KUCHING: Forest and land fires in Indonesia have declined sharply this year, driven by intensified enforcement and preventive measures across high-risk regions.
During the first half of 2025 (January–June), the total burned area fell 43 per cent to 213,984 hectares, down from 376,805 hectares in the same period last year — a drastic improvement compared with 1.6 million hectares in 2019, according to Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni.
Satellite data from NASA also showed a 24 per cent decline in fire hotspots, with 2,248 hotspots detected between January 1 and September 26 this year, compared with 2,954 during the same period in 2024.
“In the past decade, we have reduced the burned area from 2.6 million hectares in 2015 to just 213,000 hectares in 2025,” Raja Juli said, as reported by the International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO) Tropical Timber Market Report (October 16–31, 2025).
“Forest fires specifically have dropped from 1.7 million hectares (66 per cent) in 2015 to 108,000 hectares (51 per cent) in 2025. Peatland fires have also been significantly curbed, falling from 891,275 hectares in 2015 to 24,212 hectares this year.
This achievement reflects cross-agency collaboration, community support, and increasingly effective early detection systems.”
He attributed the progress to stronger prevention strategies, including the deployment of Manggala Agni fire brigades, weather modification operations, and integrated patrols in vulnerable areas.
Raja Juli reaffirmed a zero-tolerance policy for illegal burning.
“We are committed to strict law enforcement. There will be no compromise for those who ignite fires, whether private actors or corporations,” he added.
National Disaster Mitigation Agency head Suharyanto noted that the smaller fire-affected areas this year allowed for a leaner response, involving 12 patrol helicopters and 18 water-bombing helicopters.
Indonesia is also pursuing an ambitious 10-million-hectare reforestation target, supported by a new multi-enterprise forestry business model aimed at sustainable forest use. The model promotes diversification into non-timber forest products,
environmental services, ecotourism, carbon trading, and agroforestry, all designed to boost food, energy, and water security.
The government is backing the transition with carbon economic incentives, investment facilitation, and infrastructure development. The broader sustainable forest management policy rests on three pillars — optimising business models, enhancing forest landscapes, and strengthening forest management units (FMUs).
These strategies include spatial consolidation to resolve land-use overlaps, integrated landscape planning, and ecosystem restoration to ensure long-term, community-inclusive forest stewardship.
