Di tengah perjuangan menghadapi pandemic virus corona, Indonesia khususnya Sumatera dan Kalimantan juga dihadapkan dengan ancaman kebakaran hutan dan lahan (karhutla). 29 Juni 2020, titik api muncul di Riau. Kekuatiran akan bergabungnya bencana karhutla bersama dengan pandemi penyakit virus corona-19 (covid-19) semakin membuncah.

Some stakeholders quit Jambi Regional Social Working Group (KKSR), multi-stakeholders forum initiated by Asia Pulp & Paper (APP), to resolve social conflict involving the corporate against communities in Jambi. They leave the working group due to disappointment on lack of progress and performance of APP-funded forum which consist of civil society organizations and government agencies, Gatra.com website reported in October.

Jakarta, 9 October 2019—

Asap kebakaran hutan dan lahan kembali mengepung kota Pekanbaru. Kondisi ini telah berlangsung sejak dua bulan yang lalu dan terhenti sekitar sepekan akhir Agustus. Selasa pagi (10/9), jarak pandang bahkan berkisar antara 800 meter hingga 1 kilometer.

Severe fires 2015 does not change anybody’s behaviour. Eyes on the Forest (EoF) coalition’s investigation found three of seven industrial timber plantation companies – that has been named in previous cases as suspects to forest and land fires case in 2013-2014— are once again apparently breaching protection and restoration regulations. Is this caused by poor supervision and coordination by the Government?

JAKARTA, 15 MEI 2019—Masih hangat di ingatan publik kasus kebakaran hutan dan gambut yang melibatkan raksasa penghasil kertas Sinar Mas (dikenal dengan merek dagang Asia Pulp & Paper—APP) beserta perusahaan pemasok kayunya. Kini, APP harus jujur dan komprehensif mengungkap informasi penerima manfaat perusahaan-perusahaan dalam rantai pasok APP dan secara transparan menjalankan menjalankan komitmen pelestariannya.

Jakarta, 15 May 2019 -- A group of NGOs under the Anti Forest Mafia Coalition, including WWF-Indonesia, published a joint report highlighting that Sinar Mas Group’s Asia Pulp & Paper (SMG/APP) continues to be involved in deforestation, peatland destruction and fires even after they had committed to zero deforestation in 2013.

Komisi Pemberantasan Korupsi (KPK) mendorong Pemerintah Provinsi Riau untuk segera menertibkan perusahaan perkebunan kelapa sawit yang tidak memiliki izin dalam menguasai tanah dan hutan di Riau.

Buah sawit dari kebun yang secara tidak prosedural atau ilegal dikembangkan di dalam Kawasan Hutan dan termasuk kawasan konservasi yang merupakan habitat satwa liar langka terus mencemari minyak sawit yang memasuki rantai pasok dari 24 pedagang dan merek global, padahal mereka telah membuat komitmen nol deforestasi.

PEKANBARU, 21 APRIL 2018 — Koalisi Masyarakat Sipil Penyelamat Gambut Riau (Jikalahari, WWF Indonesia, Walhi Riau dan Yayasan Mitra Insani) mendesak aparat hukum mengusut tuntas pengrusakan tiga buah sekat kanal yang dilakukan oleh PT Surya Dumai Agrindo di Desa Buruk Bakul, Kecamatan Bukit Batu, Kabupaten Bengkalis.

Sejumlah lembaga swadaya masyarakat (LSM) menyampaikan pernyataan bersama dalam menyambut 5 tahun diluncurkannya Kebijakan Konservasi Hutan (FCP) oleh Asia Pulp & Paper (APP). Pernyataan Bersama menyimpulkan APP belum berada pada jalur yang tepat dan kemajuan pelaksanaan komitmen tersebut belum memadai.

Eyes on the Forest coalition have launched its compilation book on investigative reports one month ago, 23 October.

Eyes on the Forest coalition analyzed distribution of fire hotspots during week 1-7 August 2017 as its number on peatland in Sumatra reached 351 (NASA FIRM The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite /VIIRS) sensor.

Dua lobi industri sektor kehutanan dan perkebunan mencabut uji materi Undang-Undang Nomor 32/2009 tentang Perlindungan dan Pengelolaan Lingkungan Hidup di Mahkamah Konstitusi (MK), sebuah langkah yang tetap menyisakan keraguan publik terhadap komitmen kelestarian oleh perusahaan.

Kementerian Perdagangan RI menerbitkan Permendag RI Nomor 89/M-DAG/PER/10/2015 tentang Ketentuan Ekspor Produk Industri Kehutanan. Salah satu poin penting dari regulasi ini adalah industri hilir tak wajib mengantongi Sistem Verifikasi Legalitas Kayu (SVLK).

APRIL published an audit report by its consultant Hatfield which confirmed an Eyes on the Forest report that APRIL’s wood supplier, PT. Adindo Hutani Lestari (AHL) in North Kalimantan, had breached APRIL’s forest and peatland clearance moratorium starting 15 May 2015.

Eyes on the Forest says APRIL unable to provide evidence that PT Adindo Hutani Lestari (AHL) in North Kalimantan, an APRIL timber supplier, did not clear natural forest after 15 May, the day when APRIL pledged to halt its forest clearing in its modified Sustainable Forest Management Policy. EoF had reported this moratorium violation on 22 June.

NGOs in West Kalimantan analyzed that 217 fires hotspots detected by NASA Firms Eosdis during 28 June – 6 July 2015. 124 out of 217 hotspots or 57 percent was found in palm oil concessions and by districts, Kubu Raya is the most area hit by fires with 81 and followed by Ketapang and Sambas with 44 and 36 respectively.

A supplier of Asia Pacific Resources International Limited (APRIL) in North Kalimantan cleared natural forest on peatland in violation of APRIL’s recently launched 2nd version of the Sustainable Forest Management Policy (SFMP).

On the first anniversary of APRIL’s “Sustainable Forest Management Policy”, Eyes on the Forest, Gapeta Borneo and RPHK call on APRIL to stop natural forest clearance and peat canal development immediately.

Two environmental groups sent letters to 26 banks in several countries as attempt “to express their concerns regarding the pulp and paper companies Asia Pacific Resources Limited (APRIL), Toba Pulp Lestari (TPL) and their sister companies under the conglomerate Royal Golden Eagle Group (RGE), due to their involvement in large scale deforestation and social conflicts.

Three green groups working in Kalimantan launched an investigative report this week depicting deep peat forest clearance by a timber supplier of Asia Pacific Resources International Limited (APRIL), PT Adindo Hutani Lestari (AHL), in Sesayap sector, North Kalimantan province.

Independent evaluation by NGOs reveals fundamental flaws in SVLK allowing certification of illegal and unsustainable timber products

World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) issued an advisory to buyers and investors of Royal Golden Eagle/Asia Pacific Resources International Limited (RGE/APRIL) following announcement by APRIL last week to apply its Sustainable Forest Management Policy.

A Kalimantan-based NGOs consortium dedicated to monitoring deforestation in Indonesia’s part of Borneo released an investigative report on Tuesday, December 17th 2013, which reveals APP’s violation to its own self-imposed moratorium by the clearance of up to 1,400 ha natural forest.

Up to 1,400 ha peatland forest cleared in violation of APP’s forest conservation policy

WWF Indonesia urges Ministry of Forestry to follow up on a report published by Greenomics Indonesia yesterday ( Dec 10) and take proper and strict actions for companies involved in felling and supplying ramin trees.

Latest report published by Greenomics Indonesia, an NGO, disclosed Tuesday that two suppliers of Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) in South Sumatra and West Kalimantan provinces had found clearing and supplying protected Ramin logs.

Anti-corruption coalition called public to support the war against corruption as to eradicate the crime was not only the responsibility of Anti-corruption commission (KPK), law enforcement or any anti-corruption activists, but it is the responsibility of everybody

At least eleven social and environmental civil society groups and networks sent a joint letter to Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) on 24 April 2013, explaining the substantial social and conservation issues APP has failed to address adequately in its Forest Conservation Policy and associated documents.

A civil society organizations’ consortium monitoring deforestation in West Kalimantan said last week that The Forest Trust (TFT), a consultant hired by Sinar Mas Group’s Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) should clarify verification on deforestation findings in its two suppliers’ concessions in “a more comprehensive way and to embrace all relevant parties suspected by the consultant in its rebuttal report.”

A consortium of West Kalimantan civil society organizations accused Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) of breaching its own Forest Conservation Policy (FCP) announced last month where suspension on natural forest and peatland clearance started since 1 February 2013.

World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) hailed Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) announcement to stop clearing Indonesia's tropical forest and peatlands, but urged paper buyers to "wait for confirmation of the claims through independent monitoring by civil society before doing business with APP."

Three non-governmental organizations consisting of WWF-Indonesia, the Indonesian Working Group on Forest Finance (IWGFF) and Transparency International Indonesia say they are ready to monitor and help eradicate corruption and money laundering in the forestry sector.

A powerful new mapping tool from Indonesian NGO coalition Eyes on the Forest and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) allows the public to visualize Sumatra’s forests and wildlife such as rhinos, tigers, elephants and orangutan, providing vital information in the race to protect forests, save some of the world’s most important biodiversity and help local communities.

Pekanbaru (EoF News)--- The Indonesian government regulation allowing conservation area to be rented for economic and business purposes have sparked protests from various sides as it showed the inconsistence of the administration to protect the decreasing forest areas.

The past year has seen more weather records smashed as extreme events take a firmer hold of the planet, says WWF at the start of the UN climate change conference.

The Dutch Housing associations have today committed to building 100,000 houses in the next five years using Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified timber from Borneo. These 100,000 houses comprise 25% of the total number of houses to be built in the Netherlands over the next five years.

(Kompas daily Editorial, 20 March 2007 ) Who are the quickest forest destroyers? According to Food and Agriculture Organization, during period of 2000-2005, we, Indonesians, is the quickest forest destroyers in the world. Deforestation in Indonesia within the five year is at 2 percent per a year, while in Brazil 0.6 percent.The destruction equals to 1.87 million hectares every year, equals to 51 kilometer per a day, or equals to 300 football fields every hour. These data are unveiled by Hapsoro, Forest Campaigner of Greenpeace Southeast Asia Region, at Proclamation Monument on Friday. With such statistics, Indonesia could get into The Guinness Book of World Record as the world’s quickest forest destroyers.

BALI, Indonesia, February 12, 2007 (ENS) - A declaration to protect the forested Heart of Borneo was signed today by ministers from the three Bornean governments - Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia and Malaysia. The agreement will conserve and sustainably manage one of the most important centers of biological diversity in the world, inhabited by endangered orangutans, elephants and rhinos.The agreement ends plans to create the world’s largest palm oil plantation that would have cleared a vast rainforest along Indonesia’s border with Malaysia across the world's third largest island.

Pekanbaru (EoF News) -- Indonesia and the United States of America will sign anti-illegal logging partnership agreement in September next year in an attempt to eradicate illegal logging and illegal timber trading. The cooperation will emphasize on effort to keep an eye on trade of illegal logging. “From that Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the point is on its implementation,” said Forestry Minister Malam Sambat Kaban last weekend as quoted by Investor Daily as saying. “If terrorism crime is fightable, so is environment crime too,” the minister said. Indonesia government expects the agreement will discourage perpetrators of illegal logging to supply illegal timber from Indonesia to the U.S territories and its allies, said Hadi Pasaribu, director general of Forestry Production of Forestry Ministry.

Pekanbaru (EoF News) – Tera Modis satellite detected that there were 521 hotspots appeared from Oct.1 to Oct.7. It escalated quite higher than Sep 22-30 period with only 103 hotspots.

President Susilo commented on the arrest of timber baron who alleged suspect of illegal logging in North Sumatra, Adelin Lis. The suspect, who is boss of both PT Inanta Timber and PT Keang Nam Development Indonesia, was detained in China last weekend and currently under custody of police in Medan of North Sumatra.

UK Biodiversity Minister Barry Gardiner said the 12-month project to develop a generic DNA-based method of identification, could revolutionise the application of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to timber by enabling enforcement bodies around the world to get a firm grip on the illegal trade in timber.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono urged forestry sector companies to run their business fairly by preventing natural forest from ecological damage. The President said in Palembang, South Sumatra, last weekend that governors and regents should be responsible for preventing forest fires as well as haze in their respective areas, Media Indonesia Online reported

Cabinet Minister Rachmat Witoelar said Thursday in Bogor of West Java that illegal logging capitalists must be responsible for recent floods and mudflows disaster in several provinces in Indonesia, Republika daily reported Friday.

Indonesia has enacted laws on environmental protection and has issued a myriad of regulations and rulings to protect forests, in addition to the creation of non-tariff barriers to prevent the trading of illegally cut wood. Yet deforestation continues. Inter-island trade and export of illegally felled timber remains rampant.