Release of 1.6 Million Hectares of Forest Area During Zulhas Murni's Tenure for Land Management Former Secretary General of the Ministry of Forestry Emphasizes Opening of Forest Land for Land Management Red: Intan Pratiwi

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA — The policy of releasing 1.6 million hectares of forest area in Riau Province during the tenure of Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan (Zulhas) was clarified to not be a concession for corporate palm oil plantations, but purely a spatial planning decision. This refers to the Ministerial Decree of the Ministry of Forestry Number 673/Menhut-II/2014 and 878/Menhut-II/2014 signed towards the end of Zulhas' term. Former Secretary of the Ministry of Forestry during that period, Hadi Daryanto, said the decision was part of provincial spatial adjustment due to regional division and development needs. “It is not related to palm oil plantation permits, but only for provincial spatial planning. Ministerial Decree 673/2014 designated 1,638,294 hectares as non-forest areas in the context of provincial spatial planning due to the division of cities/regencies,” Hadi said on Saturday (12/6). He explained that the change in the status of the forest area to non-forest area ...