IPB University Professor as Keynote Speaker of International Symposium in Cambodia, Discusses Forest and Land Fires in ASEAN Region
Prof Bambang Hero Saharjo, Professor of IPB University in the field of Forest Fire and Environment, especially forest protection, expressed his views on the current condition of global climate change.
He explained this when he was appointed as the keynote speaker at the Mekong-Korea Forest Fire Symposium (MKKF) 2024 with the theme “Policy and Regional Cooperation for Forest Fire Management in Southeast Asia” at the Sokha Siem Reap Palace Hotel, Cambodia recently.
In his presentation entitled “Fires in Southeast Asian Countries”, Prof Bambang said that emissions from forest and land fires (karhutla) can be a source of global climate change.
Furthermore, the IPB University Professor who serves as Executive Director of the Regional Fire Management Resource Center-Southeast Asia (RFMRC-SEA) also reviewed the condition of forest and land fires in the ASEAN region.
“Forest and land fires are a common problem. For this reason, solutions are needed that can be carried out by each country or collaboration between various countries in ASEAN,” he said.
The solutions that have been implemented include cooperation with several universities in the United States funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Then, the establishment of RFMRC-SEA facilitated by the German government and fully supported by GFMC Max Planck Institute of Chemical, University of Freiburg, Germany.
Not enough to stop there, Prof Bambang added that from 2025 to 2030 there will be training activities using the Fire Simulator.
The Fire Simulator is a donation from the French government based on cooperation that has been carried out since 2021. This Fire Simulator is only owned by IPB University so that representatives from each ASEAN country will come to IPB University to take part in the training.
It should be noted that forest fires in the tropics due to changing demographics and land use have become a serious concern recently.
Numerous efforts and resources have been invested to understand and manage forest fires over the past century. However, the severity and duration of fire seasons are expected to continue to increase globally as greenhouse gas emissions and global warming increase.
The MKKF offers a solution as a discussion platform for all ASEAN countries to address the issue of forest fire management. MKKF is a substantial project activity that is organized annually for the duration of project implementation.
MKKF 2024 is expected to provide output in the form of a synthesis of current policies on forest fire prevention and management in ASEAN countries and the Republic of Korea. It is also expected to provide recommendations for the development of effective national policies and strategies for forest fire prevention, control and management.
In addition, there are recommendations for focus areas to combat forest fires in certain regions, as well as the initiation of regional cooperative actions or mechanisms to build resilience to forest fires in ASEAN.
The inaugural MKKF event was held in Bangkok, Thailand in 2023. The activity in the form of a workshop began the implementation of the project, as well as a forum for consultation on the status of forest fire management in the ASEAN region. (*/Nr/Rz) (IAAS/RUM)
