Indonesia’s Minister of Forestry, Raja Juli Antoni, has officially revoked the Business Permit for Forest Utilization (PBPH) of 18 forest management companies. The total area of revoked concessions, spanning from Aceh to Papua, is 526,144 hectares.
This revocation was carried out because the companies were found to have failed in sustainably managing the forests.
Professor of forestry policy at the Faculty of Forestry of Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) Ahmad Maryudi expressed that he is not overly enthusiastic nor has high hopes regarding this decision, as the revocation of PBPH permits is not new.
He explained that this phenomenon has occurred since the 1990s, during the peak of Forest Concession Rights (HPH) and Forest Product Utilization Permits (IUPHH).
During that time, companies were proven to be irresponsible in managing forests, resulting in significant environmental damage, deforestation, and forest degradation.
Professor Maryudi acknowledged that many companies remain committed to managing forests responsibly.
However, he pointed out that the companies whose permits have been revoked are typically exploitative and prioritize short-term profits.
Nevertheless, he questioned why such incidents continue to occur without imposing penalties or deterrent effects on companies that fail to manage the forests properly. In fact, Professor Maryudi believes many of these companies were likely hoping for their permits to be revoked.
“This is because the forest’s potential has significantly diminished, and they want to avoid greater responsibilities,” said Professor Maryudi on Tuesday (Feb. 11) at the UGM campus.
Although laws and regulations are in place, the deterrent effect of permit revocations or other sanctions remains limited.
He suggested that the permit issuance mechanism also needs to be scrutinized, as it often lacks adequate environmental evaluation, such as Environmental Impact Analysis (AMDAL).
“The issue isn’t whether the permits are revoked or not, but how these permits are granted. Many companies that haven’t met the requirements still receive permits. In the era of decentralization, there were even cases where permits were bought,” he explained.
Given the frequent recurrence of such incidents, Professor Maryudi believes that projects like the one-million-hectare peatland initiative and food estate programs designed for food security will face similar issues.
The end goal of these projects seems to be to deplete forest resources entirely.
“If there are now permit revocations in Papua, it’s worth investigating whether these areas were intended for conversion or other purposes,” concluded Professor Maryudi.
He emphasized that the government must implement a clear and more selective policy when granting permits to forest management companies.
Additionally, he stressed that companies receiving permits should be fully committed to forest sustainability and conservation rather than exploiting resources for short-term gains.
Author: Lintang
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Afifudin Baliya
Photo: Geotimes