Illegal Logging in Sumatran Tiger Habitat Exposed, Three Arrested
The Ministry of Forestry (Kemenhut) has arrested three perpetrators of illegal logging in the Kerumutan Wildlife Reserve (SM) in Pelalawan Regency, Riau. The ministry stated that the investigation will not stop at the field operatives but will be developed to uncover the intellectual actors and parties who financed the activity.
Hari Novianto, Head of the Regional Forestry Law Enforcement Office for Sumatra, said the joint operation with the Riau Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BBKSDA) was conducted to curb the rate of damage to the Kerumutan Reserve, which continues to be a target for illegal logging. He noted that since 2025, his office has brought five suspects in illegal logging cases in Kerumutan to court. The arrest of three additional individuals indicates that the conservation area remains a target for illegal activity.
“We have ordered investigators to thoroughly investigate the other perpetrators and to develop the inquiry towards the intellectual actors or those who ordered and financed the operation,” Hari said in a statement on Tuesday (4/8/2026).
Hari explained that the operation began on 1 August 2026. During the operation, officers arrested two suspects, identified as E (56) and SH (55), who were allegedly transporting illegal timber using a Mitsubishi Fuso Canter truck and an Isuzu truck from within the Kerumutan Reserve. The joint team later arrested another suspect, A (46), who was caught red-handed transporting processed timber out of the conservation area using a modified motorcycle. The three suspects and the evidence were secured at the Section II Forestry Law Enforcement Office in Pekanbaru for further legal proceedings.
In addition to the arrests, the team discovered several huts used as bases for illegal logging activities inside the Kerumutan Reserve. Officers destroyed processed timber, the huts, supporting facilities, and the wooden rails used to transport felled logs out of the forest area.
Based on the examination and case review with the Riau Regional Police Supervisory Coordinators, the three individuals have been named as suspects. They are charged under Article 40 paragraph (1) letter e in conjunction with Article 19 paragraph (2) letter e of Law Number 32 of 2024 on the Conservation of Biological Natural Resources and Their Ecosystems, in conjunction with Law Number 1 of 2026 on Criminal Adjustments. The suspects face a maximum prison sentence of 11 years and/or a maximum fine of Rp2 billion.
Meanwhile, the Director General of Forestry Law Enforcement at the Ministry of Forestry, Dwi Januanto Nugroho, stated that his directorate will continue to take action against any crime that damages the forest ecosystem. He emphasised that the Kerumutan Wildlife Reserve is one of the habitats of the Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae), which faces a serious threat from illegal logging and poaching. “If law enforcement is not carried out, it is feared that the Sumatran tiger will become extinct,” Dwi said. He added that the crackdown is part of the Ministry of Forestry’s efforts to strengthen the protection of conservation areas and eradicate illegal logging in line with government directives.