BANDA ACEH: Authorities in Aceh have removed 18.5 hectares of illegal oil palm planted inside a protected forest in Babahrot Subdistrict, Southwest Aceh District, officials said on Saturday (Nov 15), calling the move necessary to enforce land-use rules and support community forestry programmes, reported Antara news agency.
Syukramizar, acting head of technical guidance and forest protection at the Region IX Forest Management Unit (KPH), said the oil palm cultivation violated a 2021 environment ministry regulation that prohibits planting palm oil within social forestry areas.
The clearance followed reports from community forest groups applying for social forestry permits who found the illegal crops inside their proposed sites.
A 20-member joint team, including forest rangers, civil investigators, KPHL (Protected Forest Management Unit) XII officers, the military and police, was deployed to identify and dislodge the trees.
The illegal plots stretched from Kilometre 18 to Kilometre 25 along the road linking Southwest Aceh and Gayo Lues.
Syukramizar said the operation proceeded smoothly and covered land claimed under applications from three community forest groups: Sejahtera Bersama, Tuah Nanggroe and Tuah Seudong Rimba.
The groups underwent technical verification in August 2025 by the Social Forestry Agency, the Forest Area Consolidation Agency and the Aceh Environment and Forestry Office.
He said authorities had conducted outreach initaitives and warned residents before the operation, urging those responsible for the plantings to remove them voluntarily. The illegal expansion continued, prompting the joint enforcement action.
Syukramizar called on residents to protect the forest and avoid illegal activities such as encroachment, logging and the cultivation of non-forest commodities.
He said those wishing to grow oil palm should do so outside forest areas, which should instead be used for multi-purpose tree species such as durian, avocado, stink beans (petai) and jengkol beans.
The Indonesian government is taking a firm stance against illegal oil palm plantations.
During a dialogue with Steve Forbes at the Forbes Global CEO Conference 2025 in Jakarta on Oct 15, President Prabowo Subianto said he had ordered the military to assist prosecutors in seizing two illegal plantations totaling 100,000 hectares, as mandated by a Supreme Court ruling issued 18 years ago.
He added that the state has now taken control of an estimated 3.7 million hectares of illegal oil palm plantations nationwide. - Bernama-Antara
