Enviro News Asia, Jakarta – The Ministry of Forestry and the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on search and rescue efforts in forestry areas, in Jakarta, on Tuesday (August 5, 2025).
This MoU marks a significant milestone in strengthening cross-sector collaboration to address emergencies in forest and conservation areas.
The signing was carried out by Minister of Forestry Raja Juli Antoni and Head of Basarnas Air Marshal TNI Muh. Syafii, witnessed by Deputy Minister of Forestry Sulaiman Umar along with senior officials from both the Ministry and Basarnas.
Minister Raja Juli Antoni stated that this synergy emerged from shared experiences in handling emergency situations in forest areas, such as the incident at Mount Rinjani, which served as an important lesson in the value of coordination and rapid response.
“Sometimes we are brought together under unfortunate circumstances, but behind every crisis, there is positive energy that drives stronger collaboration. We are proud that Basarnas has exceptional capabilities, recognized internationally,” said Minister Raja Antoni.
He emphasized that this cooperation is crucial, considering the complexities of managing forest areas and national parks, as well as the increasing number of nature tourism visits, which require proper preparedness.
“We must focus on education, anticipation, and readiness. With this MoU, the hope is that it goes beyond a ceremonial gesture and leads to practical, concrete actions, including sufficient budget support to train more SAR personnel within the Ministry of Forestry,” added Raja Juli Antoni.
Meanwhile, Basarnas Chief Muh. Syafii stressed that the success of Basarnas missions cannot be achieved independently. Cross-sector synergy, particularly with SAR potentials that possess strategic resources such as the Ministry of Forestry, is essential.
“The Ministry of Forestry plays a vital role as the steward of forest areas and their ecosystems. We hope that the Ministry will have well-trained human resources in initial emergency response, thereby strengthening the effectiveness of SAR operations, especially in hard-to-reach terrains like forests and conservation zones,” he said.
This collaboration is expected to be a concrete effort to create safe, secure, and resilient conservation areas while enhancing the Ministry of Forestry personnel’s capacity in handling initial incidents within forest regions. (*)
