T

he government, through the newly established Peatland Restoration Agency (BRG), is working on the restoration of over 2 million hectares of damaged peatland, aiming to reduce the risks of forest fires.

Despite the majority of big companies showing support for the program, one big company allegedly refuses to cooperate.

BRG head Nazir Foead said that APP, part of local conglomerate Sinar Mas Group, had repeatedly rejected the agency’s request for the company to submit its concession map.

“Many companies submitted their data, but one company has been uncooperative and appears to not be serious. I’ll just disclose the name so it is aware of its faults. It’s APP,” he said.

BRG, established earlier this year by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to lead a national effort to restore fire-prone peatland and curb the recurring risk of fires, is preparing a map to identify priority restoration areas and set zonation of peat conservation and cultivation areas.

The map will enable all stakeholders to start working together in restoring land under their control, including concession holders as they are required to restore damaged peatland within their concession areas.

Forest fires shortchanged Indonesia’s economy of US$16 billion last year and catapulted the country past Japan as the world’s fifth-biggest polluter.

A detailed map, including a concession map from companies, will avoid problems in the future as concession maps often overlap with other types of land, such as community land and conservation zones.

“That’s why we are asking big companies to share their data. If there is a gap, we could just check on the field,” Nazir said.

Nazir said he had approached the Environment and Forestry Ministry on the matter and that the ministry said that it had told APP to submit its data directly to the BRG instead.

“I am not representing an NGO. This is a government institution with clear authority from the President. I am surprised that is has yet to cooperate,” he said.

APP sustainability and stakeholder management senior manager Trisia Megawati said the company had mapped its concession using light detection and ranging (LiDAR) technology and had submitted the map to the ministry on May 11.

After that, the company had presented the map in front of the ministry’s environmental pollution and damage control directorate general, the Geospatial Information Agency (BIG) and the BRG.

“APP is supporting the government’s program in protecting peatland in Indonesia by implementing the principle of coordination, integrity and synchronization with relevant parties, including with the Environment and Forestry Ministry in utilizing existing data,” Trisia said.

However, she refused to comment on why the company refused to submit its map to the BRG and instead submitted it to the ministry.

The ministry’s environmental pollution and damage control director general, Karliansyah, confirmed that he had received the concession map from APP.

However, the ministry had not submitted the map to the BRG because it had just received the map last month.

But if the BRG requested the map again at the ministry, Karliansyah said that he would give the map to the agency.

“Of course we will give it. We have to support the BRG. The government is one,” he said.