Enviro News Asia, Jakarta – The Ministry of Forestry confirms that to date, PT Sumber Permata Sipora (PT SPS) in Sipora Island, Mentawai Islands Regency, West Sumatra, has not yet obtained a Business Permit for Forest Utilisation (PBPH).
The company has only secured a Commitment Approval since March 28, 2023, following a governor’s recommendation and administrative verification.
Head of the Public Relations and Foreign Cooperation Bureau at the Ministry of Forestry, Krisdianto, stated that the government is still applying the precautionary principle at every stage of the permitting process.
“The commitment approval is not a permit to operate, but rather an opportunity for the applicant to fulfil their obligations before being considered for a PBPH,” he said during a media briefing in Jakarta on Monday (August 25).
Secretary of the Directorate General of Sustainable Forest Management, Muchamad Saparis Soedarjanto, added that PT SPS has only completed the preparation of the geographical coordinates for the working area.
Two other obligations, namely the preparation of the Environmental Impact Analysis (AMDAL) document and the payment of the PBPH fee, are still in process. “The AMDAL process is underway, while the fee cannot be paid yet because it must await the completion of the AMDAL,” he explained.
Saparis also affirmed that the government has temporarily postponed the permit issuance process until all obligations are met and field verification is completed. “We understand there are public aspirations, including allegations of land clearing activities.
That’s why all permitting processes are temporarily delayed until there is certainty from the verification results and the AMDAL review,” he said.
The PBPH applied for by PT SPS covers an area of 20.71 thousand hectares, or about 33 percent of the land area of Sipora Island. The utilisation plan includes timber from natural forests, non-timber forest products, and environmental services, including ecotourism. (*)
