KONTAN.CO.ID - SINGAPORE. Forested areas greater than the size of the Netherlands have been burned in Indonesia in the past five years, with 30% of the fires occurring on pulpwood and palm oil concessions, environmental group Greenpeace said on Thursday. Greenpeace said analysis of official data showed 4.4 million hectares (10.8 million acres) of land burned over 2015 to 2019, with 1.3 million hectares of that lying in the concession areas. The group's report said eight of the 10 palm companies with the largest burned areas in their concessions for the five years have not been sanctioned.
Indonesia's new jobs creation law, which activists say favours businesses at the expense of the environment, is "rolling out a red carpet" for more deforestation, it also said. "Year after year they (companies) have broken the law by allowing forests to go up in flames," said Kiki Taufik, head of the Greenpeace Southeast Asia forest campaign. Indonesia's environment and forestry ministry did not respond to a request for comment. In February, Indonesian President Joko Widodo ordered government officials to find a permanent solution to prevent annual forest fires. Baca Juga: Indonesia starts developing controversial food estate project Indonesia has the biggest forests outside the Amazon and Congo and environmentalists say its remaining reserves may be exploited under the new labour law. The government says the law aims to boost investment and competitiveness and create better quality jobs. Among the changes in the new law that worry environmentalists is the removal of a minimum forest area.
