Indonesia Maps Fire-Prone Regions to Mitigate Wildfire Risks

Jakarta: Indonesia’s Ministry of Forestry has mapped regions vulnerable to forest and land fires as part of efforts to reduce wildfire risks, with a primary focus on Sumatra and Kalimantan.

The ministry’s Director of Forest Fire Control, Thomas Nifinluri, said in Jakarta on Monday that the mapping of high-risk areas is conducted on a routine basis. The assessment is based on historical hotspot data, land cover conditions, land types, climate forecasts, and drought indices.

“Priority regions for mitigation and preparedness are generally located in provinces with extensive peatlands and a history of frequent fires, particularly in Sumatra and Kalimantan,” he said, as quoted by Antara on Tuesday, February 10, 2026.

Areas receiving special attention include Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, and Papua, particularly South Papua.

Nifinluri said the government is implementing various mitigation measures to prevent forest and land fires, including cross-sector coordination involving the Ministry of Forestry, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), regional governments, the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), the National Police, and concession holders.

Additional efforts include intensified patrols in fire-prone areas and enhanced readiness of Manggala Agni forest fire units, covering personnel, equipment, and logistics.

Throughout January 2026, authorities conducted 225 fire suppression operations, successfully containing fires across an area of approximately 600 hectares.

The ministry is also strengthening Fire Care Communities (MPA) as the frontline of grassroots fire prevention through training, infrastructure support, and the dissemination of non-burning land-clearing methods.

Data from the ministry’s SiPongi system show that forest and land fires affected a total of 359,619.42 hectares in 2025, continuing a downward trend from 376,805.05 hectares in 2024 and 1,161,192.90 hectares in 2023.