The publication of the 2018 State of Indonesia’s Forests (SoIFO) report as a new foundation for achieving sustainable forest governance in Indonesia deserves appreciation. The report candidly presents the current condition of how Indonesia’s forests are managed, highlighting longstanding inequalities that have persisted over time. The corrective actions initiated by the Minister of Environment and Forestry represent a positive starting point, but they remain insufficient if they merely focus on redistributing forest land management.
The contradiction between forestry development as an economic driver and commitments to environmental protection must be addressed by reinforcing corrective measures in Indonesia’s forest governance. This includes improving transparency of forest management data and information, formulating inclusive and accountable policies, strengthening monitoring and proportional law enforcement, and resolving conflicts. These points were conveyed by Yayasan Madani Berkelanjutan (Madani) during a media briefing this morning at Tjikinii Lima, Central Jakarta.
Anggalia Putri Permatasari, Director of Madani’s Forest and Climate Change Program, stated that the SoIFO report reveals significant gaps that still allow deforestation to occur and therefore require further corrective actions from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (MoEF). According to the report, deforestation risks are enabled by at least five factors:
the allocation of 5 million hectares of new forest utilization permits,
the designation of 2.5 million hectares of primary forests and 3.8 million hectares of secondary forests as Convertible Production Forests, which may be released for non-forestry development,
the moratorium policy, which does not protect unlicensed secondary natural forests,
the existence of 6.9 million hectares of natural forests located in Other Land Use Areas (APL), and
the land-swap policy covering 362,390 hectares of natural forests, as cited from a study by the Anti-Forest Mafia Coalition.
“Conservation and protected areas are also not fully secure, considering that 10.8 million hectares of conservation forests have already been converted into non-forest areas. In fact, during 2016–2017, 20 percent of deforestation occurred within conservation and protected areas,” Anggalia added.
Madani also explained that the government, in the SoIFO report, outlined several measures to address deforestation and forest degradation. One of these is the moratorium policy protecting 66.2 million hectares of primary forests and peatlands that have not yet been licensed. However, this policy still represents temporary protection under a Presidential Instruction that has been extended three times without significant strengthening of its substance, contains numerous exemptions, and is scheduled to expire in July 2019. If the next elected President fails to prioritize this policy, the future of millions of hectares of primary forests and peatlands will be increasingly uncertain.
To reinforce the corrective measures currently undertaken by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Madani calls on the government to:
(i) protect natural forests (both primary and secondary) from the issuance of new permits that may lead to deforestation and forest degradation;
(ii) upgrade the temporary moratorium policy into permanent protection, ensuring that it remains effective across changes in government; and
(iii) develop an integrated roadmap toward a deforestation-free Indonesia, which can align and strengthen existing initiatives to reduce deforestation and forest degradation, said Muhammad Teguh Surya, Executive Director of Madani.
At the same time, the Indonesian government is expected to establish an effective monitoring system and actively enforce the law, given that many concessions are still violating regulations while continuing to operate in the field.
A strong political commitment from the government is urgently needed to improve Indonesia’s forest governance, considering the complex and overlapping management problems that persist today. It is hoped that both pairs of presidential and vice-presidential candidates will present clear visions and missions regarding forest and peatland management and protection, given that 63 percent of Indonesia’s land area is classified as forest.
Media Contacts
Muhammad Teguh Surya
Executive Director, Yayasan Madani Berkelanjutan
✉ teguh.surya@madaniberkelanjutan.id
📞 +62 819-1519-1979
Anggalia Putri Permatasari
Director, Forest and Climate Change Program
✉ anggalia.putri@madaniberkelanjutan.id
📞 +62 856-2118-997
Melodya Apriliana
Digital Communication Campaigner
✉ melodya.a@madaniberkelanjutan.id
📞 +62 838-4227-2452
About Yayasan Madani Berkelanjutan
Yayasan Madani Berkelanjutan is a non-profit organization that aims to strengthen national and local initiatives to protect Indonesia’s forests. The organization works by bridging stakeholders—including government, the private sector, and civil society—to achieve innovative solutions for forest and land governance.
Website: www.madaniberkelanjutan.id
Facebook: Madani Berkelanjutan
Twitter: @yayasanmadani
Instagram: @madaniberkelanjutan.id
