InfoSAWIT, JAKARTA – The law practitioners and academy questioned the statement of Ministry of Environment and Forestry saying that 85% of the fire (in the forests and areas) took place in the concession areas to plantation business. Based on Global Forest Watch (GFW), the fire in the palm oil concession areas reached 11%, while out of the concession areas reached 68%. The data was from 1 January 2019 to 16 September 2019.

Environment and forestry law observer, DR. Sadino said that in this year, the fire mostly took place in the government’s areas where the Ministry of Environment and Forestry should be responsible on, and the peat that Wetland Restoration Board should manage.

“The government’s forests and peat where the fire took place were much wider than the areas having license. The government should be brave to show its responsibility to its cultivation concession. In addition, it is funded by the Expenditure,” Sadino said in Jakarta, Friday (11/10/2019) in the official statement to InfoSAWIT recently.

He thought, the Wetland Restoration Board should be responsible too on the fire in the peat where the board is in charge. In the context of government having the good environment monitoring system, every responsibility about the fire is in the government.

Meanwhile Director of Fire Control in the Forest and Areas, Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Raffles B. Panjaitan said that some corporates have reported their obedience to the Regulation of Minister of Environment and Forestry No. 32/2016 about the Control of the Fire in the Forest and Areas.

“We would evaluate it in November to December. It would be too for the regional governments. Based on the regulation of the minister, the regional levels (province, district, and city) should make unit to monitor the forests, and the infrastructures, including the taskforce to control the fire (in the forests and areas).”

Out of the forest regions, he continued, the regional government has its authority to monitor the cultivation done by the people. (T2)