Kemenhut Uncovers Modus Operandi of Selling and Buying Protected Forest in East Luwu, 3 Perpetrators Threatened with 10 Years in Prison 

DOK Ministry of Social Affairs

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Forestry (Kemenhut) has dismantled the alleged practice of buying and selling timber in protected forest areas that were illegally opened in East Luwu Regency, South Sulawesi.

Three people with initials AR, AI, and AW were arrested after being caught working on land without permission to be used as a plantation.

Head of the Forestry Law Enforcement Agency for Sulawesi Region, Ali Bahri, said the three perpetrators were secured in an operation on Monday, August 3.

From the results of the investigation, officers found evidence of land ownership through the practice of compensation for land from previous farmers who were carried out informally without permits or legal basis.

The land with an area of about 1.5 hectares that has been opened in the protected forest area is used to plant about 1,500 pepper trees.

Ali emphasized that state forest areas cannot be traded or transferred without a valid licensing mechanism.

"Practices like this should be stopped from the start. State forest areas cannot be traded or transferred without a valid licensing mechanism," said Ali in Jakarta, Tuesday, August 11.

Investigators assessed that the pattern of such transactions could potentially be a new entry point for expansion that continues to expand within protected forest areas. During the operation, officers also seized a number of evidence in the form of work huts and equipment used for plantation activities.

The three suspects are charged with a maximum prison sentence of 10 years and a fine of up to IDR 7.5 billion.

Ali explained that this case shows that forest encroachment does not always start from direct forest opening. Land acquisition through illegal land transactions can actually accelerate the conversion of forest areas.

"When this pattern is left unchecked, encroachment will continue to shift from one person to another and eventually spread. Our law enforcement is directed not only to stop the perpetrators, but also to break the chain of practices that encourage the damage to the forest area to spread further," he said.

The enforcement is part of the policy of the Minister of Forestry, Raja Juli Antoni, to strengthen the certainty of forest areas as well as prevent the illegal possession and use of forest areas.

Under the leadership of King Juli Antoni, the Ministry of Forestry encourages law enforcement that not only targets the encroachment activities that have occurred, but also disrupts various practices that are the gateway to illegally occupying forest areas, including buying and selling or transferring garapan without legal basis.

Director General of Forestry Law Enforcement, Ministry of Home Affairs, Dwi Januanto Nugroho, said that forest area protection must be carried out through enforcement that provides a deterrent effect while maintaining the ecological function of forests.

"Law enforcement is not only aimed at stopping ongoing violations, but also ensuring that forest areas continue to carry out their ecological functions and provide a deterrent effect so that similar crimes do not continue to occur," said Dwi.