Minamas Plantation Partners with Unsri to Prevent Forest and Land Fires

Haryanto Tedjawidjaja, President Director of PT Minamas Gemilang, said in Palembang on Wednesday that researchers and scientists from Sriwijaya University will share their knowledge and expertise in finding a comprehensive solution to the haze crisis.

“Representatives from Unsri will provide guidance and live among the community. They will directly identify fire-prone areas and the factors contributing to land burning in fire-conscious self-reliant villages near the concession,” said Haryanto after signing the cooperation agreement.

He noted that by the end of the program, targeted approaches will be identified that can serve as long-term solutions for all stakeholders, particularly in South Sumatra.

“As plantation business owners operating in Musi Banyuasin, we must, of course, play an active role in various efforts to prevent forest and land fires because this issue is so serious,” he said.

PT Guthrie Pecconina Indonesia, a subsidiary of Minamas Plantation in Musi Banyuasin Regency, South Sumatra, will empower five villages: Rantau Panjang, Karang Ringin II, Ulak Seberau, and Karang Anyar in Lawang Wetan Subdistrict, as well as Gajah Mati Village in Sungai Keruh Subdistrict.

Similar efforts have also been carried out in collaboration with the University of Riau and Lambung Mangkurat University, successfully achieving “zero-burning” status for a number of villages assisted by researchers.

The system implemented involves creating fire management clusters in each concession area. These clusters consist of several fire-prone villages led by a “leader” (the company holding the largest concession in the relevant area).

The joint program with the University of Riau and Lambung Mangkurat University, covering an area of 45,543 ha with a population of 36,034 people, yielded positive results.

Survey results showed a reduction in the number of hotspots, from 40 in 2013–2014 to just 1 in 2015–2016.

Meanwhile, Unsri Rector Anis Saggaf welcomed the company’s initiative to involve academics.

“We in the academic community wholeheartedly welcome the company’s desire to implement the research findings of our faculty and students. Up until now, it can be said that the utilization of such findings has been very limited,” said Anis.

The government is developing a cluster-based forest and land fire prevention system that requires the involvement of all parties—namely, the government, companies, and the community.

Prabianto Mukti Wibowo, Assistant Deputy for Forest Governance at the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs, stated on the same occasion that with this new system, forest and land fire prevention (karhutla) will no longer be carried out in isolation as has been the case until now.

"Forest and land fires are a very serious problem that requires the involvement of all parties. With cluster-based prevention, companies are no longer merely obligated to monitor their concession areas but are also required to monitor the surrounding villages,” said Prabianto during a seminar titled “Self-Reliant Villages Prevent Fires” in the Unsri Graduate School Auditorium.