The Roundtable on Sustainable Oil (RSPO) is currently investigating the cause of 74 hotspots found within the concession of one of its members, PT Jatim Jaya Perkasa, whose area was impacted by recent high-profile fires engulfing forests in Riau.

RSPO secretary-general Darrel Webber said that the non-profit certification organization was working to determine whether the origin of the fires within the hot spots '€œwas a result of systemic failure in managing environmental related risks or otherwise'€.

'€œIn the meantime, RSPO urges PT Jatim Jaya Perkasa to act with urgency in addressing the fires that may still be active within their concession,'€ he said in the statement made.

On June 24, the RSPO requested five of its member companies, which the media reported to be implicated in the forest fires in Sumatra, to submit digital maps of their concession areas in Indonesia. The companies include Sime Darby, Kuala Lumpur Kepong (KLK), Golden Agri Resources (GAR) and Tabung Haji Plantations and PT Jatim Jaya Perkasa.

The companies had submitted the requested digital maps and all but PT Jatim Jaya were declared to be clear from allegation.

Separate analysis results provided by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and Malaysian scientist and Geographic Information System (GIS) expert Dr. Khali Aziz Hamzah from the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM), however, show that there are 74 hotspots detected in PT Jatim Jaya Perkasa'€™s concession in between June 1 and 26.

The hotspots, according to the finding, either lasted consistently for several days or appeared on a recurring basis.

RSPO Indonesia director Desi Kusumadewi said during her visit to The Jakarta Post'€™s office on Tuesday that a firm action '€” from warning to compulsion '€” would be taken upon any of its members that was proven to be implicated by the fires as members of the organization had to comply with its no slash-and-burn policy.

She, however, applauded the members for being transparent and cooperative in providing necessary information.

RSPO'€™s investigation has been accused by Greenpeace for being selective, as analysis of NASA hotspot data from the environmental organization shows that hotspots had also occurred in concessions owned by other RSPO members, including Asian Agri and Wilmar Inernational.

Bustar Maitar, head of the Indonesian Forest Campaign at Greenpeace International said that RSPO was likely seeking to clear its members out of allegation.

Regarding the accusation, Desi said that RSPO disapproved Greenpeace'€™s claim, saying that the 5 member companies were selected based on what appeared on the media radar at that point in time. TheRSPO responded immediately as soon as the matter came to its attention by directing these member companies to provide digital maps of their concessions to us.

Desi said that rather than blaming other organization that was working to find perpetrators behind the fires and publishing the unconfirmed allegation to the media, Greenpeace should cooperate by submitting its finding to the RSPO.

'€œWe will investigate any of our members that are allegedly involved in the fires. We are waiting for Greenpeace to submit its formal request along with sufficient proof for us to kick off investigation,'€ Desi said.

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