TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

Fires still threaten peatlands, even in restoration areas

The Peatland Restoration Agency (BRG) has been tasked with carrying out restoration projects since 2015. 

Kharishar Kahfi (The Jakarta Post)
Premium
Jakarta
Fri, July 5, 2019 Published on Jul. 5, 2019 Published on 2019-07-05T18:34:12+07:00

Change text size

Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone

Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Peatland Restoration Agency head Nazir Foead (center) makes an impromptu visit to check alleged peatland conversion in Meranti Islands, Riau, on Sept. 5, 2018. Peatland Restoration Agency head Nazir Foead (center) makes an impromptu visit to check alleged peatland conversion in Meranti Islands, Riau, on Sept. 5, 2018. (JP/Rizal Harahap)

T

he threat of fire continues to hang over peatlands, even in areas dedicated for restoration purposes. A warning about the imminent danger in fire-prone peatland areas was recently raised by Jakarta-based Madani Berkelanjutan, an environmental nongovernmental organization focusing on forest and land management.

A study by Madani Berkelanjutan of peatland areas in Riau province between January and March found 737 hot spots in the province, some 96 percent of which were located within prioritized areas for peatland restoration. Results of the study were obtained through spatial data analysis, which was combined with field investigation into hot spots in the province.

The Peatland Restoration Agency (BRG), which has been tasked with carrying out restoration projects in peatland areas across the country since 2015, has identified 814,000 hectares (over 80 percent of which is in plantation concessions) of burned peatland in Riau that need to be restored.

A forestry professor at the Bogor Agricultural University (IPB), Bambang Hero Saharjo, said the most important thing to do in preventing fires and restoring the peatland areas was to ensure plantation companies complied with the government-sanctioned peatland restoration projects and followed the available standardized procedures.

“If those concession areas have been included in prioritized areas for restoration, they [the companies] should have restored them by the fourth year [since the restoration project began],” Bambang said at the publication of the study on Tuesday.

“In fact, these concession areas have remained a problem in the peatland restoration projects,” he added, while citing plots that are effectively unproductive and abandoned but still with operational permits.

He lamented the government’s failure to take serious action against such irregularities and its tendency to ignore them when the problems arose.

to Read Full Story

  • Unlimited access to our web and app content
  • e-Post daily digital newspaper
  • No advertisements, no interruptions
  • Privileged access to our events and programs
  • Subscription to our newsletters
or

Purchase access to this article for

We accept

TJP - Visa
TJP - Mastercard
TJP - GoPay

Redirecting you to payment page

Pay per article

Fires still threaten peatlands, even in restoration areas

Rp 35,000 / article

1
Create your free account
By proceeding, you consent to the revised Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.
Already have an account?

2
  • Palmerat Barat No. 142-143
  • Central Jakarta
  • DKI Jakarta
  • Indonesia
  • 10270
  • +6283816779933
2
Total Rp 35,000

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.

Share options

Quickly share this news with your network—keep everyone informed with just a single click!

Change text size options

Customize your reading experience by adjusting the text size to small, medium, or large—find what’s most comfortable for you.

Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone

Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!

Continue in the app

Get the best experience—faster access, exclusive features, and a seamless way to stay updated.