Experts Urge Permanent Authority For Indonesia’s New Restoration Agency
- Indonesia's new peatland and mangrove agency should be designed as a permanent institution with strong authority to monitor compliance and evaluate restoration efforts, according to an environmental science...
- Indonesian regulations mandate that groundwater levels in managed peatlands remain no more than 40 centimeters below the surface to keep soil moist and prevent fires.
- No single agency can monitor all 20 million hectares of peatlands across Indonesia independently.
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Indonesia’s new peatland and mangrove agency should be designed as a permanent institution with strong authority to monitor compliance and evaluate restoration efforts, according to an environmental science expert from University of Indonesia cited by channelnewsasia.com. The upcoming institution, known as BPGMN, is designed to succeed the temporary Peatland and Restoration Agency, or BRGM, amid persistent enforcement gaps in national conservation law.
Enforcement Gaps And Water Table Depletion Across Managed Areas
Indonesian regulations mandate that groundwater levels in managed peatlands remain no more than 40 centimeters below the surface to keep soil moist and prevent fires. channelnewsasia.com reported that independent experts encountered peatlands where water tables had fallen as far as 1.5 meters below that threshold during former operations at the BRGM.
No single agency can monitor all 20 million hectares of peatlands across Indonesia independently. An independent expert noted that instead of absorbing every function directly, the new agency should act as a mediator to align ministries, local governments, researchers, businesses, and communities toward identical conservation objectives.
Sanctions Issued Against Companies After Forest Fires
Current law subjects companies failing to protect groundwater levels to administrative penalties, including restoration orders, permit suspensions, or permit revocations. Officials face up to 15 years in prison and fines reaching 10 billion rupiah, or about US$558,784, if infractions trigger land fires.
The Indonesian environment ministry reported that it suspended 57 companies following inspections that uncovered approximately 34,636 hectares of burned land within their operating areas as of September 29. The forestry ministry separately imposed administrative sanctions on 26 entities linked to fires covering nearly 11,000 hectares, resulting in 13 permit suspensions, 5 permit revocations, and 8 formal warnings.
Demands For Permanent Authority And Long-Term Institutional Continuity
Experts point out that regulatory enforcement currently materializes primarily after fires break out. Mahawan Karuniasa, an environmental science expert from the University of Indonesia, told channelnewsasia.com that the new agency requires strong authority to monitor compliance, evaluate restoration work, and pressure regulators to step up enforcement.
The government should not repeat a short-term, ad hoc approach to long-term ecological problems.Mahawan Karuniasa
Mahawan emphasized that restoring peatlands and mangroves spans decades, requiring BPGMN to feature permanent institutional continuity, dedicated funding, and continuous monitoring rather than functioning as another temporary, ad hoc body.
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