Today (Tuesday, 9/2/2015), a number of people who are part of the Riau Peatland Community Network (JMGR) gathered at the JMGR secretariat, in the Tangkerang Selatan Village, Pekanbaru. JMGR is an organization that oversees peatland communities in six regencies, including Indragiri Hulu, Indragiri Hilir, Pelelawan, Siak, Kepulauan Meranti, and Rokan Hilir. The working area of JMGR reflects the structure of JMGR, from the province down to the villages. Currently, JMGR has 40 Village Coordinators, tasked with organizing, assisting, and collecting data, including data on conflicts in the villages, identification of human rights violations, and land use data.

“One of the goals of coordinating the Riau Peatland Community is to mobilize the existing strength within the community. This strength will be directed towards protecting the community itself, whether to safeguard rights or to restore the community’s relationship with its environment, which has been severed due to non-participatory policies,” said Isnadi, the Secretary General of JMGR.

“Participation is very much possible. The concept of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) is a concept that should be used in every business activity plan. It is not only the business sector that needs to implement it, but the government also needs to involve the community through FPIC when issuing location permits or concession permits. The 4.4 million hectares of peatland in Riau could worsen if the government and business sectors, especially those based on land – such as pulp and paper and palm oil, do not consider the interests of the community by prioritizing consultation and dialogue long before business activities take place,” Isnadi continued.

According to Nurul Firmansyah, Project Officer of HuMa for the Advancing Sustainable Business and Land Recognition towards Peaceful Recognition in Communal Territory Program supported by ICCO and EU, this coordination is a good initial step to develop new strategies for involving communities in economic-oriented development works initiated by the government or business sectors.

“Communities have long been excluded from policies concerning their living habitat. Policies that ultimately have adverse effects on the environment and community life. This coordination is an initial effort to protect the community itself from large forces operating in peatland areas, including the government and corporations, without directly involving the community,” Nurul stated.

Regarding policies, Nurul gave examples of several policies that ultimately lead to the destruction of peatland ecosystems and community life, “local and indigenous community rights in regulations governing peatland ecosystems are not explicitly mentioned. The regulation of peatland ecosystems only addresses the management of peat by corporations through permits and protection of peatland ecosystems. Indigenous and local communities are still considered as ‘third parties’ that do not play a role in the management and protection of peatland ecosystems, even though in reality, indigenous and local communities are sustainable peat managers based on tradition, as well as the most vulnerable victims of peat ecosystem exploitation. This situation creates a legal gap that generates uncertainty in rights and ongoing peatland ecosystem damage.”

Isnadi emphasized that it is time for the government and business sectors to acknowledge the role of communities in preserving ecosystems. The most evident indicator of this role is the dependence of surrounding communities on the peatland ecosystem; ecosystem degradation means community life degradation. “JMGR is willing to coordinate with all elements, including provincial, regency, national governments, business sectors, and civil society, with the aim of creating environmental justice, protecting community rights, and ecosystem restoration,” Isnadi concluded.

Contact Person:
Isnadi Esman, Secretary General of JMGR: 082220428269
Nurul Firmansyah, Project Officer of HuMa ASLBAR PACT: 081374728856