Activists demand enforcement of law against encroachment in Rawa Singkil Wildlife Sanctuary

Banda Aceh - Environmental activists are calling for enforcement of the law against encroachment in the Rawa Singkil Wildlife Sanctuary, which has been converted into palm oil plantations in several areas. “We demand enforcement of the law against encroachment in the Rawa Singkil Wildlife Sanctuary. The conservation area has now been turned into palm oil plantations in several locations,” said environmental activist Nurul Ikhsan in Banda Aceh on Friday. Nurul Ikhsan, also the Coordinator of the Legal Division at the Aceh Forest and Environment Foundation (HAkA), a group focused on environmental issues, said the conversion of the conservation area into palm oil plantations is a criminal offence. “Field evidence shows encroachment within the conservation area. Parts of the forest have been cleared and planted with palm oil,” Nurul Ikhsan said. He also praised the South Aceh Regency Criminal Investigation Unit for arresting three suspects involved in forest encroachment in the Rawa Singkil Wildlife Sanctuary. “Based on field evidence, it is unlikely that ordinary residents are responsible for the encroachment. We suspect involvement of investors, as land clearing requires significant funding,” he said. The Rawa Singkil Wildlife Sanctuary is a peatland area designated as a protected zone under a 1997 decree by the Minister of Forestry. Originally covering 102,500 hectares in South Aceh Regency, the sanctuary now spans South Aceh Regency, Subulussalam City, and Aceh Singkil Regency due to administrative splits. Over time, the protected area has shrunk to 81,338 hectares as per a 2015 decree by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry. “We also demand that, in addition to legal enforcement, the encroached protected area be restored, converting the palm oil plantations back into forest,” Nurul Ikhsan said.