The Big Enemy Of Environmental Problems Is Still Land And Forest Fires

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JAKARTA - The Director General of Environmental and Forestry Law Enforcement at the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) Ratio Ridho Sani said potential environmental and forestry problems that are still of great concern are forest and land fires followed by environmental pollution.

"The issues that are still of great concern to the community and we also see are forest and land fires, these are still a challenge for us," he said at the 2021 Year End Reflection event, which was followed virtually in Jakarta, Monday, December 27.

From data from the Directorate General of Law and Human Rights, LHK, KLHK, which was collected from supervision, monitoring systems and public complaints, in the 2015-2021 range, there were a total of 8,152 potential environmental and forestry problems.

Forest and land fires have the largest number with a total of 2,118 potentials, followed by environmental pollution 1,641 and forest area encroachment with 1,295 potentials.

The locations of these potential problems are also scattered at various points throughout Indonesia.

He explained that there was an up and down trend from the various cases in that range, one of which was due to factors from the dynamics of the community and the problems that were of concern to residents in their respective locations.

This is because the potential data is also made based on reports from the public.

He gave an example of potential cases related to the circulation of wild plants and animals which will decline in 2021 even though it had touched 167 in 2020 and 150 in 2019. This could happen because of operations carried out by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry or the lack of spaces to commit crimes.

"This is what we are continuing to explore because it is in the interest of the law enforcement strategic steps that we are taking," said Ratio Ridho Sani.