Forestry Minister Assures 989ha Bromo Rehabilitation After Fire

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya said the ministry would rehabilitate the ecosystem of Mount Bromo after 989 hectares of land was burned by visitors using flares for their pre-wedding photo shoots.

Siti made the statement when visiting the popular tourist destination on Saturday, September 23. She stressed that rehabilitation is a crucial step to be taken after a fire.

“I think what is important now is rehabilitation or recovery of all aspects, including physical, economic, social and management, and then public education,” she said in her official statement, quoted on Sunday, September 24, 2023.

Bromo was set ablaze after visitors lit flares during their pre-wedding photo session, scorching 989 hectares of land. The week-long fire from September 6 to 14 was first sparked in the Watangan Valley Savana Block (Pusung Tumpeng), popularly known as the Teletubbies Hill, on Wednesday evening, September 6, 2023.  

Siti said that the fire had affected various fields in Bromo, so the ministry was studying practical measures to restore the ecosystem in the affected area. “In addition, savannahs of about 6,000 hectares out of 50,000 hectares [were burned],” she added.

The rehabilitation effort involves a team of experts from the Bogor Agricultural Institute or IPB, Gajah Mada University (UGM), and Brawijaya University (UB). “There are many aspects of the area we need to rebuild, that are managed by the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park Center,” she said.

Siti Nurbaya also invited other parties to work together to rehabilitate the Bromo ecosystem, such as the United States Institute for International Development (USAID). “Because the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park is a strategic area and is well known nationally and internationally.”

AMELIA RAHIMA SARI

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