APRIL REWARDS FIRE PREVENTION EFFORTS IN RIAU

Mulia Nauli (third from right) Director of APRIL unit PT. RAPP, presided the Village Incentive Program award event.

RAPP launched its Village Incentive Program in July in an effort to mitigate the recurring fire and haze problem in Riau province. The program is a collaboration between the company and local communities, where the company pledges to award grants from its village development fund to those successful in implementing zero burning policy in their areas.

“We will use the fund to build infrastructure at our village” said Teluk Meranti village chief, H. Hasan at the award ceremony which was attended by the Pelalawan Regent, Police Chief and head of the local Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD). “Support from companies in developing villages is what we need.”

The Village Incentive Program is a pilot project that includes fire prone areas such as Teluk Meranti, Sering, Teluk Binjai and Pulau Muda villages. After the program, the number of total hectares burned in the four villages is significantly reduced from 97 hectares to 15.8 hectares

“This program is an innovation in preventing land and forest fire” said Pelalawan regent, H. M. Harris. “Protecting the environment must be a collective effort that includes local communities,” he added.

An assessment process was conducted from the program launch in July through to the end of September by units of the Pelalawan police, local Disaster Mitigation office (BPBD), Pelalawan Environmental Department as well as Pelalawan Forestry Department. Representatives from RAPP’s Community Development unit participated as observers.

“The objective of such program is to foster collaboration as we work toward a fire and haze free area” said Mulia Nauli, Director of PT. RAPP. “From the company’s perspective, we have learned many lessons during this pilot project that we will use to further improve the success rate of the Village Incentive Program,” he added.

Over the years, PT. RAPP trained and equipped at least 400 people in villages near its concession areas through its Fire Alert Communities (Masyarakat Peduli Api) program. Members of the Fire Alert Communities are mostly farmers and provided seedlings as well as fertilizers for their agriculture activities.

APRIL, through its Pangkalan Kerinci, Indonesia-based RAPP unit, manages plantations in Riau Province that provides wood for its pulp and paper mill. To prevent the loss of mill wood, the company aggressively combats fires and prohibits burning on its land.

Fires poses threat in large unmanaged forest in Sumatra during the dry months between June and October each year. Most are deliberately started to clear land for agricultural purposes.