026.

He explained that fires in conservation areas have also affected the government’s strategy for handling forest and land fires in priority regions.

Several water-bombing helicopters previously prioritised for firefighting in six provinces have had to be deployed to national parks experiencing fires.

“Some helicopters that should have been prioritised for the six provinces experiencing forest and land fires have had to be deployed to national parks for firefighting because of fires there,” he said.

According to him, the temporary closure is not intended to restrict the public from enjoying conservation areas, but rather to prioritise visitor safety and support forest and land fire control.

He cited the situation at Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, particularly Mount Semeru, which previously faced a risky situation that left around 170 hikers stranded before they were successfully evacuated.