JAKARTA: Nearly a quarter of forest and peatland areas burned across Indonesia are located inside business concessions with some having been repeatedly engulfed in fire, according to a recent analysis, exposing gaps in forestry law enforcement intended to mitigate wildfires
Months of widespread wildfire in Sumatra, Kalimantan and other forest and peatland regions in the archipelago have created a haze reaching as far as the Philippines, prompting local authorities in the neighbouring country to issue health warnings for their community.
Between January and July, at least 285,914 hectares of land have been burned across the country, according to figures released by independent forest monitoring platform Nusantara Atlas.
Of the total figure, around 68,324 ha is located within industrial concessions, roughly the size of Jakarta.
A majority of the fires came from oil palm concessions, with blazes ravaging at least 15,146 ha of area plotted for oil palm plantation, followed by 12,120 ha of mining concessions and 10,485 ha of pulpwood plantations.
Meanwhile, around 25 per cent of all hot spots found in August were located in peatland ecosystems within business concessions.
This year’s El Niño may have provided extra fuel for the wildfire in Indonesia, but the practice of deliberately burning the land to make way for agriculture and other business practices often causes the blazes to spiral out of control, said David Gaveau, founder of geospatial company TheTreeMap which operates Nusantara Atlas.
“These fires are the legacy of 50 years of forest degradation and deforestation, as well as peatland conversion [into plantations],” Gaveau said on
Various authorities have launched separate efforts to crack down on individuals and companies suspected of arson that caused spreading wildfire mostly in Sumatra and Kalimantan.
The Forestry Ministry announced it had issued administrative penalties against 20 individuals and companies found deliberately burning the land. They are obligated to restore the damaged ecosystem, while the concessions, including ones licensed under the forest utilisation permit (PBPH), were suspended.
“If there are recurring fires inside the same concession area, authorities will apply a multi-instrument approach involving both administrative and criminal charges,” the ministry’s law enforcement deputy Dwi Januanto Nugroho said in a press briefing on Thursday (Sept 3).
He added authorities have also opened criminal investigations against 22 individuals and companies, including two firms in North Sumatra.
Burning land for agriculture purposes is prohibited under the 2009 Environmental Law, and carries a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison and a Rp 10 billion (US$564,472) fine.
Police investigators previously named 89 people suspected of deliberately clearing land using fire after probing 189 reports of such offenses. The Environment Ministry has also suspended the operation of at least 21 companies allegedly responsible for recent forest and land fires.
But the recent crackdown has yet to signal firm or consistent law enforcement as authorities stopped short of revoking permits of violating companies, said forestry campaigner Umi Ma’rufah with the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi).
“We also urge that ecological restoration be carried out immediately across all regions affected by wildfires,” Umi said on Tuesday, urging the government to require violating companies to also finance healthcare costs for those made sick by the haze.
The environmental group previously lambasted the government over its weak law enforcement, deemed to enable recurring fires inside business concessions. Concerns were particularly raised about peatland that is often dried to make way for plantations.
Dried peatland is highly flammable and can be ignited either naturally or by human activity. Around 212,156 hot spots were found located within peatland ecosystems, more than two-thirds of which were detected in August alone, according to a report issued on Tuesday by peatland-focused NGO Pantau Gambut.
“If law enforcement primarily targets individuals on the ground but fails to closely investigate corporate liability and land ownership, the deterrent effect will remain limited,” said Wahyu Perdana of Pantau Gambut.
Business associations have largely defended their activities, while citing compliance to environmental standards.
The Indonesian Palm Oil Producers Association (GAPKI) claimed that as of Tuesday, there had been no reports of fire inside the concessions of 743 oil palm companies under the association.
GAPKI chair Eddy Martono said every member of the association is urged to launch field inspections each time the Forestry Ministry records fire hot spots within their concessions.
“We coordinate every day as a response to the recent development,” Eddy told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.
Indonesia is the world’s largest palm oil producer, with more than 20 million ha of land and forest legally plotted for its plantations.
The Association of Indonesian Forest Concession Holders (APHI) was not immediately available for comment at the time of writing. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
