The meeting was held a year after the establishment of BRG. President Joko Widodo conveyed an important point that BRG cannot coordinate peatland restoration activities alone. Achieving national peatland restoration targets will require support from all parties. The president also noted that peatland restoration activities must be continuously evaluated with an eye toward the 2020 restoration target in seven priority provinces (Jambi, South Sumatra, Riau, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, and Papua). In 2017, BRG aims to restore 400,000 hectares of peatlands, 20% of the total restoration target.
The president stated that communities and other stakeholders must work with the government to ensure sustainable peatland management. He emphasized that,
“They must participate in peatland ecosystem restoration under the principle of sustainable peatland management. In this way, peatlands can be used for social and economic purposes without neglecting environmental conservation priorities, especially maintaining the hydrological and ecological integrity of peat domes.”
President Joko Widodo also reminded attendees that ecological protection and recovering the ecological function of peat domes must be prioritized to prevent future peatland fires.