Assessing Collaborative Management Practices for Sustainable Forest Fire Governance in Indonesia

Our research examines the dynamics of policy implementation in forest fire management and how local governments in Indonesia can successfully implement these policies. There are two main issues: first, the extent to which forest fire management practices are collaborative, which we assess by examining whether government implementation has focused on developing integrated forest fire management policies represented through collaborative networks. Second, we consider whether and how governments and other competing stakeholders move from conflict to collaboration to enable policy implementation. This research explores whether and how collaborative management can provide a foundation for successful forest fire management, particularly in Riau Province, Sumatra, Indonesia, an area that has experienced significant forest fires and expansion of plantations and oil palm industries. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and observations. We revealed a lack of coordination among local, central, and other stakeholders, which might result in policy “tyranny”. In order to effectively reduce the number of fires, the government needs to empower those responsible for fire prevention through law and policy. However, because forest fire management is inherently top-down and often excludes lower levels of bureaucracy, collaborative management remains challenging.