Pulau Pari Residents File Environmental Lawsuit Against Marine Spatial Permit at Jakarta Administrative Court
Friday, 13 June 2025. The Advocacy Team for Pulau Pari Justice, comprising Pulau Pari residents, the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta), Walhi Jakarta, and the People's Coalition for Fisheries Justice (KIARA), has filed an environmental lawsuit against the Marine Spatial Utilisation Activity Conformity Approval (PKKPRL) numbered 12072410513100013, issued by the Head of the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) (now the Minister of Investment and Downstreaming/Head of the Investment Coordinating Board of the Republic of Indonesia). The lawsuit was filed through the Jakarta State Administrative Court (PTUN).
The lawsuit was pursued as an advocacy effort by Pulau Pari residents concerning the damage to coastal ecosystems, including seagrass beds, mangroves and coral reefs in the waters of the Pulau Pari plate cluster, caused by excavator activities undertaken by PT Central Pondok Sejahtera (PT CPS). PT CPS's activities were based on the issuance of the PKKPRL by the Head of BKPM.
Khaerul Anwar, legal counsel from LBH Jakarta, stated: "We filed this lawsuit as an act of resistance by Pulau Pari residents to annul an administrative decision in the form of a PKKPRL issued by the Minister of Investment and Downstreaming in the Lempeng Cluster, Pulau Pari, Thousand Islands."
Atik Sukamti, a plaintiff representative from Pulau Pari residents, explained: "The ratification of the PKKPRL will be a grave decision, particularly for Pulau Pari residents, the majority of whom work as fishermen. The presence of mangroves is also vital for buffering wave currents, as excessive waves without mangroves can accelerate severe coastal erosion. Furthermore, if floating villas are built in the area, the local economy will be disrupted as guesthouses owned by local residents will have to compete with floating villas, since tourists will be more attracted to using floating villas, especially as their owners can charge lower prices. We very much hope that the government will not lean too heavily towards corporations and will recognise the enterprises of residents that are growing and proving that local efforts are improving the local economy."
Ahmad Kusnadi, also a plaintiff from Pulau Pari, stated: "As a young resident of Pulau Pari, I deeply feel the detrimental impact of the destruction of mangrove forests and other ecosystems. I hope this lawsuit will be granted by the court so that the community can protect the ecosystem as it should be."
Susan Herawati from KIARA said: "The area planned for the construction of floating cottages and a tourism pier is a space collectively managed by Pulau Pari residents. Construction of floating cottages and a tourism pier through reclamation is clearly prohibited as it would damage coral reefs and mangroves. This activity is expressly forbidden under Law 27/2007, Article 35, paragraphs c, d, e, f, g, and l. In addition to being prohibited by Law 27/2007, DKI Jakarta Governor Regulation Number 31 of 2022 on the Detailed Spatial Plan for DKI Jakarta Provincial Planning Area, and DKI Jakarta Provincial Regulation Number 7 of 2024 on the Spatial Plan for 2024-2044, also do not allocate the waters around Pulau Pari for floating cottage and tourism pier construction activities. This clearly highlights the central government's lack of diligence in issuing the PKKPRL without checking how the spatial utilisation is community-based and without considering the essential marine ecosystems living within it."
Ahmad Syahroni, legal counsel from Walhi Jakarta, said: "The granting of a permit in the form of a PKKPRL carries a very strong potential for spatial discrimination. Spatial justice, which should be a fundamental right of citizens, is under threat. In fact, during the construction activities carried out by PT CPS, many residents, particularly fishermen, lost their fishing grounds, mangroves were destroyed, environmental damage occurred, and other impacts resulted in enormous material and immaterial losses suffered by Pulau Pari residents."
Alif Fauzi Nurwidiastomo, Head of Advocacy at LBH Jakarta, observed that "the mangrove and seagrass ecosystems on Pulau Pari have been damaged by abnormally dangerous activities in the form of shallow sea reclamation by PT CPS, thereby causing losses to Pulau Pari residents as fishermen and coastal communities." According to Alif, this damage "demonstrates the absence of holistic seascape governance, namely the principle of strong sustainability for ecosystem protection alongside social and economic resilience of the community."
The lawsuit was therefore pursued as a corrective measure following administrative efforts that had yet to deliver ecological justice and living space for Pulau Pari residents, as the PKKPRL had not been revoked by the Head of BKPM.
The lawsuit was pursued as an advocacy effort by Pulau Pari residents concerning the damage to coastal ecosystems, including seagrass beds, mangroves and coral reefs in the waters of the Pulau Pari plate cluster, caused by excavator activities undertaken by PT Central Pondok Sejahtera (PT CPS). PT CPS's activities were based on the issuance of the PKKPRL by the Head of BKPM.
Khaerul Anwar, legal counsel from LBH Jakarta, stated: "We filed this lawsuit as an act of resistance by Pulau Pari residents to annul an administrative decision in the form of a PKKPRL issued by the Minister of Investment and Downstreaming in the Lempeng Cluster, Pulau Pari, Thousand Islands."
Atik Sukamti, a plaintiff representative from Pulau Pari residents, explained: "The ratification of the PKKPRL will be a grave decision, particularly for Pulau Pari residents, the majority of whom work as fishermen. The presence of mangroves is also vital for buffering wave currents, as excessive waves without mangroves can accelerate severe coastal erosion. Furthermore, if floating villas are built in the area, the local economy will be disrupted as guesthouses owned by local residents will have to compete with floating villas, since tourists will be more attracted to using floating villas, especially as their owners can charge lower prices. We very much hope that the government will not lean too heavily towards corporations and will recognise the enterprises of residents that are growing and proving that local efforts are improving the local economy."
Ahmad Kusnadi, also a plaintiff from Pulau Pari, stated: "As a young resident of Pulau Pari, I deeply feel the detrimental impact of the destruction of mangrove forests and other ecosystems. I hope this lawsuit will be granted by the court so that the community can protect the ecosystem as it should be."
Susan Herawati from KIARA said: "The area planned for the construction of floating cottages and a tourism pier is a space collectively managed by Pulau Pari residents. Construction of floating cottages and a tourism pier through reclamation is clearly prohibited as it would damage coral reefs and mangroves. This activity is expressly forbidden under Law 27/2007, Article 35, paragraphs c, d, e, f, g, and l. In addition to being prohibited by Law 27/2007, DKI Jakarta Governor Regulation Number 31 of 2022 on the Detailed Spatial Plan for DKI Jakarta Provincial Planning Area, and DKI Jakarta Provincial Regulation Number 7 of 2024 on the Spatial Plan for 2024-2044, also do not allocate the waters around Pulau Pari for floating cottage and tourism pier construction activities. This clearly highlights the central government's lack of diligence in issuing the PKKPRL without checking how the spatial utilisation is community-based and without considering the essential marine ecosystems living within it."
Ahmad Syahroni, legal counsel from Walhi Jakarta, said: "The granting of a permit in the form of a PKKPRL carries a very strong potential for spatial discrimination. Spatial justice, which should be a fundamental right of citizens, is under threat. In fact, during the construction activities carried out by PT CPS, many residents, particularly fishermen, lost their fishing grounds, mangroves were destroyed, environmental damage occurred, and other impacts resulted in enormous material and immaterial losses suffered by Pulau Pari residents."
Alif Fauzi Nurwidiastomo, Head of Advocacy at LBH Jakarta, observed that "the mangrove and seagrass ecosystems on Pulau Pari have been damaged by abnormally dangerous activities in the form of shallow sea reclamation by PT CPS, thereby causing losses to Pulau Pari residents as fishermen and coastal communities." According to Alif, this damage "demonstrates the absence of holistic seascape governance, namely the principle of strong sustainability for ecosystem protection alongside social and economic resilience of the community."
The lawsuit was therefore pursued as a corrective measure following administrative efforts that had yet to deliver ecological justice and living space for Pulau Pari residents, as the PKKPRL had not been revoked by the Head of BKPM.