Enviro News Asia, Jakarta — The Ministry of Environment and the Environmental Control Agency (KLH/BPLH) is strengthening environmental law enforcement and expanding international cooperation to combat increasingly complex and organized environmental crimes that cross national borders.
The commitment was reaffirmed by Minister of Environment and Head of BPLH Moh Jumhur Hidayat while opening a workshop titled “Strengthening National Coordination and International Collaboration in Combating Environmental Crime” in Jakarta on Thursday (September 3, 2026).
The workshop was jointly organized by KLH/BPLH, the Attorney General’s Office of the Republic of Indonesia, INTERPOL, and the Indonesia Ocean Justice Initiative (IOJI).
Jumhur said environmental crimes, including illegal logging, unlicensed mining, illegal trade in hazardous and toxic waste, and trafficking of protected wildlife, increasingly operate across jurisdictions.
The cross-border nature of these crimes involves commodities, criminal networks, financial flows, and beneficiaries of illicit activities.
“Environmental crime is not merely a threat to natural resources. It is a threat to ecological security, the economy, and the rule of law,” Jumhur said.
The economic and environmental losses associated with such crimes are substantial. The World Bank estimates that global losses from environmental crime, including the loss of ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration and flood protection, range from USD 1 trillion to USD 2 trillion annually.
In Indonesia, data from the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) indicate that suspicious transactions associated with environmental crimes during 2025 through the first half of 2026 amounted to approximately Rp198.87 trillion.
Forest and land fires, which are currently affecting several areas, particularly in Kalimantan and Sumatra, are also a major concern requiring intensified action on the ground.
Jumhur stressed that efforts to address forest and land fires must go beyond extinguishing fires. Authorities must also investigate the activities and networks behind the fires while ensuring that law enforcement proceeds alongside ecosystem recovery.
To counter the growing threat, Jumhur called for fundamental changes in the enforcement approach, including intelligence-based investigations, the use of multiple legal instruments, stronger corporate and beneficial-owner accountability, and more operational international cooperation.
The enforcement paradigm is being expanded beyond individuals directly involved in activities on the ground to include those who finance, order, control, or ultimately benefit from environmental crimes.
This approach places greater emphasis on tracing financial flows and identifying the ultimate beneficial owners of companies involved in environmental violations.
Meanwhile, KLH/BPLH Deputy for Environmental Law Enforcement Rizal Irawan said the ministry’s enforcement efforts are based on the Constitution and Law No. 32 of 2009 on Environmental Protection and Management, as amended through the Job Creation Law.
Supported by 398 civil servants working at the ministry’s headquarters and five regional law enforcement offices, the enforcement system covers licensing supervision, administrative sanctions, dispute resolution, and criminal law enforcement.
From 2025 to 2026, the environmental law enforcement directorate processed 73 investigations and 11 formal criminal investigations involving pollution, environmental damage, and waste management.
“Environmental protection is a trust from Almighty God that we must safeguard together for the benefit of present and future generations,” Rizal said.
Through stronger cross-sector coordination and expanded global cooperation, KLH/BPLH aims to disrupt environmental crime networks and strengthen the protection of Indonesia’s ecological resources and economy. (*)
