Ecobiz.asia — Indonesia and South Korea have strengthened cooperation on forest and land fire management through the development of a Forest and Land Fire Management Center in South Sumatra.
The collaboration was marked by the groundbreaking of a Manggala Agni dormitory, part of the center’s supporting facilities, on Tuesday (April 22, 2026).
The initiative forms part of bilateral cooperation covering four main pillars: establishment of a command and training center, capacity building for Indonesia’s Manggala Agni fire brigade, provision of equipment and infrastructure, and development of information and communication technology systems for fire detection.
Director of Forest Fire Control at Indonesia’s Ministry of Forestry, Thomas Nifinluri, said cross-border collaboration is critical to address rising forest fire risks, particularly amid forecasts of an El Niño event in the second half of 2026.
“Forest and land fire management cannot be handled independently. It requires strong and sustained collaboration, both domestically and internationally,” he said.
He added that support from the Korea Forest Service is expected to strengthen Manggala Agni’s role as a center of excellence in forest fire management in Indonesia, with broader benefits for the ASEAN region and beyond.
Meanwhile, Counsellor at the South Korean Embassy, Ha Kyung Soo, said the dormitory development is part of broader efforts to enhance training and operational facilities under the Indonesia–Korea forestry cooperation project titled Development of Forest and Land Fire Management System in South Sumatera.
“This facility is expected to support more effective training, coordination, and integrated fire management operations,” he said.
The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by representatives from the South Korean Embassy, Indonesia’s Directorate of Forest Fire Control, the Sumatra Forest Fire Management Agency, Manggala Agni’s Ogan Komering Ilir unit, local disaster management agencies, and other stakeholders.
The Forest and Land Fire Management Center, which has already been partially developed, has hosted various training programs, including an international peat fire suppression training organized by the Asian Forest Cooperation Organization (AFoCO) from April 20 to 24, 2026, with participants from six Southeast Asian countries. ***
