Enviro News Asia, Jakarta —The Indonesian government has reinforced its commitment to restoring order in national forest areas by revoking the business licenses of 28 companies found to have violated prevailing regulations.
The decision was announced on Tuesday night, January 20, 2026, at the Presidential Palace complex in Jakarta by Prasetyo Hadi, Minister of State Secretary.
He stated that the revocation reflected the government’s policy to reorganize and regulate economic activities based on natural resources, a priority established at the outset of the current administration.
The action followed the formation of the Forest Area Enforcement Task Force under Presidential Regulation No. 5 of 2025, issued two months after the inauguration of the President and Vice President. The task force was mandated to conduct audits and inspections of forestry, plantation, and mining operations operating within forest zones.
Over the course of one year, the task force secured the recovery of approximately 4.09 million hectares of oil palm plantations located inside designated forest areas. Of this total, around 900,000 hectares were reassigned as conservation forest to safeguard biodiversity, including 81,793 hectares within Tesso Nilo National Park in Riau Province.
The enforcement process accelerated following recent hydrometeorological disasters in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra. Audit findings from these regions were presented during a limited cabinet meeting led by the President via video conference from London on January 19, 2026.
Based on the task force’s report, the government revoked licenses of 28 companies, consisting of 22 forest utilization permit holders for natural and plantation forests, as well as six companies operating in mining, plantation, and timber utilization sectors.
The government emphasized that enforcement efforts would continue to ensure that all natural resource-based enterprises comply with Indonesian law and contribute to environmental protection and public welfare.
Several senior officials attended the press briefing, including Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning Minister Nusron Wahid, National Police Chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo, Attorney General ST Burhanudin, and BPKP Head Yusuf Ateh, along with other senior military and government officials. (*)
