Overlapping Oil Palm Plantations on Forest Areas Totaling 3.4 Million Hectares

Following the enactment of Presidential Instruction No. 8 of 2018, 3.4 million hectares of palm oil plantations were recorded as being located in forest areas. This amounts to 20.2% of the total area of palm oil plantations in Indonesia, which is 16.8 million hectares. Riau and Kalimantan are recorded as the provinces with the largest areas of palm oil plantations in forest areas. This problem arises due to unclear data and information regarding forest area boundaries and regional spatial planning.

Using satellite imagery, researchers from the Kehati Foundation collected data showing palm oil plantations located in protected areas totaling 115,000 ha, protected forests 174,000 ha, limited production forests 454,000 ha, production forests 1.4 million ha, and converted production forests 1.2 million ha. Considering the distribution, palm oil plantations within forest areas are found in almost all Indonesian provinces.

The implementation of various government policies is still considered far from achieving the desired improvement in palm oil plantation management. The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) states that there is no spatial planning-based licensing planning mechanism to control the palm oil plantation business.