The Minister of the Environment and Forestry Issues a Regulation on Technical Guidelines

This regulation was issued to provide technical guidelines on how to restore peatland ecosystems’ natural functions. It is directed to the central, regional, and provincial governments, communities (including customary law communities), and private sector concession holders. Recovering the natural functions of peatland ecosystems is necessary in peatland ecosystems where the land’s protection and cultivation functions are damaged.

Criteria for peatland ecosystems in which the protection function requires recovery:

• There is artificial drainage;
• Sediment containing pyrite and/or quartz is exposed beneath the peat layer; and/or,
• The width or volume of land cover has decreased.

Criteria for peatland ecosystems in which the cultivation function requires recovery:

• The groundwater level is more than 40 cm under the peat surface, and/or
• Sediment containing pyrite and/or quartz is exposed beneath the peat layer.

This means that a water level of 40 cm must be maintained in peatlands to prevent the peat from drying out and burning. This regulation emphasizes that at least 15% of production forests and plantations should serve as checkpoints, where water levels are measured. Water levels will only be measured at designated points. Other criteria for the assessment of peatland ecosystem can be identified from the results of spatial analysis, which were confirmed through field surveys.

This ministerial regulation also emphasizes that peat domes within concession areas must be maintained as protection zones. If these areas have already been cultivated, replanting after the next harvest is prohibited. Recovery of peat dome areas is compulsory.

Peatland restoration within 30 days of damage or fire in Cultivation Right permit areas is the responsibility of the permit holder. The peatland’s functions are recovered in stages, from planning to implementation and assessment. Business permit holders initiate restoration by revising their Business Work Plan (RKU), then developing their work plan and management plan documents. If recovery efforts are not undertaken within 30 days, government bodies may assign a third party to restore the devastated land.

Business owners with permits in peatlands must submit a report on their restoration plan every six months to the director general of the Ministry of the Environment and Forestry. If the report is deemed unsuccessful following assessment, the director general may issue a warning, deliver sanctions according to the law, or assign a third party to restore the area. The costs will be borne by the business owner.