IPB University Held 1st Fire International Conference to Discuss Land and Forest Issues
The Faculty of Forestry and Environment (Fahutan) of IPB University and the French Embassy held the 1st Fire International Conference: Strengthening Collaboration on Global Forest and Land Fire Management at the IPB International Convention Center.
This activity was chaired by Dr Ati Dwi Nurhayati, a lecturer of Fahutan IPB University with the aim of sharing experiences from various stakeholders related to forest and land fire prevention, especially in anticipating the impact of El-Nino. Previously, the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) predicted that the El-Nino phenomenon would increase in the second semester of 2023. This phenomenon is considered to have an adverse impact on the decrease in rainfall.
In turn, this phenomenon causes meteorological drought and increases vulnerability to forest and land fires (karhutla) in several fire-prone areas, especially in peatland areas.
Jean-Michel Dumaz, the French Ambassador gave great appreciation to IPB University for organizing the 1st Fire International Conference.
"This activity is very relevant because France is a country that chooses a large forest area. The issue of forest and land fires is a strategic issue that we must overcome together," he said.
The issue of forest and land fires, he continued, also closely coexists with the integrity of biodiversity and climate change globally. This conference is considered to produce various thoughts of scholars to help overcome these problems.
Prof Drh Deni Noviana, Vice Rector of IPB University for Education and Student Affairs also said in his speech, the issue of forest and land fires is very strategic because the dry season will be coming soon.
"Based on data from the last 23 years, the trend of forest and land fires is still a problem that must be investigated immediately. In the first two months of this year, forest and land fire cases have been high. It is likely that in the next dry season the cases will continue to increase," she explained.
The conference featured speakers from Indonesia, France, Malaysia, Germany, Japan and Thailand. The aim was to strengthen collaboration in global forest and land fire management, share insights related to forest and land fire management, and strengthen collaborative research between scientists, academics, institutions and governments.
Prof Bambang Hero Saharjo, coordinator of the cooperation between the French Embassy and IPB University said, one of the results achieved from the conference was the importance of cooperation between the parties, both national and international in solving the problem of forest fires globally, especially Indonesia.
"Controlling forest and land fires is not only about controlling the fires. However, much more important is how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions produced during fires that continue to complement pre-existing gas emissions, which if not returned will lead to climate change that we have begun to feel today," he explained. (MW) (IAAS/NVA)
