Speaking at the Peat Ecosystem Restoration Collaboration Forum in Jakarta on Thursday, Hanif Faisol Nurofiq said the government is targeting the management of 2,354 Peat-Caring Independent Villages (DMPG), with 1,450 villages needing direct backing from businesses because of their location in concession buffer zones.
Nurofiq said regulations already cover concession areas spanning 500,000 to nearly one million hectares.
“Perhaps they don’t know exactly how to restore peatland, so I asked that we provide training for their workforce to give them the skills and competencies required,” he told participants.
Government Regulation No. 71 of 2014 obliges companies to support peat restoration within a five-kilometre buffer zone of their concessions.
The Environment Ministry has identified more than 3.3 million hectares of peatland requiring rehabilitation. This includes 298,276 hectares in “Area for Other Uses” (APL) under the ministry’s authority, 897,036 hectares within state forest zones overseen by the Forestry Ministry, and 528,683 hectares in concession buffer zones.
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A further 1.59 million hectares across forest and APL areas fall under the direct responsibility of concession holders.
Within the DMPG target, 904 villages fall under the ministry’s direct intervention, while 1,450 are located in buffer zones, making a combined total of 2,354 villages.
Nurofiq reminded business representatives that restoration within concession areas is already mandated by law. But he also urged them to contribute to rehabilitation in APL zones, which are often overlooked despite being degraded.
“We are mandated to carry out our responsibilities both within forest areas and in concession lands beyond them,” he said.
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Translator: Prisca Triferna Violleta, Cindy Frishanti Octavia
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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