Indonesia Forest: Regional Assessment

Regional Assessments
In 1998 USFS provided expertise in designing, developing terms of reference, coordinating, and implementing an analysis of forest and land fire suppression capabilities. Assessment teams were deployed in Indonesia (Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, East Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, Jawa), Malaysia, Brunei, Philippines, and Singapore. The three teams assessing capacity in Indonesian provinces were designed to build in-country capacity for this type of activity. These teams were led by Indonesian Ministry of Forestry and Estate Crops employees and included representatives from the Indonesian National Environmental Impact Management Agency (BAPEDAL). Technical expertise for the Sumatra and Kalimantan teams was provided by fire specialists from the USFS, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and the New South Wales Rural Fire Service of Australia. The team assessing suppression capability on Java consisted entirely of Indonesians trained in the assessment process.

Teams assessing fire suppression capabilities in other ASEAN countries were composed of international fire specialists from the USFS and the Saskatchewan Environment and Resource Management unit of Canada. The results of these assessments were documented in seven reports entitled Analysis of Forest and Land Fire Suppression Capabilities with the respective areas of coverage indicated. These reports were synthesized and presented to the ASEAN HTTF members, as well as to interested Indonesian agencies and donor countries. The information from the assessments greatly enhanced both the regional understanding and donor country's understanding of fire and haze related problems.