IPB University Collaborates with France and South Korea to Train 19 Forest Fire Fighters to Handle Peat Issues

Regional Fire Management Resource Center-Southeast Asia (RFMRC-SEA), Faculty of Forestry and Environment (Fahutan) IPB University facilitated the Training of Trainers for Forest Fire Suppression in Peatland.

The training focused on efforts to control peat fires, especially through fire suppression activities, assisted by a fire simulator, the only one in Southeast Asia that only exists at IPB University. There were 19 participants from Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia and Timor Leste.

“This training plays an important role in equipping professionals, field officers, and community leaders with the skills, knowledge, and collaborative mindset needed to respond effectively and prevent future disasters,” said Prof Bambang Hero Saharjo, Director of RFMRC-SEA during the opening ceremony, recently.

This activity was carried out with the support of the French government and the Asian Forestry Cooperation (AFoCO) of South Korea, taking place on April 21 – May 2, 2025. The plan is to continue the training for five years. 

Furthermore, Prof Bambang as Professor of Fahutan IPB University revealed that the special criteria for training participants are to have experience in conducting blackout activities for at least five years. Meanwhile, the training instructors come from IPB University and France.

During the opening ceremony, Prof Agus Purwito, Secretary of IPB University, stated that peatland fires pose a significant threat. Not only for the ecosystem, but also for human health, climate stability, and sustainable development. 

“For Indonesia, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions produced during burning, especially peatland fires, make an important contribution to Land-Use Change and Forestry (LUCF) activities,” he explained.

The government has made maximum efforts to reduce the occurrence of fires with various regulations and fire control activities such as prevention, suppression and handling. These actions are expected to reduce GHG emissions.

IPB University itself has made active efforts to assist in handling forest and land fires, such as the establishment of RFMRC-SEA with funding support from the German Ministry of Food and Agriculture from 2017 to 2021. Also full support from the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC), Max Planck Institute of Chemistry, University of Freiburg. 

“Since 2021, the French government has carried out its collaborative activities in collaboration with RFMRC-SEA under the auspices of GFMC, so that they can carry out their activities until now,” explained Prof Bambang. 

At the opening ceremony, Mr Vincent PAIRAULT (Lieutenant-Colonel, French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs), Dr Lee Yeongjoo (AFoCO Regional Education and Training Center), Mr Ha Kyungsoo (Counsellor and Forestry Attaché, Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Indonesia) were present. 

Also present were Dr Dian Sukmajaya (Senior Officer of Food, Agriculture and Forestry Division, ASEAN Secretariat), Prof Bambang Hero Saharjo (Director of RFMRC-SEA), Prof Agus Purwito (Secretary of IPB Institute), Prof Naresworo Nugroho (Dean of Fahutan), and representatives of the Director of the Center for Sustainable Forest Development, Indonesian Ministry of Forestry. (*/Rz) (IAAS/LAN)