Project of Rainforest and Peat Fires Center of Excellence Indonesia and Southeast Asia

As founding member of the Alliance for the Conservation of the Rainforest, France is engaged in the protection of tropical forests. Indonesia is the most affected country in South-East Asia by vegetation fires. In addition, this country hosts the most important peatlands of the world, representing more than 20 % of carbon stored in soil worldwide. For these reasons, France has decided to make a specific effort in order to support Indonesia in its progress to fire reduction.

A project with the Faculty of Forestry Sciences, University of Bogor (Institute Pertanian Bogor - IPB), which hosts the Regional Fire Management Resource Center – South East Asia (https://rfmrc-sea.org/) is being set up to establish a Center of Excellence (CoE) for rainforest and peat fires. As IPB has a strong knowledge in science of vegetation fires, the first phase of the CoE will be to develop training capacities.

For the three first coming years, 2021 to 2024, the ambition is to develop Standards Operating Procedures, training programs, education material, in Bahasa and English, dedicated to the specificities of rainforest and peat fires. It includes also the development of digital content and online platform, that will facilitate the dissemination across the country and beyond.

Australia supports Indonesia on forest and land management since many years, and is strongly concerned by climate change, and by rainforest issues, with large rainforest areas in Queensland and North Territories. Researchers in Australia could be interested to join this Center of Excellence initiative on rainforest and peat fires in Indonesia. This project is at the proposal phase, and we would welcome Australian partners !

Contact: Jean-Michel DUMAZ jean-michel.dumaz@diplomatie.gouv.fr