Govt to Resolve Forest Settlement Issues
Minister of the Environment and Forestry Siti Nurbaya answers questions from the journalists after a limited cabinet meeting at the Presidential Office in Jakarta, Tuesday (26/2) Photo by: Jay/PR.
President Joko Jokowi Widodo has instructed the concerned parties to resolve dispute related to settlement in forest area, including Cultivation Rights Title (HGU), within two months.
Minister of the Environment and Forestry Siti Nurbaya told the journalists after a limited cabinet meeting at the Presidential Office in Jakarta, Tuesday (26/2) that there are still many problems related to the forest area and the main concern of the Government is to resolve the dispute on forest settlement.
Siti Nurbaya explained that 26 provinces in Indonesia have finished inventory of Settlement of Land Tenure in Forest Areas (PPTKH) in accordance with Presidential Regulation (Perpres) Number 83 of 2017 while 20 provinces have issued Decrees (SK) on Land Reserve.
The Minister went on to say that the inventory includes 264,000 hectares of transmigration settlement area, 307,000 hectares of forest settlement with public facilities, 64,000 hectares of rice fields and cultivated land in the forest, as well as approximately 183,000 hectares of dry land.
She further said that the President has also instructed Coordinating Minister for the Economy to invite the governors to resolve issues facing the people in the forest as well as the settlement issues.
Siti Nurbaya also said that generally land disputes involving the forest concession area have been resolved, including the dispute on port development in Bengkulu.
“The President said that public interest is a priority, but we should also pay attention to environment issues and business interests. There should be a balance,” the Minister said, adding that the policy on issuing status of Industrial Plantation Forests (HTI) or planning within HTI, depends on several things, including new policies and balance between the public, the environment and the business interests. (DNS/JAY/ES)
Translated by: Ridwan Ibadurrohman
Edited by: Mia Medyana
