Fines Are Not a 'Hand-Washing' Excuse for Forest Destruction

The Satuan Tugas Penertiban Kawasan Hutan (Satgas PKH) has once again handed over the results of state financial recoveries and the reclamation of forest areas. This is the sixth stage handover, valued at more than Rp 11 trillion.

The handover to the state through the Attorney General was witnessed directly by President Prabowo Subianto on Friday (10/4/2026). This underscores that the enforcement of illegal land is a national priority.

“Up to now, the total cash we have successfully recovered is Rp 31.3 trillion,” the President stated.

“Its value is enormous; it could help repair 34,000 schools and build 500,000 subsidised houses for our low-income brothers and sisters,” he continued.

The value of the fines successfully collected from violators of forest land use permits is indeed impressive. However, this achievement in administrative sanctions—essentially on paper—has not yet truly addressed the root problems in the field. Satgas PKH must go further than formal legal matters towards a comprehensive Ecological Audit.

Achievements and Challenges

It cannot be denied that Satgas PKH has shown excellent performance in mapping overlapping land claims and forcing rogue corporations to pay fines. Local communities around the forests have also welcomed it positively, as it finally provides legal certainty.

Regarding this achievement, I remind that reclaiming forest areas must not stop at the handover of documents on the table. Land damaged by illegal conversion must have its biological functions restored as a guarantee for the future.

Satgas PKH should also implement an ecological audit mechanism. The main function of an ecological audit is to verify the actual conditions in the field.

The land must function biologically again, not just legally. And restoring the forest is the responsibility of those who caused the damage.

Ecological Audit

I emphasise that fines are essentially administrative punishments for past mistakes. In contrast, an ecological audit is a mechanism for accountability for future guarantees.

There are three main pillars in the ecological audit that Satgas PKH must carry out, not only at the specific land locations but also at affected surrounding areas. Especially peatlands that are vulnerable to burning because they are dried out in the process of preparing production forest land.

Verification of Physical Restoration Not Just on Paper

This audit checks whether the violating companies have carried out rewetting on the peatlands they dried out. The ecological audit ensures that canal blockages are truly built technically. The fine money has entered the state treasury, but if the canals remain open and the peat is still dry, fires will continue to occur.

Examination of Forest Alveoli Health

In research on Climate Change Mitigation (2021), forests that have been illegally converted suffer from soil structure damage. The ecological audit will measure how far the soil’s capacity to reabsorb carbon and water has been restored.

Audit of 20% Plasma Obligations

Satgas often finds plasma built outside HGU, leading to conflicts. The ecological audit ensures that plasma land distribution is carried out in environmentally suitable areas and provides real economic benefits to local residents without damaging conservation zones.

Connecting Budgets to the Front Lines of Forest Fire Prevention

I also highlight the budget issue. The trillions of rupiah in fines from Satgas PKH should be managed to strengthen mitigation in the interior.

So far, the authority to use forest fire control budgets is still concentrated at the provincial or regency level, far from the fire locations. However, monitoring and prevention could be more effective if the funds were in the hands of the village head nearest to the actual forest fire points.

This proposal encourages regulations that allow the funds to flow directly to Village Heads to strengthen Fire Care Communities (MPA).

Fires emerge in villages, but the money is in the cities. This is what makes us always late.

I also encourage the use of firefighting equipment suitable for local terrain, such as solar-powered portable pumps from local inventions, rather than relying on imported equipment that often gets stuck in peat mud.

Ecological Sovereignty

The success of Satgas PKH’s actions is a major asset. Unfortunately, without an ecological audit, fine sanctions risk being viewed as a ‘cost of permission to destroy’ by the corporate violators.

We must utilise the momentum of President Prabowo’s firmness to ensure that every rupiah of fines entering is equivalent to the return of our forests’ breath.

Aswin Usup, Forestry Expert at Palangkaraya University (UPR); Chairman of the National Dayak Scholars Association (ICDN) Central Kalimantan