Indonesian delegation sets course on fire management

A group of fire and disaster managers from Indonesia have spent a week at Charles Darwin University as part of an Australia Awards course on integrated fire management.

The course, based at Casuarina campus, was co-hosted by the Darwin Centre for Bushfire Research and Bushfires NT and included visits to CSIRO experimental plots at the Territory Wildlife Park and Livingstone Volunteer Fire Brigade. 

The group included middle managers and technical staff from Indonesian Government ministries and planning bodies, and members of the Peatland Restoration Agency, which is responsible for managing fire and disasters.

Integrated fire management course designer and coordinator Sarah Hobgen said the visit showed the strength of ties being developed in the region.

“The course was a fantastic opportunity for us to share knowledge between Northern Australia and Indonesia,” she said.

“There are many similarities between the NT and Indonesian environments and it was a great opportunity for those involved to learn about the different approaches to maintaining the delicate balance required for our environments to thrive.”

Delegation member and meteorological station head in Thaha, Jambi, Sumatra, Ms Nurangesti Yulianingsih said it was interesting to know that people in the Northern Territory combined Western science and Indigenous knowledge in fire management. 

“Moreover, what has been done by the local Indigenous community in managing fire from the past is valued and considered as an equivalent knowledge,” she said.

The group will now travel to Adelaide for the reminder of the two-week course.

The Australia Awards is an initiative bringing together scholarships and fellowships administered by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.