2026: The Fire We Cannot Afford to Forget
From drought and forest fires to wildlife rescue, community resilience, and the long road to recovery in Indonesia’s Kalimantan.
10/10/20266 min read
Firefighting in East Kalimantan by CAN Team
They worked under difficult conditions to contain and extinguish fires, protect surrounding areas, and prevent the flames from spreading further.
For those on the ground, fighting a forest fire means more than responding to visible flames. It means navigating difficult terrain, dealing with heat and smoke, finding water sources, monitoring burned areas, and returning to locations where fire can reappear. It is physically demanding work. And it is work that depends heavily on cooperation. Local communities are often among the first to respond when fire threatens their surroundings. Their knowledge of the landscape, combined with the support of organizations and relevant institutions, becomes essential during an emergency.
The Wildlife We Could Not Save
Behind every burned landscape is a quieter tragedy. Wildlife affected by fire may lose food, shelter, nesting sites, and access to safe habitat. Some animals are able to escape. Others become injured, displaced, or trapped.
And not every animal survives. There have been wildlife casualties as a result of the fires, a reminder that the impact of a forest fire cannot always be seen from the smoke or the burned trees alone.
Before there is fire, there is drought.
When rain becomes scarce, water sources recede, vegetation dries, and landscapes become increasingly vulnerable to fire.
Across Indonesia, forest and land fires remain a recurring threat during prolonged dry periods. In Kalimantan, the consequences can be especially devastating. Its forests are home to some of the world's most extraordinary wildlife and support communities whose lives are deeply connected to the land.
In 2026, prolonged dry conditions once again placed these landscapes under pressure.
When a Restored Forest Burns
For CAN Borneo, the fires of 2026 were especially painful because some of the areas affected were landscapes that had been under restoration for years
In West Kalimantan, a restoration area of more than 2000 hectares that had been developed since 2023, with thousands of trees planted and nurtured as part of a long-term effort to restore the landscape, was severely affected by fire.
CAN's Restoration Area in Sambas, West Kalimantan
Firefighting Effort in Sambas, West Kalimantan
Trees that had been planted, cared for, and given time to grow were burned. Years of restoration were suddenly confronted with the destructive force of fire. Restoration takes years. Fire can undo it in days.But the loss is not simply measured by the number of trees that burned. Every tree is part of a larger ecosystem, providing food, shelter, shade, and eventually helping rebuild the conditions needed for wildlife and communities to thrive.
The fire therefore represents more than the loss of vegetation. It represents a setback to the recovery of an entire landscape.
Fighting the Fire Together
When fire reaches a landscape, there is no single person or organization that can face it alone. In the affected areas, firefighting efforts involved multiple groups working together, including Masyarakat Peduli Api (MPA), local residents, and CAN Borneo teams.
Wildlife affected by Wildfire
For the animals that survive, however, the story does not end when the flames are extinguished. They may require rescue, veterinary assessment, rehabilitation, and continued care before they can return to a safe environment.
During the 2026 fires, CAN Borneo together with multiple stakeholders including East Kalimantan BKSDA successfully rescued more than five wildlife individuals affected by the fires, giving them a chance to receive the care and protection they needed.
Rescued Orangutan in East Kalimantan
Each rescue represents one life that did not have to become another casualty of the fire. But every rescue also reminds us of the larger problem: Wildlife should not have to be rescued from a forest that was supposed to be their home.
When the Fire Reaches the People
The impact of forest and land fires also extends beyond wildlife.
For communities living around affected landscapes, fire can threaten agricultural activities, water availability, and livelihoods. Among those affected are cocoa farmers whose livelihoods depend on the land. For farmers, a changing landscape can mean more than damaged crops. It can affect income, food security, and their ability to continue farming in the months that follow. That is why recovery cannot focus only on the forest. It must also include the people who depend on it.
In response to the impacts experienced by cocoa farmers, CAN Borneo and its partners came together to provide support for affected communities. Assistance was directed toward helping farmers address immediate needs while supporting the recovery of their livelihoods.
Cocoa Farmers of Kampung Merasa, East Kalimantan
This included support for basic necessities and agricultural needs, helping communities begin the process of rebuilding after the difficult conditions brought by the fires.
In West Kalimantan, the prolonged dry conditions and fires also affected access to clean water for local communities. In response, CAN Borneo and its partners distributed clean water to affected residents, helping meet an immediate and essential need during a difficult period.
Distributing clean water to communities
Water may seem simple.
But during a prolonged dry season, access to clean water can become one of the most urgent challenges faced by communities living near affected landscapes. The distribution was therefore not only an emergency response to the fire itself, but also a response to one of its most immediate consequences for people.
For CAN, supporting communities is an essential part of conservation. Because forests and people are deeply connected. A landscape cannot truly be resilient if the communities living around it are not resilient too. Restoring ecosystems means restoring the ability of people and nature to recover together.
Beyond Emergency Response
The immediate response to a forest fire is urgent: stop the fire, protect people, and save wildlife. But once the flames are gone, another challenge begins. Recovery.
The burned restoration area in West Kalimantan will need time and continued attention. Wildlife affected by the fires may need long-term rehabilitation. Communities need access to clean water and support to rebuild their livelihoods. Farmers need assistance to recover. And the landscape itself needs to be given another chance.
This is why conservation cannot end with firefighting. It must continue through restoration, habitat protection, community empowerment, wildlife rehabilitation, and efforts to strengthen landscapes against future fires. The goal is not simply to respond better when the next fire comes. It is to build a landscape that is more prepared, more resilient, and less vulnerable when the next dry season arrives.
The Work After the Fire
When the flames disappear, the smoke eventually clears. The headlines move on. But the forest remains. A burned landscape still carries the scars of what happened. A tree that took years to grow may be gone in hours. An animal may have lost the habitat it depended on. A farmer may need months or even years to recover. A community may still be waiting for its water sources to return. And a restoration program that began with hope may have to begin again. Yet recovery is possible. A forest can grow again. Wildlife can be given another chance. Communities can rebuild. And damaged landscapes can begin another journey toward restoration.
But none of this happens overnight. It requires people who are willing to stay after the emergency has passed. People willing to plant again. Protect again. Restore again. And believe that a burned landscape can still have a future. Because fighting the fire is only the beginning.
The real work is making sure the forest has a future.
“We can only be truly prosperous when we live in harmony with nature.”
— Jane Goodall
