Enviro News Asia, Kendari — Indonesia’s Forestry Ministry is strengthening the role of forestry extension officers in community-based forest and land fire prevention, with a focus on improving local capacity, public awareness and early detection in Southeast Sulawesi.
The initiative is being implemented through a two-day technical training programme held on October 26–27, 2026, at Claro Hotel in Kendari. Organised by the ministry’s Agency for Extension and Human Resources Development, the programme brings together 77 civil servant forestry extension officers from the Southeast Sulawesi Provincial Forestry Office and the ministry’s regional technical units.
The training aims to improve sustainable forest management while strengthening coordination among government agencies, local communities, forest farmer groups, businesses, academics, civil society organisations and other stakeholders.
The head of the ministry’s Agency for Extension and Human Resources Development emphasised that forestry extension officers play a strategic role in encouraging communities to protect forests. Beyond providing education, they are expected to facilitate collaboration, motivate residents and assist communities in adopting sustainable forest management practices.
Ardiansyah, head of the Southeast Sulawesi Provincial Forestry Office, said land-clearing practices involving fire remained a cause of forest and land fires in the province because some residents considered burning a cheaper and faster way to clear large areas.
He warned that firm action would be taken against social forestry permit holders found clearing land by burning. He also stressed the need to provide extension officers with adequate equipment and facilities to support their work in the field.
The programme combines technical instruction with practical training and capacity-building sessions. On the first day, participants received guidance on policies and strategies for involving forestry extension officers in fire prevention and control. They also attended a session on strengthening communication skills and professional motivation.
On October 27, participants are scheduled to take part in practical fire-control exercises with Manggala Agni, the Forestry Ministry’s forest and land fire control force, at the Sulawesi III operational unit office under the ministry’s regional fire-control agency.
The opening event also involved 50 participants in Community Fire Awareness Group (Masyarakat Peduli Api) and nursery training programmes organised by the ministry’s Makassar-based regional human resources development centre. Another 35 participants joined Forest Youthverse, an initiative designed to strengthen the involvement of young people in forest conservation.
The Southeast Sulawesi Forest Youthverse Summit, held on October 26–27 in Kendari, carries the theme “Guardians of Wallacea: Create Innovation, Turn It into Action, Protect Biodiversity.” The programme provides opportunities for young participants to learn from forestry officials, extension officers and community fire-prevention groups.
Jaelani, a member of Commission IV of the House of Representatives, said fires caused by community activities could create consequences that the state, including the Forestry Ministry, was expected to address. He called for stronger support for forestry extension officers, including better welfare and an expanded field workforce.
He said forest conservation required both sustainable economic opportunities for local communities and stronger human resources responsible for forest management.
Nationally, Indonesia had 10,623 forestry extension officers as of October 21, 2026, according to data from the Forestry Extension Information System (SIMLUH). The total comprised 2,717 civil servant officers, 6,029 community-based extension officers, 883 private-sector officers and 1,001 government employees under employment agreements.
Southeast Sulawesi had 88 provincial government civil servant extension officers, 30 civil servant officers assigned to technical units, 93 community-based extension officers and one private-sector officer. Together, they supported 379 forest farmer groups. Economic transactions recorded by these groups totalled Rp84.9 million.
During an interactive discussion, Indra Exploitasia, a senior forestry extension specialist representing the head of the ministry’s extension and human resources agency, acknowledged the limited number of officers but said improving their quality and capacity was essential.
He urged officers to prioritise prevention rather than waiting for fires to break out. Their performance, he said, should be measured not only by the economic activities of forest farmer groups but also by their success in maintaining forest sustainability and preventing fires in the communities they assist.
The ministry plans to strengthen extension services through faster registration and classification of forest farmer groups, improved mentoring, more accurate recording of economic transactions and expanded use of SIMLUH. Other priorities include diversifying commodities, developing downstream processing of forest-based products, verifying transaction data and digitising the spatial information of forest farmer groups.
Through the programme, forestry extension officers are expected to become more reliable, empathetic, courageous, adaptable and resilient in supporting communities. The ministry also expects stronger collaboration at the local level to help protect forests, prevent fires and improve community livelihoods sustainably. (*)
