APHI Sumatra Selatan-Lampung Strengthens Community Efforts to Prevent Forest Fires

Preventing forest and land fires in South Sumatra and Lampung will require more than extinguishing flames, the regional chapter of the Indonesian Forest Entrepreneurs Association says. It is urging stronger community involvement, alternatives to burning and village-level prevention systems.

Iwan Setiawan, head of APHI’s South Sumatra chapter, said enforcement of the ban on clearing land by burning must go together with greater community capacity. Residents need support, equipment, knowledge and economic choices that allow them to manage land without fire.

“Fire prevention will be more effective when communities are placed at the center of the solution,” Iwan said. He pointed to village-based initiatives, including Desa Makmur Peduli Alam and Desa Bebas Api, as evidence that prevention cannot rely solely on firefighting.

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Fire prevention will be more effective when communities are placed at the center of the solution. Communities need continued assistance so they have the knowledge, capacity, facilities and economic choices that allow them to manage land without burning.

The group welcomed Presidential Instruction No. 11 of 2026, which gives ministries, agencies and local governments a more coordinated framework for preventing and controlling fires. The instruction strengthens the ban on land clearing by burning and blocks central or local policies that could be interpreted as legalizing the practice.

Exceptions linked to local customary knowledge will now be applied under strict and proportionate conditions. They can be used only after the regional head officially declares that emergency response, emergency preparedness and emergency transition periods have ended. Iwan said the tighter rules were especially important during the critical period of El Niño and pledged APHI’s support for implementation in coordination with the central government.

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DMPA, Desa Bebas Api and other empowerment initiatives show that preventing forest and land fires cannot rely only on firefighting. It is also essential to build community resilience and provide real alternatives so economic activity can continue without using fire.