Disaster Management in Indonesia: Peatland Forest Fire and Covid-19 Crisis
INDONESIA STUDIES PROGRAMME WEBINAR
About the Webinar
In early July, the province of Central Kalimantan has declared a state of emergency due to massive forest fire in the area. A similar disaster has also threatened other provinces with large peatland areas, such as Riau and South Sumatra. The risk of an increasing number of forest fires is estimated to reach its peak during the drought season in August-September this year.
The Indonesian government has been deploying efforts to combat the fire since last year when President Joko Widodo signed a moratorium policy for primary and peatland forests. Nevertheless, the current Covid-19 crisis might adversely affect the ongoing efforts to combat forest fires this year. The government has reduced the budget for forest fire mitigation and relocated the fund for the pandemic mitigation programmes. As a result, many disaster-prone areas in Indonesia are facing double risks of deteriorating public health quality due to both haze and coronavirus.
This webinar will discuss the ongoing effort in managing a sequence of crises of peatland forest fires and the Covid-19 pandemic in Indonesia. The speaker will address the challenges in handling the crises as well as the future of peatland restoration and forest management in the country.
About the Speaker
Nazir Foead is the Head of the Peatland Restoration Agency (BRG), Indonesia. He was appointed by President Joko Widodo to lead restoration of 2 million hectares of Indonesia’s peatland. Prior to his current position, Nazir joined the Climate and Land Use Alliance as the Indonesia Initiative Coordinator, to direct grants and support for Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Indonesia. He was former Conservation Director of WWF Indonesia, managing over 300 staff in 26 conservation sites. Nazir graduated from University of Gottingen, Germany, and Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, University of Kent, United Kingdom.
Registration
This webinar will be delivered online entirely. You can join the webinar at the specified date and time using devices (computer, phone, or tablet) with internet connection.
Please register here to receive your unique link for joining the webinar.
Limited spaces only, register early to avoid disappointment.
To join the webinar,
1. Install the Zoom client onto your computer or download the app on your mobile device.
2. Set up a Zoom account, using the following link: https://zoom.us/signup
3. Click on the unique link in your email.
For the best experience, please mute your microphone. If you have questions for the speaker, please key in your questions via the Q&A, stating your name and affiliation. The moderator will field them to the speaker and the discussants during the Q&A session.