Prabowo turns to experts to tackle peatland fires after swipe at researchers
President Prabowo Subianto has turned to experts for solutions to prevent recurring forest and peatland fires, after his recent tirade against some experts critical of his administration drew public backlash.
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has sought expert advice to combat recurring forest and peatland fires, following his controversial comments against critical researchers that sparked public outrage. On Thursday, Prabowo engaged in a dialogue with 22 experts from different research institutions and universities to discuss fire management strategies in the country's fire-prone peatland regions. The president emphasized his respect for scientific expertise and expressed gratitude for their input.
During the meeting, Prabowo posed questions about the best approaches to prevent fires in forest areas, including peatlands, and whether peatlands could be utilized for agricultural purposes. One of the experts, Indratmo Soekarno from the Bandung Institute of Technology, recalled the previous work of the Peatland and Mangrove Restoration Agency (BRGM), which was disbanded by the government in April 2025.
Soekarno suggested that the agency's blueprint for managing peatlands could serve as a valuable reference for the current administration.
The discussion concluded with Prabowo agreeing to the recommendations made by the experts to establish a new peatland and mangrove management agency. This new agency will take over the responsibilities of the dissolved BRGM, with a focus on preventing fires and developing technology to detect fire hotspots.
Written by urgent.news from The Jakarta Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
