[Jakarta, 2 July 2019] The second Jokowi administration must take a more serious and decisive approach in demonstrating political leadership to ensure Indonesia meets its climate commitments. One key step is to strengthen the implementation of peatland restoration efforts both now and beyond 2020, by ensuring corporate compliance, improving monitoring systems, and enforcing the law firmly.

Indonesia is central to the success of global climate action.

In addition to strengthening peat restoration, the implementation of the forest moratorium (which the government plans to make permanent), the evaluation of palm oil licensing through the palm oil moratorium, and the expansion of social forestry are all essential pillars for achieving Indonesia’s 2030 climate commitments and restoring Indonesia’s leadership at the international negotiating table.

This was stated by M. Teguh Surya, Executive Director of Yayasan Madani Berkelanjutan, during the media discussion “Forest and Land Fires in a Political Moment: Now and Beyond 2020,” held at Madani’s Creative Hub #TemenanLagi.

“Indonesia needs to strengthen a number of major policies if it truly wants to achieve its emission reduction targets—especially the forest moratorium and peatland restoration, which have the greatest potential impact,” Teguh emphasized.

Forest and Peatland Fires Remain a Serious Threat

Ongoing forest and land fires continue to pose a major threat to Indonesia’s climate commitments and also serve as a key indicator of whether peatland restoration is being implemented properly and at scale, as mandated under Presidential Regulation No. 1/2016.

A study conducted by Madani together with the Riau Advocacy Group (KAR) from January to March 2019 found 737 hotspots in Riau Province, with 96% located within peat restoration priority areas. The study also estimated that approximately 5,400 hectares burned within concession zones.

This is deeply alarming, given that according to the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK), peat and forest fires contributed 34 to 80 percent of Indonesia’s total emissions in 2015.

“Historically, there are concessions that burn year after year, at least since 2015. In these locations, we found no restoration efforts as required under Presidential Regulation No. 1/2016,” explained Rahmaidi Azani, GIS Specialist at KAR.

The study combined high-confidence hotspot analysis (≥80%) with field investigations into fire events during the January–March 2019 period.

Corporate Compliance Must Be Ensured

Prof. Bambang Hero Saharjo, Professor at the Faculty of Forestry, IPB University, stressed that the most critical priority is ensuring companies carry out peat restoration in accordance with established standards.

“If a concession has been declared part of a restoration priority area, by the fourth year it should already have undergone restoration. Yet concessions remain one of the main drivers. This must be urgently resolved,” he asserted.

He also highlighted the need for stronger synergy between BRG and KLHK:

“BRG and KLHK should work together like puzzle pieces that complement one another.”

Fires Are Closely Linked to Land Conflict

Meanwhile, Inda Fatinaware, Executive Director of Sawit Watch, pointed to recurring fires in areas where communities live and work within oil palm and industrial timber concessions.

“Hotspots and fires do not occur in isolation. There is always a trigger—one of them is conflict. If we want to resolve forest fires, we must also resolve the conflicts behind them,” Inda stated.

She emphasized that fire management is not only about canals and wells, but also about addressing structural land disputes.

“The Governor of Riau has declared a vision for a ‘Green Riau.’ Conflict resolution must therefore become a priority.”

Inda also urged stronger coordination between BRG, local governments, companies, and civil society networks:

“The collaboration between BRG and grassroots networks must be accelerated. Moreover, the MoU with RSPO must be followed up, as many concession holders in restoration priority zones are RSPO members.”

A Narrow Window Beyond 2020

The second Jokowi administration has only about one year to develop a stronger strategy for peat restoration beyond the end of BRG’s mandate in 2020.

Strong political leadership from the President, adequate authority, and solid institutional arrangements are absolute requirements to break the cycle of recurring fires that has persisted for decades.

“Within the first 100 days of Jokowi’s second term, three critical actions must be taken to achieve Indonesia’s climate commitments,” Teguh concluded:

1. Strengthen peatland restoration now and beyond 2020 through stronger oversight and law enforcement;

2. Implement firm palm oil licensing evaluation through the palm oil moratorium to prevent state revenue loss;

3. Permanently institutionalize and strengthen the forest moratorium.

Contacts

• M. Teguh Surya
  Executive Director, Yayasan Madani Berkelanjutan
  +62 819-1519-1979 | teguh@madaniberkelanjutan.id

• Rahmaidi Azani
  GIS Specialist, Riau Advocacy Group (KAR)
  +62 813-7182-2940 | comet.azani@gmail.com

• Inda Fatinaware
  Executive Director, Sawit Watch
  +62 811-448-677 | inda@sawitwatch.or.id

• Prof. Bambang Hero Saharjo
  Professor of Forest Protection, IPB University
  +62 816-1948-064 | bhherosaharjo@gmail.com