President Prabowo Instructs to Prevent Forest and Land Fires

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, BOGOR -- President Prabowo Subianto chaired a limited meeting with a number of Red and White Cabinet ministers via video conference from his residence in Hambalang, Bogor Regency, West Java at the weekend. The main agenda of the meeting is to monitor the latest developments in the prevention and management of forest and land fires that may occur due to hot weather.

Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya explained that President Prabowo appreciates the team involved in the disaster mitigation. “The President appreciates the Ministry of Environment and other relevant ministries, as well as the forest and land fire management team for the efforts that have been made for the prevention and management of forest fires in the country,” Teddy said in a press release, Sunday (3/8/2025).

Teddy explained that President in the meeting also highlighted the data of a significant decrease in the area of wild forests in the last two years. Cases of karhutla on Sumatra Island, in particular Riau Province, have been drastically reduced due to the preparedness of the authorities in anticipating fire spots early on.

“Based on the data, we see a decrease in the extent of forest and land fires. Throughout 2024, the area of forest and land affected by fires decreased significantly compared to 2023, by 33.3 percent or to about 376,805 hectares in 2024. Meanwhile, by August 2025, the total area of forest fires and land decreased to 8,955 hectares,” Teddy said.