It is not a positive achievement but rather a warning for us."Banjar (ANTARA News) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has expressed hope that several provincial administrations would undertake sustainable fire prevention efforts to avert fire disasters in the future.
"I have reminded the officers in the provincial and district administrations as well as military and police personnel to prevent the recurrence of forest fires in 2016," the president affirmed here on Thursday.
The president visited the Sultan Adam Forest Park in South Kalimantan Province to commemorate the National Tree Planting Day and the Flora-Fauna Day.
In spite of Indonesia being ranked third as the country with the richest natural resources, however, it has also become the sixth-largest producer of carbon emissions.
Jokowi affirmed that the forest fire disaster in 2015 would add to the total carbon emissions.
"It is not a positive achievement but rather a warning for us," he pointed out.
Indonesia is targeting to decrease its carbon emissions by up to 29 percent in 2030. The country has also urged other advanced and developed countries to stay committed to saving the environment.
"Forest fires can serve as a precious lesson for Indonesia after 18 cases of this natural disaster have occurred. It should be a learning experience for us," Jokowi noted.
Besides destroying forests, the fires have also damaged the natural ecosystem.
The provincial administration must prevent the occurrence of forest fires in 2016.
"We have several examples in some provinces that have wide forest areas but none of them were burnt. There are some provinces that undertook prevention efforts and some others that did not," the president remarked.
The head of state has urged the officers to focus on preventing peatland fires as the disaster is more difficult to handle.
"The administration should not become complacent after the fires have been extinguished as we must take preventive steps, such as creating partitioned canals," Jokowi pointed out.
The president said the celebration of the National Tree Planting Day is an effort to give back to the environment by planting 10 thousand trees.
He called for tree-planting activities to be carried out in particular areas to facilitate monitoring efforts.
(Uu.B019/INE/KR-BSR/B003)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
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