[Jakarta, 10 September 2019] Over the past year, the Indonesian government has demonstrated positive steps in improving forest and land governance. This progress is reflected in the issuance of two key policies: the oil palm moratorium and the policy to halt the granting of new permits in primary forests and peatlands.
“President Joko Widodo issued Presidential Instruction No. 8/2018 on the Suspension and Evaluation of Oil Palm Plantation Licensing as well as the Improvement of Oil Palm Productivity, which will reach its first anniversary on 19 September 2019. On 5 August 2019, the President also issued a Presidential Instruction on the Suspension of New Permits and the Improvement of Governance in Primary Natural Forests and Peatlands. These two policies represent positive steps and are closely linked to Presidential Regulation No. 1/2016 on the Peatland Restoration Agency in efforts to strengthen forest and peatland governance. Therefore, their implementation must be integrated and reinforced with a stronger legal foundation,”
said Muhammad Teguh Surya, Executive Director of Yayasan Madani Berkelanjutan, during the Media Discussion titled “Examining One Million Hectares of Oil Palm Plantations in Primary Forests and Peatlands” held by Madani on 10 September 2019.
Previously, the Corruption Eradication Commission’s National Movement for Natural Resource Governance Reform (GNPSDA) reported findings that 3.47 million hectares of oil palm plantations are located within forest areas. To support the effectiveness of the oil palm moratorium instruction and strengthen GNPSDA’s findings, Madani conducted a spatial overlap analysis of plantation permits within the Indicative Map for the Suspension of New Permits (PIPPIB) Revision XV.
The analysis identified 1,001,474.07 hectares of oil palm plantations owned by 724 companies located in primary forests and peatlands across 24 provinces. Of these:
384 companies covering 540,822 hectares are located on peatlands;
102 companies covering 237,928 hectares are located in primary forests;
238 companies covering 222,723 hectares are located within forest areas.
Nearly half of these plantations—333 companies covering 506,333 hectares—are located in the seven priority provinces for peatland restoration.
“A serious review of permits for these one million hectares of oil palm plantations in primary forests and peatlands is urgently needed, as it is key to achieving Indonesia’s climate commitments and demonstrates the government’s consistency in improving forest and land governance,” Teguh added.
“The existence of one million hectares of oil palm plantations in primary forest and peatland areas poses a major challenge for the oil palm moratorium task force in finding the best solutions,” said Achmad Surambo, Deputy Executive Director of Sawit Watch.
“Over the past year, the moratorium task force has still been preparing baseline data, despite the fact that relevant ministries and agencies already possess extensive data. The lengthy data consolidation process indicates weak coordination among government institutions. It is unfortunate that one year has been spent merely on data preparation, considering the oil palm moratorium instruction is only valid for three years,” Surambo added.
“Madani’s finding that one million hectares of oil palm plantations are located within PIPPIB Revision XV also suggests the likelihood of tenure conflicts. Sawit Watch records that, as of 2019, there are 822 communities in conflict with oil palm plantations,” Surambo continued.
Greenpeace’s analysis shows that 33.3 million hectares of primary forest cover and 6.5 million hectares of peatlands remain unprotected outside the moratorium map and outside protected and conservation forest areas, while moratorium areas themselves remain threatened by corporate concessions, including oil palm permits.
“One million hectares of oil palm concessions in primary forests and peatlands is a real test of how the permanent moratorium is implemented. By revoking these permits, the government would demonstrate genuine commitment to protecting Indonesia’s remaining forests and peatlands, rather than treating the moratorium as mere propaganda,” said Arie Rompas, Forest Campaigner Team Leader at Greenpeace Indonesia.
Previously, the government also released 4.5 million hectares of primary forests and peatlands from the moratorium map, of which 1.6 million hectares were allocated for oil palm plantations, pulpwood concessions, logging, and mining. Without evaluating and revoking these permits, the same could happen again to the one million hectares of oil palm plantations currently located within primary forests and peatlands. [ ]
Contacts:
M. Teguh Surya, Executive Director, Yayasan Madani Berkelanjutan
Phone: +62 819-1519-1979 | Email: teguh@madaniberkelanjutan.idAchmad Surambo, Deputy Executive Director, Sawit Watch
Phone: +62 812-8748-726 | Email: rambo@sawitwatch.or.idArie Rompas, Forest Campaigner, Greenpeace Indonesia
Phone: +62 811-5200-822 | Email: arie.rompas@greenpeace.orgLuluk Uliyah, Senior Communication Officer, Yayasan Madani Berkelanjutan
Phone: +62 815-1986-8887 | Email: luluk@madaniberkelanjutan.id
