"It is about how communities can maximize the use of peatlands without damaging the peat ecosystem itself," Antoni said after a workshop on establishing the National Peat and Mangrove Management Agency (BPGMN) in Jakarta on Thursday.
Peatland management is expected to go beyond simply restoring damaged areas to encompass protection, rehabilitation, restoration, and sustainable economic use.
"It involves not just restoration, but the entire spectrum from protection, rehabilitation, and restoration to economic benefits," he said.
Antoni emphasized that BPGMN's mandate includes an economic component aimed at ensuring communities can earn livelihoods from peatlands without compromising the ecosystem.
"There is a mandate to safeguard and protect. Then there is the mandate for recovery and restoration—addressing areas that have burned or degraded—and finally, the economic mandate," he said.
Discussions on the economic use of peatlands also took place during a meeting between President Prabowo Subianto and scientists on September 24, 2026.
During the meeting, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) Head Arif Satria noted that approximately 41 million people live near peat hydrological areas, requiring sustainable livelihood strategies over the short, medium, and long term. Sago, coffee, and horticultural crops were highlighted as viable alternative economic activities.
The Forestry Ministry reported that, as of August 2026, the Social Forestry program covered 8.45 million hectares through 11,335 official decrees, granting management access to 1.43 million households.
As of July 2026, the ministry had recorded 16,729 Social Forestry Business Groups (KUPS), with cumulative economic transactions reaching Rp5.81 trillion (US$323.5 million).
Business development encompasses institutional strengthening, access to financing, product downstreaming, commercial partnerships, and market expansion.
Antoni emphasized that ecological protection and economic benefits must be integrated into a unified management framework to ensure sustainable use of peatlands by local communities.
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Translator: Arie Novarina
Editor: M Razi Rahman
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