If we look back and think about why fires are such a regular occurrence in Indonesia, we should know that the problem lies in how we manage our forests and lands. Weak forest and land governance is often influenced by inaccurate, incomplete and outdated reference maps, causing issues such as slow spatial planning process, the overlapping of concessions and licenses, as well as growing conflicts involving local communities.

In response to this persisting issue, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, through Presidential Regulation No. 9/2016, issued a breakthrough initiative called the One Map policy to systematically and fundamentally reorganize Indonesia’s forest and land in an accountable manner.

The One Map policy calls for a synchronization of thematic maps from various sectors, including land-based concession maps such as mining, plantation and forestry.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.