Minister Of Environment And Forestry: West Java Lost 1.2 Million Hectares Of Protected Forest Areas, Very Vulnerable To Disasters

JAKARTA - Minister of Environment (LH) Hanif Faisol Nurofiq said that currently West Java Province has lost 1.2 million hectares of protected areas, so conditions are very vulnerable to disasters such as floods and landslides.

"When we talk about West Java, West Java has lost its protected area in the amount of 1.2 million ha, so that the day in West Java it is only protected by 400,000 ha for protected areas that protect the ecosystem below it so that it is very vulnerable to disasters," said Hanif at the DPR building, Senayan, Jakarta, Wednesday, December 3.

Hanif explained, based on a strategic environmental study signed by the minister, the protected area of 1.6 million ha should have been increased, not eliminated. However, in the 2022 regional regulation on spatial planning for West Java Province, the protected area is only 400 thousand ha.

"We have written to many parties, it seems that political support from Commission XIII of the DPR is needed to then remind us to obey the carrying capacity and capacity in planning their respective provinces to take mitigation steps related to this potential disaster," said Hanif.

For information, West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi officially issued Circular Letter (SE) Number 173/PEM.05.02/PEREK concerning Tree Development Moratorium in Forest Areas and Other Use Areas.

This policy was implemented for two years as an emergency measure to stop the rate of environmental damage and maintain the sustainability of the ecosystem in West Java.

In the SE issued today, Wednesday, December 3, the West Java Provincial Government considers that pressure on forest areas and other Use Areas (APLs) has increased sharply due to tree cutting activities, both legal and illegal. This condition is considered to have the potential to interfere with the ecological, hydrological, and socio-economic functions of the community, as well as threaten water catchment areas.

Referring to West Java Governor Regulation Number 11 of 2025 concerning Land Function Transfer Control, Governor Dedi set a moratorium on felling trees in a number of critical areas.

Dedi also emphasized that the forest conditions in West Java have entered an alarming stage. Currently, he said, only about 20 percent are still intact, while the other 80 percent have suffered various levels of damage. This situation, according to him, makes forest protection policies no longer able to be postponed.

"The West Java Provincial Government will make a moratorium on banning logging in forest areas that have the potential to cause disasters. We are preparing the rules and launching them immediately," said Dedi Mulyadi, Tuesday, December 2.

Dedi assessed that efforts to plant trees are indeed important, but keeping trees up to be much more valuable. He likens it, planting a thousand seeds does not necessarily produce one hundred trees, while cutting down a thousand trees is certain to eliminate great benefits for the environment.

"We live on earth, so we must care for this earth, not we are damaged," he said.