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View all search resultsBattalion expansion raises deforestation fears
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This photo taken on Feb. 11 shows native forest trees (left) and land cleared and prepared for industrial planting (right) in Lahei Mangkutup, Kapuas Regency in Central Kalimantan Province. Vast tracts of Indonesian rainforest home to endangered orangutans have been cleared for plantations supplying a maker of “carbon-neutral“ packaging, an investigation by AFP and The Gecko Project has found. (AFP/Satya Adhi)
T
he government’s plan to clear over 900 hectares of forest land for military territorial development battalions has drawn criticism from environmentalists, who warn the move could accelerate deforestation and undermine the ecological functions of Indonesia’s forests.
Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin received 17 Forest Area Use Approvals (PPKH) from Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni this week, allowing the Indonesian Army (TNI AD) to use 961 hectares of forest land to build territorial development battalion bases across the country.
The program initiated by President Prabowo Subianto, a former Army general, was launched in November last year and aims to establish 750 bases across all 514 regencies and municipalities. As of April, 155 bases had been built.
The battalions are tasked with noncombat missions, including supporting food security, infrastructure projects and crime prevention. But the initiative has sparked concerns among civil society groups, who argue it further expands the military’s roles in civilian affairs.
Sjafrie said the forest conversion would be carried out “in an orderly and measured manner according to existing laws, while maintaining environmental sustainability.”
Read also: Creeping militarization looms as battalions expand nationwide: CSIS
Environmentalists, however, questioned both the ecological impact and the rationale behind the project.
