Early detection a key part of Indonesia’s fire management efforts in face of greater wildfire threat

However, fires still occur in APP’s concession areas which span more than 2 million hectares across five provinces.

About 28,000 hectares of APP’s land were scorched last year, with some fires occurring in areas where it faces land conflicts with the local community.

“We have overlapping licence areas where we have communities making claims to the area, which means APP cannot work in that area,” the firm’s head of stakeholder engagement and advocacy Letchumi Achanah told CNA.

“So until that is resolved, that area again remains unmanned, which means any third party could come in. There could actually be smoke somewhere around there which could light up some small fires, which turn into a larger fire.”

APP said it is committed to limiting fire occurrences to less than 2 per cent of its concession areas, along with those of its suppliers.

The company has so far managed to control the fires, but with the onset of a more severe El Nino this year, the heat is on and its fire management system will be put to the test.