Enviro News Asia, Papua — The West Papua and Southwest Papua Regional Chapter of the Association of Indonesian Forest Concessionaires (APHI) says community empowerment should be a key foundation in implementing Presidential Instruction No. 11/2026 on strengthening enforcement of the ban on land clearing by burning and forest and land fire control.
Haryoto, Chair of the APHI Regional Chapter for West Papua and Southwest Papua, said stronger enforcement of the ban must be accompanied by efforts to build community capacity, provide alternatives to land clearing without fire, and strengthen village-level institutions responsible for fire prevention.
“Forest and land fire prevention will be more effective when communities are positioned as a central part of the solution. They need continued assistance to develop the knowledge, capacity, equipment and economic options necessary to manage land without burning,” Haryoto said.
He said village-based empowerment programs, including Desa Makmur Peduli Alam (DMPA), Desa Bebas Api, and similar initiatives developed by businesses in cooperation with governments and communities, should be strengthened and expanded according to local conditions.
Such programs can raise awareness of fire risks, promote non-burning land management practices, strengthen community fire-prevention groups, and involve residents in patrols, early detection, reporting and initial fire response.
“DMPA, Desa Bebas Api and other empowerment initiatives show that preventing forest and land fires cannot rely solely on firefighting. Building community resilience and providing practical alternatives are equally important so that economic activities can continue without the use of fire,” Haryoto said.
Haryoto also welcomed the issuance of Presidential Instruction No. 11/2026, saying it provides clearer and more coordinated direction to ministries, government agencies and regional administrations in preventing and controlling forest and land fires.
The instruction reinforces the prohibition on opening land through burning, seeks to prevent central and local government policies or decisions that could be interpreted as legalizing burning, and requires exceptions based on local wisdom to be applied strictly and proportionally.
The use of such local-wisdom practices is permitted only after conditions have been declared safe, following the completion of emergency response, emergency preparedness and emergency transition periods as determined by regional heads.
“During the critical period of El Niño, government policies that strengthen the prohibition on land clearing by burning, including strict regulation of burning based on local wisdom, are an important prerequisite for ensuring coordinated action among all parties in preventing and controlling forest and land fires,” Haryoto said.
He said APHI and its members support implementation of the policy and will continue coordinating with central and regional governments. Dialogue with local communities, he added, should also be strengthened to build a shared understanding of the risks and impacts of land clearing through burning.
“Engagement with communities must be consistent, participatory and adapted to local socioeconomic conditions. Restrictions must be accompanied by education, assistance and support for safer and more productive land-management practices,” he said.
Haryoto also expressed appreciation for holders of Forest Utilization Business Licenses (PBPH) that have implemented standard operating procedures for preventing and controlling forest and land fires in their respective operational areas.
In addition to protecting their own work areas, PBPH holders collaborate with the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), the Indonesian Military (TNI), the Indonesian National Police (Polri), the Manggala Agni forest-fire brigade, regional governments and other stakeholders in preventing, controlling and suppressing fires in surrounding areas.
“PBPH efforts are not limited to their own operational areas. Under various circumstances, APHI members also provide personnel, equipment, patrols and firefighting assistance in surrounding areas to prevent fires from spreading and causing greater impacts on communities,” Haryoto said.
APHI, he added, supports stronger multi-stakeholder cooperation based on the spirit of mutual assistance. Collaboration among central and regional governments, the military, police, Manggala Agni, businesses, academics and communities is needed to strengthen community empowerment, early detection, integrated patrols, rapid response and firefighting operations.
“Forest and land fires are cross-regional and cross-authority challenges. Therefore, mutual support and resource sharing are essential to ensure that prevention and response efforts are coordinated, rapid and effective,” Haryoto said.
Regarding law enforcement, APHI hopes authorities will objectively and proportionally consider the maximum efforts undertaken by PBPH holders to prevent and control fires, both within their operational areas and when assisting with fire response in surrounding areas.
Such assessments, APHI said, should be based on field conditions, compliance levels, preventive and response measures undertaken, and applicable laws and regulations.
Through stronger community empowerment, multi-stakeholder cooperation and objective law enforcement, the implementation of Presidential Instruction No. 11/2026 is expected to strengthen fire prevention at the field level, accelerate fire response and protect communities, forests and the environment. (*)
