About the author: Yohanes Akwan is the Coordinator of Pantau Gambut’s Local Networks in Papua.
Papua is a land rich in natural resources for forestry, plantations, mining, and energy. A steady stream of investments could make these natural resources more beneficial to society. However, the government must be assertive to ensure this utilization does not negatively impact the environment. Peatland protection and restoration present an opportunity for such assertiveness.
Papua is one of the eight provinces designated as a priority in the government peatland restoration policy created following the 2015 fires. According to 2011 data from the Indonesian Center for Agricultural Land Resource Research and Development, Indonesian Agency for Agricultural Research and Development, and Ministry of Agriculture, peatlands cover 2,644,438 hectares of Papua and 1,046,483 hectares of West Papua. This area is in danger of encroachment by human activities. To date, 80,000 hectares of peatlands in Papua have been degraded by permitted plantation and mining activities.
To protect peatlands, the government established the Peat Restoration Agency (BRG) to coordinate restoration activities. BRG has taken three primary approaches to this task: rewetting, revegetation, and peatland community revitalization. According to the BRG publication shared at the National Peatland Jamboree in April 2017, the 2018 plan for peat restoration in Papua will be executed in 11 Peat Hydrological Areas (KHG) with a total area of 38,753 hectares. Simultaneously, the 2018 Peat Care Village program in Papua will be conducted in five villages located in the Mappi regency.
BRG’s Peat Care Village program is widespread in Papua. Based on BRG’s report, peatland restoration activities in Papua have focused on Peat Care Village programs. In 2017, Peat Care Village activities were conducted in Kaliki, Sumber Mulya, and Sumber Rezeki.
Papuan communities support the national restoration program, because the peat ecosystem is vital to them. It is the primary source of staple foods such as sago, and the habitat of Papua's indigenous flora and fauna. In addition to conducting the Peat Care Village program and targeting restoration activities in KHGs in Papua, it is also time for the government to follow up on the restoration obligations of Timber Concession Permit (IUPHHK) holders in peat ecosystem areas.
The government, through the Ministry of the Environment and Forestry, has committed to establishing a moratorium on concession permits in peatlands. The Ministry of the Environment and Forestry issued a circular directed to plantation business owners and holders of the following concession permits: Timber Forest Product Utilization License in Industrial Plantation Forest (IUPHHK-HTI), Timber Forest Product Utilization Permit in Natural Forest (IUPHHK-HA), and Timber Forest Product Utilization Permit in Ecosystem Restoration (IUPHHK- RE). The circular explains that business permit holders must revise their Business Work Plans (RKUs) and Annual Work Plans (RKTs) to include peatland restoration within their concession areas. Mandating this revision is part of the government's pledge to stop further destruction of peatlands due to industrial expansion. According to the Ministry of the Environment and Forestry, 68 companies have submitted revised RKUs and received approval. However, it is not clear whether these companies operate in Papua.
We hope that in the remaining two years of his term, President Joko Widodo can realize his pledge to restore peatlands. As his people, we still believe that this regime can keep the promises they have made.
