East Kalimantan Uses Carbon Funding to Strengthen Forest-Fire Mitigation
- 18 Agt 2026 15:58 WIB
- Voice of Indonesia
Poin Utama
- The East Kalimantan Forestry Agency has allocated IDR 19 billion in FCPF carbon funding to strengthen forest and land fire prevention and response.
- The funding will prioritize safety equipment, emergency supplies, and operational support for frontline personnel and volunteers.
RRI.CO.ID, Samarinda - The East Kalimantan Forestry Agency has allocated IDR 19 billion (USD 1.06 million) in carbon funding from the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) to strengthen operations for tackling forest and land fires. The green incentive funds will be prioritized for providing safety equipment and emergency supplies for volunteers working on the front lines.
“We have prioritized the allocation of FCPF carbon funding to support the essential needs of personnel and volunteers on the front lines. The funds are focused on operational support in anticipation of the peak fire-risk period expected in September,” said Acting Head of the East Kalimantan Forestry Agency, Rusmadi, in Samarinda on Tuesday, August 18, 2026.
Monitoring East Kalimantan’s forest area, which covers approximately 7.8 million hectares, remains a challenge because of the limited number of personnel available for frontline operations.
The province currently has only around 94 forest police officers. The limited official workforce is considered highly inadequate given the vast area that must be protected from serious threats, including illegal logging, encroachment, illegal mining, and forest and land fires.
“To address the imbalance between the size of the forest area and the number of personnel, we are extensively mobilizing local communities to serve as the frontline of monitoring at the site level,” said Rusmadi, as quoted by Antara.
According to the latest forest-protection development data, the regional administration has deployed more than 1,700 members of the Forest Police Partners Community (MMP). In addition, 5,814 members of the Fire-Aware Community (MPA) have been involved in various areas.
This grassroots force is further supported by hundreds of personnel from forest and land fire control task forces and brigades. Strong civilian cooperation with the Indonesian Military and National Police serves as a key pillar in protecting the ecosystem in East Kalimantan.
The government has equipped volunteers with standard protective gear to ensure their safety when confronting fires. The equipment includes fire-resistant clothing, helmets, medicines, and various other technical support tools.
To address geographical challenges and water shortages during the peak of the dry season, personnel have placed collapsible water tanks in several areas prone to forest and land fires.
Meanwhile, fires in locations that are difficult for ground teams to access will be tackled with aerial operations using helicopters from the Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD).
“These anticipatory measures have been tightened following two fire incidents at the Bukit Soeharto Grand Forest Park, which is part of the Nusantara Capital City (IKN) area,” said Rusmadi. ***
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