Indonesia temporarily closes nine national parks as forest fires strain firefighting resources

Indonesia has temporarily shut nine national parks to hikers as forest fires force authorities to concentrate firefighting resources in six provinces. Limited access is also in place at four other parks.

Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni said fires in national parks had added to the pressure on operations in Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan and South Kalimantan. Some water-bombing helicopters meant for those provinces had to be sent to national parks instead, he said.

The decision follows several fires in protected areas. About 170 hikers stranded by fires in Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park were rescued last week, while a blaze there earlier in August burned for nearly a week and destroyed about 550 hectares, according to BBC reporting cited in the article. Authorities did not say how long the closures would last.

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Some water-bombing helicopters that should have been prioritised for the six provinces experiencing forest and land fires have also had to be deployed to national parks to conduct firefighting operations.

The restrictions cover Bromo Tengger Semeru, Kerinci Seblat, Mount Ciremai, Tambora, Manusela, Bukit Baka Bukit Raya, Mount Gede Pangrango, Mount Leuser and parts of Lorentz national parks. Hiking is limited to designated safe zones at Mount Rinjani, Mount Merbabu, Hyang Highlands Wildlife Reserve and Mount Halimun Salak.

The fires are also worsening air quality across the region. The ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre reported widespread hotspots in Kalimantan and smoke plumes over North, West and Central Kalimantan, Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei and parts of the Philippines. IQAir recorded an index of 851 in Pontianak and 675 in Palangkaraya, while six areas in Sarawak reported hazardous readings, including Serian at 408 and Kuching at 407.

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Widespread hotspots