Jakarta, Sept. 1 -- Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Community Empowerment Abdul Muhaimin Iskandar stressed the importance of incorporating Indigenous and local knowledge into strategies to combat recurring forest and land fires.

Despite annual mitigation efforts, policymakers have failed to fully use the experience of communities living closest to vulnerable forest areas, Iskandar said in a statement on Tuesday.

"We continue struggling with recurring disasters from widespread forest fires. Yet we fail to recognize that knowledge, including scientific knowledge, exists within Indigenous groups and local custodians," he said.

"Their experience and wisdom should serve as the foundation of our policies," he added.

Conservation polic...