Enviro News Asia, Jakarta — Indonesia’s National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) is ready to support the National Peatland and Mangrove Management Agency (BPGMN) in strengthening forest and land fire prevention through research, technology and community-based approaches.
BRIN Chairman Arif Satria said the agency could contribute advanced technologies for the early detection of fire hotspots as the government strengthens its national prevention strategy.
Arif made the statement after attending a limited meeting with President Prabowo Subianto and 22 experts from BRIN and universities at the State Palace on September 23, 2026.
“BRIN is needed in this agency, particularly for early detection of hotspots using increasingly advanced technology,” Arif told reporters.
He said BRIN had already been working with the Forestry Ministry on fire detection and would continue developing the technology, including the use of artificial intelligence, to identify potential forest fires at an earlier stage.
The meeting also discussed technological solutions for both fire prevention and suppression. Proposed technologies included water injection systems, village-level pumps and alternative firefighting materials.
Arif said the government was also emphasizing a more precise, village-based approach to preventing forest and land fires.
Under the approach, communities living around forests and fire-prone areas would play a greater role in protecting local natural resources. Fire Care Communities, known as Masyarakat Peduli Api (MPA), would be strengthened and revitalized as part of the prevention system.
“The village will become the foundation for forest fire prevention in the future,” Arif said.
Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni said the establishment of BPGMN was one of the key decisions from the meeting. The new agency will focus on preventing forest and land fires, particularly in peatland areas.
According to Raja Juli, BPGMN will receive adequate funding to support fire prevention, especially in six provinces with extensive peatland areas: Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan and South Kalimantan.
He also said the establishment of BPGMN reflected the government’s effort to incorporate input from scientists and researchers into forest and land fire management.
The government’s approach combines scientific research, early detection technology, village-level prevention, community participation and field-based firefighting measures.
BRIN’s involvement is expected to strengthen the research and technology component of the new institutional framework, particularly in improving early warning systems and developing technologies that can support faster fire prevention and response. (*)
