Indonesia warns firms over ignorance on restoration obligation in peatland

Indonesia's ministry of environment and forestry has issued a warning to nine companies which have not complied with obligation to conduct restoration in peatland areas of their concession lands after huge forest fires, senior official of the ministry said here on Tuesday.

The policy warning was made as the government has been intensively carrying out measures to prevent a repeat of the country's biggest ever forest fires which occurred in millions hectares of peatland across the country two years ago.

The ministry threatened to imposed sanctions or suspend their business license should they keep avoiding the obligation, said San Afri Awang, director general for planology and environment of the ministry.

"We have sent a warning letter to nine firms, owners of licenses for cultivating a total of 1.1 million hectares lands," the director said.

Peatland is vulnerable to forest fire, and the efforts to douse fires on it are more difficult than stopping the blaze in ordinary soils.

Last year, the government took legal actions against companies for allegedly burning forest during land clearing for plantation, and set up a restoration agency to conduct restoration and reclamation in peatland after forest fire.

The move is expected to prevent forest fire from happening at the peatland.

Indonesia suffered the biggest ever forest fire in 2015 with 2.61 million hectares of land burned, leaving huge impacts on health and economic activities. Endit