Govt builds spatial tracking system to target concession wildfires

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) is developing an integrated spatial data system linking satellite fire tracking directly to land concessions and ownership permits to hold entities accountable for wildfires, officials said Monday.

The system combines real-time hotspot and burned-area satellite data with government land registries, including Land Use Rights (HGU), Land Management Rights (HPL), and commercial forestry and plantation concessions.

"We can track daily changes in hotspots and burned areas to determine where fire activity is increasing or declining," BNPB Head Kristomei Sianturi told reporters at a press conference in Jakarta.

"When a fire occurs, we can identify the company that owns or holds a concession over the land."

Sianturi noted that while satellite mapping provides immediate spatial evidence, findings will undergo field verification in coordination with local authorities and ministries.

Data will be shared with the National Police, the Ministry of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning, and the Ministry of Forestry to support legal enforcement and regulatory sanctions against non-compliant landowners.

According to joint monitoring by NASA FIRMS satellites and BNPB's GIS portal through Nov. 8, authorities recorded 2,529 hotspots and 976 active fire incidents covering 5,335 hectares nationwide, with approximately 1,925 hectares currently burning.

Central Kalimantan reported the highest concentration with 443 hotspots, followed by South Papua with 427 and Southeast Sulawesi with 279.

Translator: M. Riezko Bima, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Aditya Eko Sigit Wicaksono
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