Ironically, the majority of hotspots nationwide are concentrated within Peatland Ecosystem Protection Function Areas (FLEG). Pantau Gambut recorded 17,299 hotspots in protected areas, out of a total of 26,484 hotspots detected within Peat Hydrological Units (KHG) between January and April 2026. The remainder were located in cultivation zones. This condition indicates that peatland protection remains far from effective.
This national-scale failure is also clearly reflected at the regional level, such as in the Food Estate project in Central Kalimantan. The Director of WALHI Central Kalimantan, Janang Palanungkai, stated: “Around 31,000 hectares of peatland have been converted for the National Strategic Project (NSP) Food Estate development, which has now proven to have failed. This condition has further worsened peatland degradation in Central Kalimantan, which had previously been opened for the Mega Rice Project (MRP) during the era of President Soeharto.”
The impacts of ongoing degradation are reflected in Pantau Gambut data, which show 9,853 hotspots surrounding Kalimantan between January and April 2026. West Kalimantan was the most severely affected region with 9,270 hotspots, followed by Central Kalimantan with 438 hotspots, and South Kalimantan with 25 hotspots.
Concession areas constitute the epicenter of hotspots in Kalimantan, accounting for 91 percent or 8,983 hotspots. These are distributed across areas under Oil Palm Plantation Business Rights (HGU) with 6,571 hotspots and Forest Utilization Business Permits (PBPH or IUPHHK) with 2,412 hotspots. These figures indicate that canal construction practices for the expansion of monoculture plantations and the development of NSP are key drivers exacerbating peatland degradation in the region.
These concession-based activities also threaten peatland ecosystems across various parts of Kalimantan. The Head of the Advocacy and Campaign Division of WALHI West Kalimantan, Indra Syahnanda, explained: “The activities of PT Mayawana Persada and PT Equator Sumber Rezeki, which have cleared a total of 6,758.3 hectares of land, have destroyed orangutan habitat and threaten peatland ecosystems.”
Meanwhile, the Director of WALHI South Kalimantan, Raden Rafiq, emphasized: “Concessions in peatland areas are often a source of conflict, land grabbing, and recurring fires due to peat drainage practices for large-scale business interests. Local communities who sustainably manage peatlands are instead marginalized and criminalized. Meanwhile, companies responsible for burning are frequently not subject to law enforcement.”
This situation shows that peatland issues are not merely environmental concerns. Weak protection of peatland ecosystems is also closely linked to increasing social conflicts, unequal land tenure, and insufficient protection for communities whose livelihoods depend on peatland areas.
Various findings in Kalimantan demonstrate that forest and land fire management remains focused on ad hoc, reactive measures once fires have already occurred. Restructuring ministerial institutions will have little impact if policies remain fragmented. The Campaign Manager of Pantau Gambut, Putra Saptian, emphasized: “The government must stop performing annual rituals in handling forest and land fires. As long as peatland ecosystem protection is not strengthened through a Peatland Ecosystem Protection Bill based on PHU, overlapping policies will continue to cause recurring fires in the same areas.”
As long as peatland protection policies remain fragmented, fire mitigation efforts will continue to work at cross-purposes. On the one hand, fire suppression continues to be carried out; on the other, peat drainage practices remain legally permitted.
