Forestry Minister Revokes Two Forest Utilisation Business Permits Following Death of Two Elephants in Bengkulu

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni has officially revoked two Forest Utilisation Business Approvals (PBPH) following the death of two elephants in the Seblat area, Bengkulu. “Two elephants were found dead. Therefore, I will revoke the PBPH of PT API (Anugerah Pratama Inspirasi) and PT BAT (Bentara Alam Timber),” the Forestry Minister stated in Jakarta on Thursday. “At the same time, I have instructed the Law Enforcement Unit (Gakkum) of the Ministry of Forestry to pursue any existing criminal indications, so it is not just administrative revocation but also extending to criminal proceedings,” he added. Raja Antoni stated that his side had evaluated the activities of both companies. According to him, the government had previously imposed obligations on the companies to carry out ecosystem restoration, but these were not implemented optimally. Raja Antoni said the government also discovered various other violations in the companies’ concession areas. These violations included indications of illegal logging to illegal palm oil planting in areas that should have been restored. “Certainly, these two companies did not carry out the proper land use or governance. This includes illegal logging and illegal palm oil planting. We have started to address it by uprooting the planted palms, but since their restoration obligations were not fulfilled, I have ordered the revocation,” he explained. Regarding the exact cause of the two elephants’ deaths, the Forestry Minister explained that a necropsy process is underway in a laboratory in Bogor before an official announcement to the public. The Forestry Minister also stated that the government has issued a Presidential Instruction (Inpres) regarding the conservation of Sumatran and Kalimantan elephant populations and habitats. This, he said, demonstrates President Prabowo’s seriousness in addressing and saving elephants. In addition, other efforts include uniting elephant corridors, involving communities and activists, and permanently resolving issues in Way Kambas National Park through the construction of barriers. “This shows a very strong commitment from President Prabowo Subianto to save the Sumatran and Kalimantan elephant populations, especially as they are now entering the critically endangered phase,” he said.