Indonesia urged to overhaul land-burning rules and boost fire-prevention support

Speaking in Jakarta, Sadino called for a comprehensive review of Indonesia's land-burning regulations, supervision mechanisms and community assistance to strengthen BMKG's fire-prevention work. He warned that easy forest access makes enforcement difficult and that prohibitions should be balanced with livelihood alternatives, urging local governments and businesses to fund non-burning land-clearing methods and expand fire-awareness outreach.

Sadino also stressed that investigations must pinpoint fire origins, including possible spread from outside detected sites. Erwansyah, an APHI executive, said the association supports reinforced bans and expects companies holding PBPH permits to comply with forest-governance obligations, including fire-management infrastructure, patrols and community partnerships. He noted that fires originating beyond concession boundaries can still cause heavy losses and that liability depends on companies' compliance. Erwansyah called for stronger fire-management institutions and clearer command relationships among forest units, plantation firms and local authorities to improve coordination and legal certainty.