The number of forest and land fires (Karhutla) in Central Sulawesi Province has shown a significant increase throughout 2026. Based on data from SIPONGI of the Ministry of Forestry, the area affected by forest and land fires reached 3,138.10 hectares as of August 2026, more than three times higher than the same period in 2025.
Of this total, 1,125.58 hectares occurred in Convertible Production Forest (HPK), 382.95 hectares in Limited Production Forest, 215.14 hectares in Production Forest, 48.08 hectares in Protected Forest, and 22.02 hectares in Conservation Forest.
In response to these conditions, the RBP GCF REDD+ Central Sulawesi Program, through its Participatory Fire Management activities in collaboration with the Forestry Agency’s Forest and Land Fire Control Division, is strengthening the Forest and Land Fire Control Brigade (Brigdal Karhutla). The brigade is a special team responsible for fire prevention, patrols, and firefighting within Forest Management Units (KPH) and Tahura, in response to the increasingly widespread forest fires in Central Sulawesi.
A total of 42 Forest Rangers (Polhut) representing 13 KPH and Tahura participated in the activity. They received training on firefighting methods, weather analysis, forest fire risk assessment, and prevention measures. Representatives from the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), the Forest and Land Fire Control Center (Dalkarhut), and the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency (BMKG) also participated as resource persons.
The Secretary of the Central Sulawesi Forestry Agency, Abdul Rahman, emphasized that forest and land fires must be prevented because they are not merely a matter of firefighting, but also pose serious threats to the environment, biodiversity, public health, and the sustainability of regional development.
“The brigade must not only be present when the fire has already grown. Prevention, early detection, and rapid response must be the main components of their field duties,” he said.
Kiki Rizki Amalia, Project Officer, stated that forest and land fires are an annual threat during the dry season in Central Sulawesi, exacerbated by the impacts of climate change. Strengthening the capacity of Brigdal teams in 13 KPH and Tahura is part of efforts to prepare for forest fire prevention and control, both now and in the future.
In addition to strengthening the Brigdal teams, the RBP GCF Program, together with the Forestry Agency, is also facilitating capacity building for 71 Fire-Aware Communities (Masyarakat Peduli Api/MPA) across 13 KPH to prevent forest fires at the village level. Beyond training, both the Brigdal Karhutla and MPA teams receive operational support in the form of facilities and infrastructure, including equipment to support forest fire operations and the establishment of Crisis Response Units (CRU) in four districts identified as the most vulnerable to forest fires: Poso, Banggai, Tojo Una-Una, and North Morowali.
