Indonesia tightens forest land management (Photo: wibqam.com)Jakarta (VNA) – IndonesianForestry Ministry Secretary General Bambang Hendroyono on October 31 said thatsome 200,000 ha of oil palm plantations found in areas designated as forests inthe country are expected to be returned to the state to be converted back into forests.
Indonesia,the world’s biggest palm oil producer and exporter, issued rules in 2020 tosort out the legality of plantations operating in areas that are supposed to beforests, aimed at fixing governance in the sector. The measures arenecessary as some companies have already been tending the land for years,although green groups have attacked the government for forgiving past forestencroachment.
Companieshave to submit paperwork and pay fines to obtain cultivating rights on theirplantation by Nov. 2, 2023, according to the rules.
While 3.3million ha of the country’s nearly 17 millionha of palm plantation have been found in forests, only owners ofplantations with a combined size of 1.67 million ha have been identified, Bambang Hendroyono told reporters.
Thegovernment is still cataloguing which of those are found in designatedproduction forests, meaning owners will have to pay fines but they can continueto grow palm trees, and which are in protected areas and must be returned tothe state, he said.
Bambang gave an estimate that about 200,000 hectares will bereturned, adding the figure may increase. He also revealed that the movewill be part of the government’s efforts to mitigate climate change./.
