Jakarta, IO – Head of the National Peatland and Mangrove Management Agency (BPGMN), Satyawan Pudyatmoko, said peatland management remains a primary focus of the agency, particularly in mitigating recurring forest and land fires (karhutla) during prolonged dry seasons.
He made the statement after being sworn in by President Prabowo Subianto at the State Palace on Thursday.
Satyawan explained that peat fires, which frequently occur during extreme dry seasons including El Nino climate events, must be actively managed to prevent disruptions to public life and public health. He noted that Prabowo’s directives serve as the foundation for BPGMN to strengthen peatland management and reduce fire risks.
“Mr President’s directive is for us to manage peatlands—as our name implies, the management agency—so that when extreme dry seasons hit, like the current conditions, fires can be suppressed to ensure they do not disrupt communities or harm public health,” Satyawan said.
In addition, BPGMN is tasked with protecting mangrove ecosystems, reducing deforestation, and restoring fire-damaged or degraded peatland and mangrove ecosystems to return them to functional health.
To achieve these goals, Satyawan emphasized the importance of science and technology, including predictive modeling to evaluate drought conditions and map fire risks. BPGMN plans to assemble panels of experts across various fields—including hydrology, peatland revegetation, socioeconomics, and mangrove ecology.
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“Regarding completion targets, we are naturally constrained by time. However, we aim for a gradual decline in fire occurrences, ensuring areas that previously burned repeatedly no longer catch fire. Furthermore, we will map out the approximately 500-plus Peatland Hydrological Units (KHG) across the country,” he explained.
Meanwhile, BPGMN deputy head Sriyanto stressed the critical role of inter-agency collaboration in addressing forest and land fires. BPGMN, he said, is one of several government entities involved in these mitigation efforts, making strong coordination essential.
“Collaboration is key, as we are one of several entities designated to tackle forest and land fires,” said Sriyanto, highlighting the need for early detection and identification of issues, followed by correlation analysis and forecasting to determine appropriate interventions. He cited peat groundwater levels as a vital indicator that must be monitored to anticipate fire risks.
“We must be able to detect and identify every existing problem, analyze the correlations, and ultimately make projections. Having observed practices in several other countries, this is something that can be forecasted. For example, if we know that the peat water table drops below 40 centimeters, we must take immediate action.” (des)
