In Borneo, fire is an old enemy of the forest. Every dry season brings the risk of blazes that can engulf tens of thousands of hectares of peat swamp, releasing centuries of stored carbon into the atmosphere in a matter of weeks. In the years before the Katingan Mentaya Project, fire was a regular feature of the landscape, devastating, cyclical, and seemingly unstoppable.
Not any more. Across 149,800 hectares of the project area, zero large-scale fires have been recorded. This is not an accident. It is the result of a carefully constructed system that combines early detection technology, structured fire management teams, rewetted peat that resists ignition, and — most importantly — community members who see forest protection as their own responsibility.
1,380 community members have been trained in fire response and awareness. Rapid Response Teams (RSA/MPA) have been established across the project zone, equipped with the knowledge and tools to identify and suppress fires before they can spread. These teams are locally recruited, locally led, and locally accountable.
“Zero fire incidents were recorded across 149,800 hectares — achieved through early detection systems, strong fire management structures, active community engagement, and collaboration with local government.”
The early detection system provides the technical backbone. Satellite monitoring flags hotspots. Local rangers verify on the ground. Response protocols are clear. But the deeper reason fires have not taken hold is the rewetting programme: saturated peat does not burn. Canal blocks raise the water table. Wet peat smothers potential ignition before it can start.
The climate consequences of this success are immense. Peat fires in Southeast Asia are among the largest single sources of greenhouse gas emissions on the planet. Each year without fire in the Katingan Mentaya landscape is a year of avoided emissions, emissions that, once released, cannot be recalled.
ZERO large-scale fire incidents (project area)
1,380 community members trained in fire response
149,800 hectares protected from fire-driven degradation
But the story of zero fires is also a story about trust. Communities that benefit from the forest, through livelihoods, through the floating health clinic, through solar energy, through the participatory planning process and have a stake in protecting it. Conservation and community development are not competing priorities here. They are the same priority, pursued together.
*All statistical information is based on the latest monitoring report covering the years 2020-2023
(Photos courtesy of RMU)
Read more: Katingan-Mentaya-Fire-Management-and-Mitigation-Report
Visit the Katingan Mentaya Project website HERE
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