Enviro News Asia, Jakarta — The Association of The Indonesian Forest Concessionaires (APHI) and the Indonesian Palm Oil Association (GAPKI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen cooperation in community development efforts aimed at preventing forest and land fires (karhutla).
The MoU was signed on Thursday, October 16, 2025, in Jakarta by APHI Chairman Soewarso and GAPKI Chairman Eddy Martono Rustamadji, witnessed by government representatives from three ministries: the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Forestry, and the Ministry of Agriculture.
APHI Chairman Soewarso explained that this cross-sector collaboration represents a concrete step by the private sector in supporting government programs to sustainably reduce the risk of forest and land fires.
“Community empowerment is key to effective fire prevention efforts. Through this partnership, we aim to ensure that communities living around forest and plantation areas have the capacity and incentives to protect the environment without resorting to land burning,” he said.
Meanwhile, GAPKI Chairman Eddy Martono emphasized that on-the-ground collaboration is a crucial factor in fire prevention efforts.
“In land-based industries, there are overlapping management areas for fire control that cannot be handled by a single company. Cross-sectoral cooperation is therefore essential,” Eddy stated.
Under the memorandum, both organizations agreed to establish a Joint Coordination Team for Forest and Land Fire Prevention (APHI–GAPKI) at the national level. The team will develop annual work plans, determine priority areas prone to fires, and coordinate socialization, training, and field patrol activities.
The scope of cooperation includes community education and awareness campaigns, alternative livelihood development, strengthening of the Desa Peduli Api (Fire-Aware Village) program, capacity building, and the development of fire prevention technologies. In addition, APHI and GAPKI committed to developing community forestry training modules and providing necessary facilities and infrastructure to support fire control efforts in and around their operational areas.
The partnership will be effective for three years and may be extended upon mutual agreement. Funding will come from contributions by APHI and GAPKI members as well as potential non-binding support from other sources.
Through this initiative, APHI and GAPKI hope that the synergy between forestry and plantation business actors will strengthen environmental resilience, enhance community participation, and support Indonesia’s national target of reducing the risk of forest and land fire disasters. (**)
