CONFERENCES, SEMINARS AND CONSULTATIONS SUPPORTED OR CO-ORGANIZED BY GFMC

International Fire Management Conferences jointly conducted with
International Organizations and Republic of Indonesia
1996-2019

Conference on Transboundary Pollution and the Sustainability of Tropical Forests (1996)

The ASEAN Institute for Forest Management (AIFM) hosted the AIFM Conference on Transboundary Pollution and the Sustainability of Tropical Forests: Towards Wise Forest Fire Management, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 2-4 December 1996.

International Conference on Science and Technology for the Assessment of Global Environmental Change and its Impact on the Maritime Continent of Indonesia (1997)

Considering the damages inflicted by the 1997 El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) to the countries in Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia, which suffers from prolonged droughts, forest fires, huge economic losses, transboundary haze, and its long term ecological impacts, concerned government officials, scientists and practitioners convened in Jakarta on 10-12 November 1997 at the International Conference on Science and Technology for the Assessment of Global Environmental Change and its Impact on the Maritime Continent of Indonesia. Major topics at the Conference included:

  • Seasonal to Inter-annual Climate Variability Research and Prediction
  • Marine and Coastal Zone Biodiversity Research and Management Hazard Mitigation, Monitoring, and Contingency Planning
  • Integrated Spaceborne, Airborne, Seaborne, and Terrestrial Data Acquisition Technologies for Disaster Management

The Conference was opened by the President of the Republic of Indonesia. The Forum Statement was signed, among other, by the Minister of State for Research and Technology, B.I. Habibie, and by Germany, represented by Johann Georg Goldammer, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry (Global Fire Monitoring Center [GFMC], in establishment process).

Germany-Singapore Environmental Technology Agency (GSETA): Asia-Pacific Regional Workshop on Transboundary Atmospheric Pollution (1998)

The Germany-Singapore Environmental Technology Agency (GSETA) organised the Asia-Pacific Regional Workshop on Transboundary Atmospheric Pollution from 27 to 28 May 1998 at the Pan Pacific Hotel, Singapore. About 50 participants from both public and private sector of 11 Asia-Pacific economies, Germany and Singapore participated in the Workshop. Among them were also representatives from international institutions, research institutes and NGOs such as UN-ECE (including the leader of the UN-FAO/ECE/ILO Team of Specialists on Forest Fire), WWF Indonesia, IFFM Indonesia, EEPSEA, APCEL, DNR, the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Fire Ecology Research Group (, and IIASA.

Officials and experts from Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore presented papers and shared their knowledge and experience on the subject of transboundary atmospheric pollution at the workshop. The workshop served as a forum for the participants to share and exchange information and experience on impacts, strategies, regional agreements as well as the mechanisms and programmes to deal with transboundary atmospheric pollution. Feedback from participants showed that they found the workshop beneficial and that the overall contents of the papers presented at the workshop were relevant and informative. The GFMC, which was formally opened three months after the workshop, provided the paper “Land Use, Climate Variability and Fire in Indonesia: Impacts on Ecosystems and Atmosphere” (by Johann G. Goldammer, on behalf of the UNECE/FAO Team of Specialists on Forest Fires and the Fire Ecology and Biomass Burning Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry and Freiburg University, Germany). In essence, the written GFMC contributions to the GSETA Workshop are identical with the contributions to the “International Conference on Science and Technology for the Assessment of Global Environmental Change and its Impact on the Maritime Continent of Indonesia” (1997, see conference above) and the “WMO Workshop on Regional Transboundary Smoke and Haze in Southeast Asia” (1998, see conference below:

Participants of the GSETA Workshop in Singapore (27 May 1998)
Photo: GFMC Archive.

WMO Workshop on Regional Transboundary Smoke and Haze in Southeast Asia (1998)

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) organized a regional workshop on transboundary smoke and haze in Southeast Asia, as part of its continuing response to the 1997 forest fire episode, which caused widespread air pollution and environmental problems throughout the region. The Workshop Regional Transboundary Smoke and Haze in Southeast Asia was held in Singapore from 2 to 5 June 1998, hosted by the Meteorological Service Singapore and co-sponsored by the Asian Development Bank, brought together representatives from the National Meteorological and Hydrometeorological Services (NMHSs), the ASEAN Specialized Meteorological Center (ASMC), Regional Specialized Meteorological Centers (RSMCs), invited experts as well as other agencies that are directly involved with fire-related activities, and other organizations that are helping countries to address the smoke and haze and related transboundary pollution issues.

The results of the WMO workshop are published in Global Atmospheric Watch (GAW) Report 131. The GFMC, which was formally opened three months after the workshop, provided an “Overview of Fire and Smoke Episodes in Southeast Asia” with the presentation “Environmental Problems Arising from Land Use, Climate Variability, Fire and Smog in Indonesia: Development of Policies and Strategies for Land Use and Fire Management” (by Johann G. Goldammer, on behalf of the UNECE/FAO Team of Specialists on Forest Fires and the Fire Ecology and Biomass Burning Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry and Freiburg University, Germany):

Reports by GFMC including publications in UNECE/FAO International Forest Fire News (IFFN) in 1999:

Participants of the WMO Workshop in Singapore (2 June 1998)
Photo: WMO

International Cross Sectoral Forum on Forest Fire Management in South East Asia (1998)

The International Cross Sectoral Forum on Forest Fire Management in South East Asia, was hosted by the Government of Indonesia and jointly co-sponsored by the Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA) and the International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO) met in Jakarta, 7-8 December 1998. Specific goals:

  • Gather information concerning the causes of forest fires and their impacts on humans, bio-diversity, and the environment
  • Review existing land use conditions and to consider further input to land-use management reform
  • Analyze institutional development and the integration of current efforts to overcome the impacts caused by forest fire
  • Develop technology for forest fire prevention and management
  • Develop a policy and mechanism (including institutional development) to improve regional efforts to anticipate the trans-boundary impacts of forest fires
  • Develop guidelines for the drawing up of a National Action Plan for the management of forest fires and their associated impacts, applicable at the local, national and regional levels.

A total of 216 participants from 19 countries and 8 international organisations, representing a wide range of disciplines attended the Forum.

Speakers Certificate – GFMC Contribution

Impacts of Fire and Human Activities on Forest Ecosystems in the Tropics: 3rd International Symposium on Asian Tropical Forest Management (1999)

The 3rd International Symposium on Asian Tropical Forest Management Impacts of Fire and Human Activities on Forest Ecosystems in the Tropics was held by the Tropical Rain Forest Research Center of Mulawarman University (PUSREHUT-UNMUL) in Samarinda, East Kalimantan, Indonesia, 20-23 September 1999. The symposium was supported by the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture and by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The Fire Ecology Research Group / Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC) of the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Freiburg University, and the Rehabilitation Research Group at the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), supported the preparation and organization of the symposium.

International Conference on World Land and Forest Fire Hazards (2002)

The international conference World Land and Forest Fire Hazards: Reviewing Global Perspectives and Seeking Strategies for Future Challenges was convened in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 10-12 June 2002, with the following objectives:

  • To provide a forum for exchange of information and experiences on land and forest fire hazards that have affected various regions around the world
  • To bring international fire experts, senior government officials, researchers, industries, community leaders, international organizations, individuals and practitioners from around the world to deliberate on issues of land and forest fire hazards
  • To develop approaches and strategies to minimize or overcome the hazards associated with land and forest fires including the resulting transboundary air pollution; and
  • To recommend areas of cooperation between countries, international organizations, industries, and communities to meet future challenges of land and forest fire hazards.

The recommendations were presented to the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg, September 2002.

ASEAN Ministers responsible for environment met on 10 June 2002 and signed the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution:

Ceremony of signing the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution.
Source: GFMC.

Follow-up with ASEAN 

In 2001 the report Fire, Smoke, and Haze: The ASEAN Response Strategy (edited by S. Tahir Qadri) was published, a major effort supported by GFMC:

At the Eleventh Joint Meeting of the ASEAN Working Groups on Sub-Regional Fire Fighting Arrangements (SRFAs) for Sumatra and Borneo (Singapore, 12-13 August 2002) it was decided that ASEAN will join the Global Wildland Fire Network. This decision was made following a proposal by the GFMC / ISDR Working Group on Wildland Fire Proposal to the Ministerial Meeting on Haze (11 June 2002). See:

21st Meeting of ASOEN Haze Technical Task Force (2004)

GFMC contributed to the 21st Meeting of the ASEAN Senior Officials on the Environment (ASOEN) Haze Technical Task Force (8-9 November 2004, Hanoi, Viet Nam).

21st Meeting of the ASOEN Haze Technical Task Force: The Task Force Members.
Photo: GFMC.

Conference on Promoting Partnerships for the Implementation of the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution (2006)

The Conference on Promoting Partnerships for the Implementation of the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution was held in Ha Noi, Viet Nam, 11-12 May 2006. The conference aimed at promoting and strengthening partnerships between ASEAN Member Countries and relevant regional and international organizations, donor communities and other partners/ supporters for the implementation of the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution. Particular focus was given on securing partnership and support for sustainable management of peatlands in Southeast Asia, which are the major source of fires and transboundary haze pollution.

National Inter-Agency Round Table on Fire Management, Republic of Indonesia and the opening of the Regional Fire Management Resource Center – Southeast Asia Region (RFMRC-SEA)

Between 9 and 11 July 2017, the National Inter-Agency Round Table on Fire Management, Republic of Indonesia and the opening of the Regional Fire Management Resource Center – Southeast Asia Region (RFMRC-SEA) in the frame of the establishment of the RFMRC-SEA sponsored by the German Federal Ministry for Food and Agriculture based on a decision of the German Bundestag, and supported / facilitated by GFMC (J.G. Goldammer, L. Pronto); Jakarta, Ministry for Environment and Forestry (Manggala Wanabhakti), Indonesia.

Opening and discussions of the National inter-Agency Round Table on Fire Management.

Launch of the Regional Fire Management Resource Center–South East Asia (RFMRC-SEA) by the Ministry for Environment and Forest, the Ambassador of Germany and GFMC.

The RFMRC-SEA Team and its leader, Prof. Dr. Bambang Hero Saharjo (right) and associated partners. ©Photos: RFMRC-SEA

Regional Round Table and Consultation Enhancing Regional Cooperation in Fire Management in South East Asia (2018)

The Regional Round Table and Consultation Enhancing Regional Cooperation in Fire Management in South East Asia, organized by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Republic of Indonesia, the Regional Fire Management Resource Center South East Asia (RFMRC-SEA) and GFMC at Manggala Wanabhakti, Jakarta, and RFMRC-SEA, Bogor Agricultural University, Indonesia, 6-7 June 2018:

Participants of the Regional Round Table and Consultation from Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam as well as from GFMC presented the lessons learned and challenges ahead in fire management in Southeast Asia (middle photo). On the second day the international continued its discussion at the premises of RFMRC-SEA in Bogor. Photos: RFMRC-SEA.

2nd International Conference on Tropical Silviculture (ICTS)

The 2nd International Conference on Tropical Silviculture (ICTS 2019), was held 10-11 September 2019, with GFMC contribution “Revisit of the Freiburg Declaration on Tropical Fires of 1989: The Initiation of an International Agenda in Global Landscape Fire Science and Fire Management”; Bogor Agricultural University (IPB), Bogor, West Java, Indonesia.

Global Landscape Fire Award 2019

In order to create enhanced awareness of policy makers, politicians, administrators and scientists to bring the state of science and knowledge to practical and pragmatic application, the leadership of the Global Wildland Fire Network has decided on 9 May 2019 to launch the Global Landscape Fire Award. This prize is awarded to individuals or institutions for Recognition for the Successful Achievements in Reducing the Adverse Impacts of Landscape Fires on the Environment and Humanity and the Promotion of Sustainable and Safe Application of Fire in Land Use and Ecosystem Management.

The Global Landscape Fire Award is a non-monetary award, which was granted for the first time in 2019. Based on the assessment of her achievements this first Award will be granted to Dr. Ir. Siti Nurbaya, MSc, Minister for Environment and Forestry, Republic of Indonesia.

Ceremony of handing over the Global Landscape Fire Award 2019 on 11 September 2019 in the Ministry for Environment and Forestry, Republic of Indonesia, Jakarta, to the laureate Dr. Ir. Siti Nurbaya, MSc, Minister for Environment and Forestry, Republic of Indonesia, and Certificates of Distinction for Prof. Dr. Ir. Bambang Hero Saharjo, M.Agr., Bogor Agricultural University (IPB) (right) and Dr. Ir. Raffles Brotestes Panjaitan, MSc, Director of Forest and Land Fire Management, Directorate General of Climate Change, Ministry for Environment and Forestry, Republic of Indonesia; Jakarta, Indonesia (left). Photos: Ministry for Environment and Forestry, Republic of Indonesia.

Details:

Additional Resource on the Fire Environment, Management and Policies
GFMC Repository

Regional South East Asia Wildland Fire Network 

Projects and Programmes in South East Asia (GFMC Repository)

International Forest Fire News (IFFN): South East Asia Fire Special I (IFFN No. 18 – January 1998)

International Forest Fire News (IFFN): South East Asia Fire Special II (IFFN No. 20 – March 1999)

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