Jakarta, May 21, 2014. The new leader of Indonesia must have a stronger commitment to save forests and peatlands and ensure the rights and management space of indigenous and local communities. This was conveyed by the Civil Society Coalition for the Rescue of Indonesian Forests and the Global Climate in their Press Conference at Hotel Puri Denpasar, Jakarta on May 21, 2014, as part of the evaluation of the 3-year forest moratorium policy.

To optimize improvements in forest and peatland governance, the Coalition urges the upcoming government to close various legal loopholes that legalize the conversion of natural forests and peatlands, tighten supervision and law enforcement, and review various development policies that threaten the environment and the rights of communities.

The policy of delaying new permits and improving the governance of primary natural forests and peatlands, commonly known as the moratorium, has not been able to solve various forestry problems in Indonesia, even though its validity period is only one year left. The government is still half-hearted in saving the remaining natural forests and peatlands by exploiting various loopholes in this non-sanctioned policy.

“In 2014, we witnessed severe fires that could have been minimized with the moratorium policy,” said Teguh Surya, Greenpeace Forest Political Campaigner. “As of February 2014, there have been severe peatland fires in Riau Province, where 38.02% of them are in the revision 5 PIPIB area.” This situation proves the government’s lack of seriousness and attention to protecting the remaining forests and peatlands, even though the legislation clearly states that the government and concession holders must protect forests and prevent forest and peatland fires in their concession areas.

Apart from fires, Indonesian forests are also threatened by massive land use changes and the allocation of forest areas in various regions to facilitate mega projects that threaten the rights of indigenous and local communities. “The exemptions in the moratorium are exploited for the interests of large-scale plantation projects,” said Franky Samperante from Yayasan Pusaka. “In the case of MIFEE in Merauke Regency, natural forests, swamp forests, and savannas where the Marind people live are confiscated, seized, and converted for the development of large-scale agricultural and plantation industries covering an area of 1,553,492 hectares in the name of food and energy security.”

In 2013, the West Papua provincial government proposed revisions to the RTRWP with changes in allocation (release of forest areas) covering 952,683 hectares and changes in function covering 874,914 hectares, a staggering number that will worsen the rate of deforestation in Indonesia.

Abu Meridian from Forest Watch Indonesia added, “Not only West Papua, the Aru Islands, classified as small islands, are also threatened by the conversion of forest areas into non-forest areas for sugarcane plantation development, exempted in the Presidential Instruction Moratorium. Although the plan was declared canceled by the Minister of Forestry, the threat remains as there is currently a plan to open oil palm plantations by PT. Nusa Ina.”

Meanwhile, in Central Sulawesi, a province selected for the UN-REDD program, the moratorium is not being implemented. According to Azmi Sirajuddin from Yayasan Merah Putih Palu, plantation and mining permits are continuously issued by the regent without adhering to the moratorium. “Since the moratorium policy was issued, mining permits in forest areas have increased from 279 in 2011, covering approximately 900 thousand hectares, to 443 permits in 2014, covering 1.3 million hectares.”

The moratorium seems to bow down to the interests of large-scale businesses. “The government compromises the PIPIB by granting large-scale permits in Central Kalimantan, even though the PIPIB should be the reference for permit rejection and spatial planning adjustments,” explained Ode Rahman from WALHI.

“During the implementation of the moratorium in Central Kalimantan, a pioneering province for REDD+, 12 new permits were found to have been issued by the government in the moratorium area, with indications of even more due to the weak control and transparency in issuing permits,” said Arie Rompas, Director of WALHI Central Kalimantan. “Real violations were committed by the West Kotawaringin Regent who granted a permit to PT. ASMR on peatland and in the Tanjung Puting National Park area included in the PIPIB after the Presidential Instruction was issued. If law enforcement is not carried out and the moratorium ends next year, one can imagine the destruction of forests waiting in Central Kalimantan,” he added.

The Coalition believes that the central and regional governments are still trying