Indonesia Prepares for El Nino 2027: Ministry of Environment and Forestry Proposes Additional Budget of Rp6.23 Trillion

The Ministry of Environment and Forestry has proposed an additional budget of Rp6.23 trillion for 2027 to strengthen sustainable forest management, improve the welfare of communities surrounding forests, and anticipate the El Nino cycle predicted to occur in 2027.

The proposal was presented by the Deputy Minister of Environment and Forestry, Rohmat Marzuki, during a working meeting with the DPR RI Commission IV in Jakarta.

Rohmat emphasized that the ministry will prioritize the additional budget to prevent and handle forest and land fires. The ministry will use the budget to revive facilities and infrastructure, conduct joint patrols with the Community Care Fire, and implement weather modification operations to face the potential El Nino.

The Ministry of Environment and Forestry will also strengthen forestry institutions in the regions by supporting the operation of 35 central forest ecosystem development units. Additionally, the ministry will allocate a budget to recruit and employ around 21,000 additional Forest Police personnel.

Rohmat explained that the government is still finalizing the addition of Forest Police formations with the Ministry of State Apparatus Utilization and Bureaucratic Reform.

To accelerate poverty alleviation, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry will increase community-based spending through the distribution of productive economic tools to residents living around forest areas.

The ministry will also strengthen forest area supervision by acquiring high-tech air monitoring equipment and light aircraft to monitor activities and land cover changes on a regular basis.

Furthermore, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry has proposed additional funds to manage the Way Kambas National Park and the Tesso Nilo National Park, improve natural tourism facilities, and accelerate the designation of customary forests. The ministry targets the area of customary forests to reach 1.4 million hectares by 2029.

Through the additional budget, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry aims to provide stronger forest protection, improve the welfare of communities surrounding forests, and maintain the sustainability of national natural resource management.