Enviro News Asia, Jakarta – The Ministry of Forestry stated that the licensing process for PT Sumber Permata Sipora (PT SPS) on Sipora Island, Mentawai Islands Regency, West Sumatra, is inseparable from the issue of overlapping land with indigenous communities. This situation is a crucial consideration before forest utilization permits are granted.
Krisdianto, Head of the Public Relations and Foreign Cooperation Bureau of the Ministry of Forestry, affirmed that the government prioritizes the precautionary principle by considering all social aspects, including the rights of indigenous communities.
“This licensing process is not just about technical documents, but also the involvement of communities who have long lived in the area,” he said during a media briefing in Jakarta on Monday (25/8).
Julmansyah, Director of Tenurial and Indigenous Forest Conflict Resolution, revealed that there are two indigenous community groups (MHA) on Sipora Island whose customary territories overlap with the PT SPS permit.
The Uma Sakerebau Mailepet indigenous community has an overlap of 5,920 hectares, while the Uma Sibagau indigenous community has an overlap of 1,017 hectares. The total overlap reaches 6,937 hectares from the proposed 20.71 thousand hectares of the PT SPS Forest Utilization Business Permit (PBPH).
Julmansyah explained that the process of recognizing indigenous communities in Mentawai has been ongoing for a long time, starting with the issuance of Mentawai Regency Regional Regulation No. 11 of 2017 concerning the recognition of Uma, and further strengthened by a Regent’s Decree in 2021.
“We are seeking a solution so that the PBPH can proceed, but the indigenous communities also have a living space through the recognition of their rights,” he said.
The Ministry of Forestry ensures that the application for the PT SPS PBPH will be comprehensively reviewed by considering the aspirations of indigenous communities, in line with the commitment to accelerate the recognition of indigenous forests throughout Indonesia. (*)
