TNKS discovers 80 hectares of encroached land within Kerinci Seblat National Park in Rejang Lebong

Rejang Lebong, Bengkulu - Kerinci Seblat National Park (TNKS) officials in Region VI, Bengkulu discovered approximately 80 hectares of land within the park area in Desa Kayu Manis, Rejang Lebong Regency that had been encroached by residents for coffee plantations.

Nur Hamidi, Head of the National Park Management Section (TN) for Region VI, Bengkulu, said on Sunday that the discovery was made following a joint patrol with relevant stakeholders in Desa Kayu Manis, Selupu Rejang Subdistrict, on May 20-21, 2026. The joint patrol followed reports from local communities and government authorities. The encroached land within TNKS, used for fields or plantations, totals 80 hectares.

Upon arriving at the encroachment site, officials found at least 15 shelters built by the encroachers. However, all shelters were empty with no occupants, and no individuals involved in land clearing were found.

“We intended to inspect the cleared land and confirm with residents about the land’s origin. If there were any sale issues, we wanted to know from whom to follow up. However, we encountered no one,” he added.

Regarding resolving the encroachment issue, he added that TNKS areas already cleared could potentially be utilised by communities through conservation partnership schemes, as stipulated under the Job Creation Law (UU Cipta Kerja). However, strict conditions apply: the land must have been cleared before 2020 and located in the utilization zone, not the forest or core zone of the national park.

For Desa Kayu Manis, he added, the conservation partnership program has not been implemented or finalised. TNKS has only conducted initial awareness-raising and data collection in 2025, particularly in the Air Simpang Block, while the Block 40 area remains unrecorded.

“The process is not finalised as we are still mapping the subjects and objects of encroachment. We need to identify who is responsible, the area size, and have not yet reached the agreement stage,” he added.

Nur Hamidi stated that the newly cleared forest area, which has been planted with six-month-old coffee, will not be included in the partnership program. A firm step will be taken to restore the ecosystem through replanting trees to return the forest to its original function.