The Aceh Singkil Swamp Conservation Area Lost 1,324 Hectares of Forest Cover

Currently deforestation is still occurring in the Rawa Singkil Wildlife Reserve conservation area, Aceh. Part of the encroached land has turned into an oil palm plantation.

The following article was translated using both Microsoft Azure Open AI and Google Translation AI.

KOMPAS/ZULKARNAINI

The peat conservation area of Suaka Margasatwa Rawa Singkil in Trumon District, South Aceh Regency, Aceh, has been cleared to plant oil palm, as seen on Sunday (24/10/2021).

BANDA ACEH, KOMPAS - Since 2019 until June 2023, the Suaka Margasatwa Rawa Singkil conservation area in South Aceh Regency, Aceh Singkil, and Subulussalam City, Aceh Province, lost 1,324 hectares of forest cover. Encroachment of the protected area was carried out by certain individuals to plant oil palms.

The Aceh Natural Forest and Environment Foundation (HAkA) records that every year, the Rawa Singkil Wildlife Sanctuary shrinks by hundreds of hectares. HAkA regularly monitors the condition of forest cover, both through satellite and field verification.

"Over the past five years, we have lost at least 1,324 hectares of forest cover," said Geographic Information System Manager of the HAkA Foundation, Lukmanul Hakim, on Monday (24/7/2023)."

Lukmanul explained that there was a decrease of approximately 66 hectares during June 2023. Meanwhile, from January to June 2023, the Rawa Singkil Wildlife Sanctuary is estimated to have lost forest cover of 372 hectares, or increased by 57 percent compared to the same period last year.

KOMPAS/ZULKARNAINI

The peatland conservation area of Suaka Margasatwa Rawa Singkil in Trumon District, South Aceh Regency, Aceh, which was cleared for planting oil palm, as seen on Sunday (24/10/2021).

Administratively, Rawa Singkil Wildlife Sanctuary is located in South Aceh Regency, Aceh Singkil Regency, and Subulussalam City with a total area of 82,188 hectares. This is larger than the entire area of DKI Jakarta Province, which is only 66,123 hectares.

Lukmanul stated that deforestation is still ongoing in the protected area until now. Some of the cleared land has been turned into palm oil plantations.

Read also: Swamp Singkil Conservation Area Encroached for Palm Oil Plantation

According to him, the depletion of forest cover in Rawa Singkil has triggered natural disasters such as floods and droughts. Rawa Singkil Forest is a natural habitat for orangutans and other wildlife. If the damage is not prevented, conflicts between animals and humans may arise.

Lukmanul added that on a more global scale, the carbon emissions released from peatland are much greater than those from forests on mineral land. This can trigger an acceleration of more extreme global warming.

The results of the investigation by the Environmental Journalists Forum (FJL) Aceh from March to May 2023 found that encroachment activities in Rawa Singkil are still ongoing. Land clearing by burning and using heavy equipment has not been contained.

The results of the investigation were summarized in a documentary film entitled For the Sake of Palm Oil, the Red Carpet in Wetlands. The 30-minute film was screened in Jakarta, on Sunday (23/7/2023), which was attended by journalists and conservation workers.

Read also: Conserving the Remaining Tripa Swamp Peatlands

Coordinator of the Forest Justice League (FJL) in Aceh, Munandar Syamsuddin, stated that the peatland forest in Rawa Singkil was cleared for oil palm plantation. He mentioned that the perpetrators involved village officials and security forces. "The wildlife sanctuary area was sold to investors to become an oil palm plantation," said Munandar.

The FJL Aceh investigative team found that investors also funded residents to open land and plant palm oil in the area. At first glance, the land belongs to the residents, but there are investors behind it.

The Head of Advocacy and Campaign Division of the Indonesian Environmental Forum (Walhi) Aceh, Afifuddin Acal, said that Rawa Singkil still has boundary issues, so it is still vulnerable to encroachment.

Afifuddin also assessed that law enforcement has not been firm and only targets ordinary citizens, whereas officials and security personnel involved are not held accountable. "Many are playing in Rawa Singkil," he said.

The Ecosystem Controller of Young Forest at the Directorate of Conservation Area Planning of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Taufik Syamsudin, stated that his party will continue to work towards resolving the issues that occur in the Rawa Singkil area.

They said that the government has formed a special task force to address the issue of illegal palm oil plantations within conservation areas. The Ministry of Environment and Forestry will also deploy a team to verify which clusters are operated by corporate and local community palm oil plantations. The resolution for local community palm oil plantations will be handled differently.

KOMPAS/ZULKARNAINI

The peat swamp forest area of Rawa Tripa in Darul Makmur Subdistrict, Nagan Raya Regency, Aceh Province, has been opened for oil palm cultivation, as recorded on Monday (25/6/2018).

"We have not received an official report from our colleagues at KSDAE Aceh regarding who is present in the SM Rawa Singkil area," said Taufik.

According to Taufik, they need to know who all parties involved in Rawa Singkil are in order to easily resolve the problem. "Have confidence that the government will be present there to resolve it. We will not remain silent, we will not watch, we will resolve it, we will find the solution," said Taufik.

Read also: Waiting for Execution of Asset Auction for Fire in Tripa Swamp