Forestry Minister: President Approves Addition of Up to 70,000 Forest Police
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni has stated that President Prabowo Subianto has approved the addition of up to 70,000 forestry police officers to strengthen the protection of 125 million hectares of national forest that has long suffered from a shortage of personnel.
"I have met with the President twice and he has agreed to the addition of forestry police," the Minister said in Jakarta on Thursday.
He revealed that during two audiences with the President to discuss the increase, from an initial plan to boost numbers to 21,000 personnel, the President called for a more ideal ratio for forest area security.
Whereas the best ratio previously proposed was one officer per 2,500 hectares, the Minister continued, the President decided on a more ambitious target of one officer per 2,000 hectares. This decision results in a planned addition of approximately 70,000 forestry police, although implementation will still require bureaucratic processes and regulatory adjustments.
"The last time, when we were in London, I raised the matter — roughly what would be ideal? He asked what would be ideal. I said that according to global best practice, it would be one to 2,500 hectares," he said.
"But the President then decided we should try for something even more ideal — one to 2,000. One person securing 2,000 hectares. And that adds approximately 70,000 forestry police, and the process is now under way," the Minister added.
He explained that securing 125 million hectares of national forest is nearly impossible to carry out optimally given the current limitations in human resources and funding. At present, the entire area is guarded by only around 4,800 forestry police officers.
With that number, each officer must on average secure approximately 25,000 hectares of forest. In addition to the meagre numbers, some personnel have reached an age where they are no longer at peak productivity, making the burden of oversight even heavier.
Conditions in the regions reflect a similar imbalance. In Aceh, for example, the forest area covers approximately 3.5 million hectares, whilst the number of available forestry police to oversee the entire area stands at just 63 officers.
In Bengkulu, the combined area of production forests and protected forests is recorded at approximately 900,000 hectares, falling under the responsibility of the provincial government in accordance with legislation. However, budgetary support for their protection is considered extremely limited.
The budget allocated for forest protection in Bengkulu is reportedly around Rp50 million. The funds managed directly at the departmental level amount to only approximately Rp9 million, with the remainder allocated to other units such as Forest Management Units (KPH).
The Minister assessed that the structure of regional autonomy has positioned the forestry sector as an optional matter, meaning budget allocations are highly dependent on regional government priorities and do not always reflect actual needs on the ground.
Beyond the addition of personnel, the government is also planning the establishment of a Law Enforcement Office in every province to ensure faster and more responsive forestry law enforcement.
Until now, in Sumatra for instance, there has been only one Law Enforcement Office, making inter-provincial coordination on forestry cases less efficient.
He expressed hope that these structural reforms would strengthen the state's presence in protecting forests, whilst continuing to involve communities as strategic partners in safeguarding forest areas.
"I have met with the President twice and he has agreed to the addition of forestry police," the Minister said in Jakarta on Thursday.
He revealed that during two audiences with the President to discuss the increase, from an initial plan to boost numbers to 21,000 personnel, the President called for a more ideal ratio for forest area security.
Whereas the best ratio previously proposed was one officer per 2,500 hectares, the Minister continued, the President decided on a more ambitious target of one officer per 2,000 hectares. This decision results in a planned addition of approximately 70,000 forestry police, although implementation will still require bureaucratic processes and regulatory adjustments.
"The last time, when we were in London, I raised the matter — roughly what would be ideal? He asked what would be ideal. I said that according to global best practice, it would be one to 2,500 hectares," he said.
"But the President then decided we should try for something even more ideal — one to 2,000. One person securing 2,000 hectares. And that adds approximately 70,000 forestry police, and the process is now under way," the Minister added.
He explained that securing 125 million hectares of national forest is nearly impossible to carry out optimally given the current limitations in human resources and funding. At present, the entire area is guarded by only around 4,800 forestry police officers.
With that number, each officer must on average secure approximately 25,000 hectares of forest. In addition to the meagre numbers, some personnel have reached an age where they are no longer at peak productivity, making the burden of oversight even heavier.
Conditions in the regions reflect a similar imbalance. In Aceh, for example, the forest area covers approximately 3.5 million hectares, whilst the number of available forestry police to oversee the entire area stands at just 63 officers.
In Bengkulu, the combined area of production forests and protected forests is recorded at approximately 900,000 hectares, falling under the responsibility of the provincial government in accordance with legislation. However, budgetary support for their protection is considered extremely limited.
The budget allocated for forest protection in Bengkulu is reportedly around Rp50 million. The funds managed directly at the departmental level amount to only approximately Rp9 million, with the remainder allocated to other units such as Forest Management Units (KPH).
The Minister assessed that the structure of regional autonomy has positioned the forestry sector as an optional matter, meaning budget allocations are highly dependent on regional government priorities and do not always reflect actual needs on the ground.
Beyond the addition of personnel, the government is also planning the establishment of a Law Enforcement Office in every province to ensure faster and more responsive forestry law enforcement.
Until now, in Sumatra for instance, there has been only one Law Enforcement Office, making inter-provincial coordination on forestry cases less efficient.
He expressed hope that these structural reforms would strengthen the state's presence in protecting forests, whilst continuing to involve communities as strategic partners in safeguarding forest areas.