“Now I make the rule, whichever the depth of peat is, it is not allowed to be converted!”
All the remaining peatland may not be altered its functions even if its depth is below 3 meters. Previous provision was the depth of peat below 3 meters may be converted to cultivation. ”Formerly peat depth less than 3 meters may be converted. However, now I make the rules, regardless of the depth of peat remain should not be converted,” said Minister of Forestry Zulkifli Hasan to the reporters on Tuesday (1/2), in the event of Public Communication “Research Responding to Challenges of Climate Change: Implementation of REDD + in Indonesia.” Zulkifli said, now peatland area only remains 8 million hectares. About 12 million hectares area has been converted for various functions, including oil palm plantations. Demand of employers to convert peat and natural forest areas is now rising. According to Zulkifli, it is triggered by rising prices of various commodities, like oil palm, coffee, and cloves. (Kompas, 02/2/11).

SHK-list social networking (02/2/11) raised this news, “Support the firm steps of Minister of Forestry! Now I make the rule, whichever the depth of peat is, it is not allowed to be converted”(inal), several linkers commented ” Interesting!. But whether the Minister of Forestry bans ‘conversion’ or actually prohibits ‘the utilization/usage’. If refers to the second one then there will be impacts on the indigenous community who has long live and make a livelihood in the peatland area. I understand this policy as the ‘cheapest’ way to reduce carbon emissions for Indonesia. ’Rescuing’ the peat will significantly reduce our carbon emissions without having to reduce the number of industry or improve our industrial technology or change the city planning (e.g. Jakarta) significantly or to reduce fuel consumption. In short words emissions could be reduced without reducing economic volume with minimal social risk. But the ones who become the ‘victims’ are the indigenous community as they may have to exit from the territory of their lives or at least change their way of life. If what was meant by Minister of Forestry is “prohibit the utilization/usage” what is your opinion? “(Ade Cahyat).

“Yoi Ade, that is our concern, there will be thousands of villages in the peatland area that would be displaced if the peat swamp moratorium is not appropriate. The Ministry of Forestry must know exactly which the area of peat swamp forest is. Looks like peat swamp forest is peat swamp which has the depth of more than1 meter, 3 meters, while depth less than 1 meter has become APL in several provinces in Sumatra.”(Tjong).

“Agree with Ade. I support the Minister of Forestry, in accordance to Ade’s meaning ‘forbid conversion’. This assertion, is the only way to stop the forest entrepreneurs seizing the opportunity to continue converting lands even peat swamps, see what is done by PT.RAPP and its allies PT. Sumatera Riang Lestari (SRL), PT. Sumatera Silva Lestari (SSL) and PT. Lestari Unggul Makmur (LUM) in Riau Province. “ (Inal).

There are indications that serious problems faced to make the peat land moratorium is how to stop land clearing outside the legal regulation. It is often associated with processes related to land tenure rights by the community. A condition that actually directly related to the correlation between the exploitation of peat and poverty reduction. Based on this condition, it is proposed that local governments which have peatlands are expected to formulate development strategies that provide space for community initiatives to develop productive areas wisely. The development strategies that provide space to the development of community initiatives are supported directly by the government. In this way, the technology for peat utilization can also be developed based on the community. Furthermore, these initiatives are creatively linked to government programs, and real actions of non-government organizations. Meaning, the peatland moratorium need to be packed into one of the development activities which is planned in line with poverty reduction. (Workshop on Sustainable Utilization of Peat for Accelerating Poverty Reduction and Regional Development. IPB-International Convention Center, Bogor, 28/10/10).
“What we have to alert for is the persuasion of oil entrepreneurs to go along on behalf of the welfare of the people.” (Inal).

The Draft of the Presidential Instruction (Rinpres) on Delay of Services and Issuance of New Permit in Primary and Secondary Forests and Peatlands in Forest Area and Areas For Other Uses (APL), should soon be published as Presidential Instruction on Moratorium, so it is not continually affected by the HTI and mining entrepreneurs who even seek excuses that this Rinpres is only foreign orders.

Peat swamp is a living space for peat swamp community. Activities for the sustainability of the people’s lives depend on the sustainability of peat swamp and the availability of sources of livelihood in peat swamps. Good management of peat swamp area by all parties (government, public and private) becomes a guarantee to the sustainability of life (social, economic and cultural) in peat swamps. The existence of government policy on forestry decentralization, peat swamp and forests conversion for plantation and mining, and the recent about the existence of peat swamp moratorium (suspension) in respect of climate change mitigation in the forestry sector that begins in early 2011 is not possible to give influence to the sustainability of the life of the peat swamp community.(KpSHK, 2011).

Challenges and impacts of development for the living space of peatland community in the perspective of sustainable development, the balance of information and communication in every field in the peat swamp become the main key for all parties to find the best solution for the problems that arise because of the planning, implementation, and evaluation of development in the area of peat swamp, including the possibilities of implementing REDD Plus in areas of districts and provinces that have large areas of peat swamp. (KpSHK, 2011).

Riau, Jambi and South Sumatra are the 3 provinces that have large areas of peat swamp in Sumatra and these 3 are in the 9 provinces which are prepared for (PPPR) Provincial Pilot Project REDD (climate change mitigation in forestry sector). Although there has not yet been certainty that the peat swamp provinces of Sumatra are chosen, but the area development which inclines to climate change mitigation and adaptation based regional development (in particular forest and peat swamp sectors), participatory preparedness of the peat swamp community of this trend become important and immediate. This is because there are still many fundamental economic, social and ecological issues in peat swamp area that have not been touched in the peat swamp area development scheme which based on climate change mitigation and adaptation by all parties, especially the stakeholders in development planning. (KpSHK, 2011).