Enviro News Asia, Jakarta — Indonesia’s Minister of Forestry, Raja Juli Antoni, presented the Ministry of Forestry’s progress in supporting the accelerated recovery of areas and communities affected by flash floods in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra.
The presentation was delivered during a Follow-up Coordination Meeting and Press Briefing on the Acceleration of Post-Disaster Rehabilitation and Reconstruction in Sumatra, held in Jakarta. The meeting was chaired by Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Pratikno as Head of the Steering Committee, and Minister of Home Affairs Tito Karnavian as Head of the Implementation Committee.
The Forestry Minister stated that the Ministry plays an active role within the Task Force for the Acceleration of Post-Disaster Rehabilitation and Reconstruction in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra, established under Presidential Decree No. 1 of 2026. The Ministry’s key responsibilities include providing land for relocation, managing post-disaster timber materials, and supporting debris and area clearance.
The Ministry has conducted an initial identification of potential relocation land within forest areas should land in Non-Forest Land Use Areas prove insufficient. The identified potential covers approximately 4,778 hectares, comprising around 1,039 hectares in Aceh, 3,577 hectares in North Sumatra, and 162 hectares in West Sumatra.
The Minister emphasized that the Ministry of Forestry is ready to promptly follow up upon receiving formal requests from relevant ministries, provincial governments, or district and municipal authorities. Two legal mechanisms are available: Forest Area Release or Approval for the Use of Forest Areas (PPKH).
“The most realistic and fastest mechanism for providing relocation land from forest areas is through Approval for the Use of Forest Areas, which can later be followed by forest area release for permanent community use,” Raja Juli Antoni said.
The Minister also reaffirmed policies governing the utilization of timber resulting from flood disasters, as regulated under Minister of Forestry Decree No. 863/2025 and a circular issued by the Director General of Sustainable Forest Management on 8 December 2025. These regulations allow the use of driftwood and disaster-generated timber to support disaster response and recovery.
Timber may be utilized by communities and government agencies for non-commercial purposes such as housing construction, bridges, public facilities, and temporary shelters without prior permits. Commercial utilization by region-owned enterprises, small and medium enterprises, local industries, or third parties is permitted under orderly, documented, and coordinated administration to prevent future legal issues.
This policy aligns with the President’s directive to maximize the use of post-disaster materials for community recovery while maintaining sound governance and legal compliance.
To support accelerated recovery, the Ministry of Forestry has deployed extensive field resources, including 38 units of heavy equipment through inter-ministerial collaboration, forestry field personnel and Manggala Agni teams, and joint operational support with the National Disaster Management Agency, the Ministry of Public Works and Housing, the Indonesian National Armed Forces, the National Police, and local governments.
Priority clearance efforts focus on areas with heavy accumulations of timber and sediment, including the Aceh Timur–Aceh Utara border area (Langkahan), Batang Toru in North Sumatra, and several critical locations in West Sumatra.
The Ministry has also supported social recovery by collaborating with the National Disaster Management Agency and non-profit organizations, including Rumah Zakat, to construct temporary shelters for affected residents. Construction has commenced in several locations and will be expanded to other affected areas. (*)
