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| Figure. Executive Director Regional Fire Management Resource Center-Southeast Asia and Dr Hwan-Ok Ma, Officer in Charge ITTO |
Bogor, 30 June 2022
On June 30, 2022, Dr. Hwan-Ok Ma, Officer in Charge ITTO came to visit the Regional Fire Management Resource Center-Southeast Asia in the Faculty of Forestry and Environment, IPB University, Kampus IPB Darmaga Bogor, West Java, Indonesia.
His arrival besides wanting to see what activities the fire center was doing, he also discussed opportunities for cooperation in the future. So far, the ITTO has done a lot for forest and land fire control activities since more than 25 years ago, including the guidelines for forest fire control for the tropics. These guidelines are still being used and are still relevant, as well as being a reference for other countries to develop similar guidelines.
Last year ITTO also held a seminar on forest fires at Cop 26 in Glassgow, England, at the Indonesian stage by presenting various experts including the Executive Director of RFMRC-SEA. ITTO also collaborated with the Faculty of Forestry and Environment, IPB University, to conduct a monthly webinar on forest and land fire control in various aspects for 7 meetings involving forest and land fire experts from Indonesia, ASEAN and foreign countries. The paper presented and discussed during the webinar has been published in the April 2022 edition of the Journal of Tropical Silviculture, under Department of Silviculture, Faculty of Forestry and Environment, IPB University. On that occasion Dr. Ma invited the Executive Director of RFMRC-SEA as one of the speakers in a seminar on the forest fire to be held at Cop-27 in Egypt which will be held in the second week of November 2022. Also conveyed by Dr. Ma about the existence of the The 8th International Wildfire Conference (IWFC) meeting which will be held in Portugal in May 2023. It should also be noted that ITTO often helps experts, especially those from developing countries to be able to attend in international meetings.
Hopefully Dr. Ma’s arrival can make the Fire Center even more active in its efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other negative impacts as a result of forest and land fires.