Indonesia Clears 11,180 Illegal Oil Palms in Lamandau Reserve
Indonesia says it has cleared 11,180 oil palms from 88 hectares inside the Lamandau Wildlife Reserve, as authorities investigate a forest fire in the protected area.
SUKAMARA, Indonesia — Indonesian authorities have cleared 11,180 oil palm trees from 88 hectares of protected forest in Central Kalimantan, a move linked to an investigation into a wildfire in a reserve that forms part of the country’s extensive conservation network.
The operation took place in the Lamandau Wildlife Reserve in Sukamara regency. Indonesia’s Ministry of Forestry said 43 people who had illegally occupied or used land in the reserve agreed to stop their activities voluntarily. Twenty-eight work huts were also dismantled by the people using them.
Clearance tied to forest-fire investigation
The ministry said the action followed the handling of a forest-fire case in the protected area. Forestry civil-service investigators have questioned all 43 illegal cultivators to obtain information related to the case, it said.
The operation removed both the oil palm trees and work structures from the reserve. The ministry did not provide further details about the fire investigation or say whether any charges had been filed.
Government agencies and local residents take part
The Ministry of Forestry’s forest-law enforcement directorate deployed its forestry-crime enforcement division and its Kalimantan regional enforcement office. The ministry’s conservation directorate also took part through the Central Kalimantan Natural Resources Conservation Agency.
Other participants included the Sukamara regency government, the Indonesian military’s 1014/Pangkalan Bun district command, Sukamara police, the Sukamara district prosecutor’s office and the Sukamara-Lamandau forest management unit. Residents of Kartamulia village and local customary leaders also joined the operation.
The ministry said the 43 people agreed to end their activities, while the 28 huts were removed independently by their users. Its account did not describe forced demolitions.
