President Prabowo Subianto’s statement regarding the expansion of palm oil plantations to increase exports of palm oil products has been deemed to trigger the return of deforestation.
Furthermore, the president’s comparison of palm oil plants to natural forest plants was considered misleading.
The Dean of UGM’s Faculty of Biology and Chair of the Indonesian Biology Consortium (KOBI), Professor Budi Setiadi Daryono, strongly rejected the expansion of palm oil plantations, which could threaten the return of forest destruction and biodiversity loss.
“We strongly oppose the president’s plan. Numerous studies have shown that palm oil plantations cannot serve as wildlife habitats, and biodiversity is almost non-existent in these plantations,” said Professor Daryono in a statement sent to journalists on Friday, Jan. 10, 2025.
According to him, extensive palm oil plantations with monoculture models have proven to increase human-wildlife conflicts and reduce the populations of protected species such as orangutans, elephants, rhinos, and Sumatran tigers.
“Flora and fauna, particularly those under protection, are increasingly threatened due to deforestation caused by palm oil plantation expansion,” he explained.
Additionally, President Prabowo should implement Presidential Instruction No. 5 of 2019 on the cessation of new permits and the improvement of the management of primary natural forests and peatlands.
“From this Presidential Instruction, an area of 66.2 million hectares of forest and peatlands, equivalent to the size of France, can be saved from destruction,” he said.
Professor Daryono also emphasized that the government should remain consistent in enforcing regulations, particularly Presidential Instruction No. 1 of 2023 on the integration of biodiversity conservation into sustainable development.
Furthermore, he argued that Prabowo’s statement equating palm oil plants with forest plants was misleading to the public, as the Ministry of Environment and Forestry has already issued regulations clarifying that palm oil is not a forest plant.
“Ministerial Regulation No. P.23/2021 clearly states that palm oil is not considered a plant for forest and land rehabilitation,” he noted.
Finally, he urged the president to be more cautious when expressing his opinions to avoid causing public controversy or misleading statements.
He suggested that the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) should formulate policies, especially those with significant impacts on society, the environment, and global implications, with the involvement of relevant ministries, experts, practitioners, and civil society.
“This way, the impacts of new policies on society, the environment, and the national economy can be predicted,” he explained.
Similarly, Professor Hadi Ali Kodra and Dr. Wiratno, advisory board members of the Indonesian Biodiversity Index Committee (IBI)-KOBI, reminded the government to remain committed to global interests through the ratification of various international conventions, including the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD), Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES), and the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, among others.
According to them, Indonesia is one of the world’s megadiverse countries, alongside Brazil and Congo.
Combined with its marine waters, Indonesia is home to the Coral Triangle, placing the country at the forefront globally.
The vast biodiversity in Indonesia should be protected, not destroyed through deforestation.
Indonesia is home to 125 million hectares of state-owned forest areas surrounded by 27,000 villages.
In conservation areas covering 26.9 million hectares, more than 16 million farming families reside in over 6,700 villages.
“Thus, the conservation of forests directly impacts the safety and well-being of millions of farming families,” they concluded.
Author: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Lintang Andwyna Nurseisa Azrien
Photo: Freepik and Econusa