Fines from Forest Area Enforcement Task Force Requested to be Returned to Regions

Palu (ANTARA) - Secretary of Commission III of the Central Sulawesi DPRD, Muhammad Safri, has requested that the central government return a portion of the funds from forest area enforcement by the Forest Area Enforcement Task Force (Satgas PKH) to the regions to support environmental recovery. “In our view, the state also needs to consider the regions, so a portion of the enforcement proceeds should be considered for the regions,” said Muhammad Safri in Palu on Monday. He appreciated the law enforcement efforts by Satgas PKH, which in phase VI successfully collected funds worth Rp11.42 trillion and deposited them into the state treasury. However, he continued, this achievement must be followed by fair distribution policies for the affected regions. He assessed that managing the funds as Non-Tax State Revenue (PNBP), as regulated in Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources Decision Number 391.K/MB.01/MEM.B/2025, has the potential to widen the disparity between the central government and the regions if not accompanied by clear distribution mechanisms. “Law enforcement should not lose its meaning because it is not followed by on-the-ground recovery,” he stated. He also reminded that fine policies should not become a veiled legitimisation for environmental violations, as perpetrators are only required to pay without carrying out real recovery. Serious Attention Safri stated that the current environmental conditions in Central Sulawesi require serious attention, based on the Ministry of Forestry Decision Number 406 of 2025, the area of critical land in the province reaches 373,443 hectares. “This large figure should serve as the basis for the government to direct enforcement funds to concrete programmes in the regions, such as forest and land rehabilitation, reforestation, and empowerment of communities around forest areas,” said Safri. He also appreciated the handover of funds by Satgas PKH in the presence of President Prabowo Subianto, hoping that this momentum does not stop as a ceremony but is followed by policies that favour the affected regions. “Affected regions need priority attention for the recovery of damaged forests,” he said.