Indonesia is currently facing threats from the COVID-19 pandemic and forest and land fires (karhutla). While COVID-19 affects human health, particularly the respiratory tract, so do forest and land fires. Besides damaging the environment, the smoke from forest and land fires also poses a significant threat to human health. Symptoms include shortness of breath, sore throat, and lung damage. The smoke can even weaken the immune system. This lowered immune function ultimately makes a person more susceptible to COVID-19. These two threats clearly cannot be ignored.
This concern became a topic in the Indonesian Forest Forum initiated by Tempo Media Group in collaboration with the Madani Berkelanjutan Foundation and the Alam Sehat Lestari Foundation, which held a virtual discussion entitled " Preventing Deforestation for a Healthier Indonesia ."
The event featured Nila Moeloek (Minister of Health of the Republic of Indonesia 2014-2019) as the keynote speaker. Also present were Doni Monardo, Head of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), who is also the Head of the COVID-19 Task Force, and Andi Akmal Pasluddin, Member of Commission IV of the Indonesian House of Representatives. Also in attendance were Muhammad Teguh Surya, Executive Director of the Madani Berkelanjutan Foundation, and Monica Nirmala, Representative of the Alam Sehat Lestari Foundation.
On the same occasion, Dr. Arif Wicaksono, M.Biomed (Lecturer at the Faculty of Medicine, Tanjungpura University) representing more than 500 Indonesian health professionals read an open letter to the President of the Republic of Indonesia Joko Widodo to prevent forest and land fires.
Get the discussion materials for " Preventing Deforestation for a Healthier Indonesia " by downloading the attachment below. We hope you find them helpful.
Open Letter PREVENT DEFORESTATION FOR A HEALTHIER INDONESIA Respond to COVID-19 by Protecting Forests
Press Release Webinar 24 Sept 2020
PPT_Webinar ME_24 _Sep_20 MADANI
