InfoSAWIT, JAKARTA – A result and advocacy report published by Pantau Gambut revealed the plan of the Government of Indonesia to bleach 3,3 million hectares illegal palm oil plantations in many provinces. This would be the response to deforestation issues which haunt this country namely in the regions where peat ecosystem develops.

Data revealed by Pantau Gambut revealed that Central Kalimantan would be the largest illegal palm oil plantations that lay on about 213,97 thousand hectares; the second is Riau Province with about 100,26 thousand hectares; North Sumatera about 30,39 thousand hectares; West Kalimantan and Jambi Province about 24.357 hectares and 12.300 hectares for each.

As InfoSAWIT quoted from IMCNews.id, one interesting finding from the reports was that of 32 palm oil plantation companies that illegally operate in the kawasan hutan gambut (KHG), only 5 companies are in peat ecosystem with cultivation goal. 27 others or about 84% operate in peat ecosystem that should have the protection function.

The government planned to bleach the illegal plantations within the goals – to solve deforestation issues that become a concern, and to protect peat ecosystem that is vulnerable to the damage because of man’s activity. Peat ecosystem itself has significant roles to maintain natural conservation, keep the carbon, and maintain the ecosystem balance in a whole.

Though it is important to protect environment, it is significant also to make sure that the implementation should be fair and careful. Close control and monitoring are the must to make sure that legal plantations would not get the negative impacts while everything done to solve illegal ones effectively runs. (T2)