Forestry Ministry and Task Force Clear Illegal Palm Oil Plantations in Tesso Nilo

The Ministry of Forestry (Kemenhut), together with the Forest Area Enforcement Task Force (Satgas PKH) and the Tesso Nilo National Park (TNTN) Recovery Team, has taken firm action to restore the conservation area’s ecosystem. Through a joint operation involving the military, police, forest police (Polhut), and the Rapid Reaction Forest Police Unit (SPORC), illegal oil palm plantations in a former community relocation area were destroyed. This crucial activity took place in Bagan Limau Village, Ukui District, Pelalawan Regency, Riau Province. According to official operational data from the Ministry of Forestry, the destruction of the oil palms covered an initial target area of 66.48 hectares, under the main slogan: ‘Sawit Berganti, Hutan Kembali’ (Palm Oil Replaced, Forest Returns). The large-scale ecosystem restoration operation was led directly by the Director General of Forestry Law Enforcement, Dwi Januanto Nugroho, accompanied by the Head of the Tesso Nilo National Park, Heru Sukmantoro. Director General Dwi Januanto Nugroho emphasised that clearing the ex-relocation oil palm land is the best momentum to restore the integrity of the protected forest area. ‘This law enforcement and restoration step aims to return the home and corridor for endemic wildlife such as the Sumatran elephant, which has been fragmented due to illegal encroachment,’ he stated on Saturday (4/7). The felling of oil palm trees was carried out mechanically using heavy excavators to ensure the area is completely cleared and ready for replanting with native forest species. ‘The restoration of the Tesso Nilo ecosystem requires two main things that go hand in hand: relocation and reforestation. The speed of the community relocation process to safe areas will greatly determine the success of replanting to fully reforest this area,’ he stressed. As a symbol of commitment to restoration, all attending leaders, including Director General Dwi Januanto Nugroho, Head of TNTN Heru Sukmantoro, the Head of Bagan Limau Village, military and police personnel, as well as Polhut and SPORC commanders and members, jointly planted tree seedlings on the cleared land. The Head of Bagan Limau Village, Syarifudin, expressed full support for the central government’s ecosystem restoration programme. He stressed the importance of certainty regarding replacement land for his residents so that the relocation programme proceeds fairly, safely, and sustainably. To date, the administrative progress for land in Bagan Limau Village that has been declared 100% clear covers an area of 97 hectares involving 41 families. ‘The village government is also currently seeking additional verification so that the total area of land successfully recorded reaches approximately 200 hectares. This data will later be integrated with the proposal from the Integrated Team (TP2TN) to accommodate the land needs of communities around the forest legally and with state recognition,’ he concluded.