Detail

Indonesia

Oilseeds, oils and meals

Forest, peatland

01/07/2019

Other

Environmental policy

Ruled that the Government was liable for land-clearing forest fires recorded throughout the country in 2015, and requested the implementation of stringent measures to prevent fires from recurring – thereby complementing ongoing programmes to restore damaged peatland and minimize harmful peatland conversion involving fires.

Indonesia’s Supreme Court upheld a ruling holding the government liable over forest fires and the resultant haze that covered a large part of the country in 2015, causing health issues. The court ordered the Government to implement stringent measures to prevent fires from recurring. Actually, following the widespread fires of 2015, the Government enacted nation-wide programmes to restore damaged peatland and minimize harmful peatland conversion involving fires (see MPPU Feb.’16 & Mar.’18). The Government also imposed fines on companies found to have fires on their plantations. According to civil society groups, despite these efforts, the practice of setting fire to clear land continues to be widely used, also (or especially) by smallholders and often involving carbon-rich peat forests (see also MPPU July’17, Oct.’18 & May’19).