Forest crackdown — 5M ha reclaimed
The Indonesian government says it has regained five million hectares of forest and President Prabowo called for criminal charges against companies resisting a forest crackdown. (This enforcement message was posted publicly on X by CSPO Watch.) (x.com) The announcement was circulated as part of wider online discussion about environmental enforcement and corporate compliance in Indonesia.
Indonesia says it has taken back more than 5 million hectares of forest land, and President Prabowo Subianto has ordered prosecutors to pursue companies that refuse to cooperate. (presidenri.go.id) (en.antaranews.com) (channelnewsasia.com) At a ceremony in Jakarta on April 10, 2026, Attorney General Sanitiar Burhanuddin said the Forest Area Enforcement Task Force had reclaimed 5,888,260.07 hectares from oil palm operations and 10,297.22 hectares from mining since February 2025. He handed assets and fines to Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni and Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa in Prabowo’s presence. (en.antaranews.com) (channelnewsasia.com) Prabowo said companies that resisted the task force should be prosecuted, and Reuters reported that 34 companies had filed objections in March, with some arguing the mapped land area was overstated. Burhanuddin said companies had paid 7.23 trillion rupiah, about $423 million, in fines so far. (channelnewsasia.com) (usnews.com) The crackdown is being run through Presidential Regulation No. 5 of 2025, which created a task force to audit and police forestry, plantation, and mining activity inside designated forest areas. Indonesian officials say the campaign is aimed at restoring state control over land, collecting administrative penalties, and recovering assets. (setkab.go.id) (id.wikisource.org) (tempo.co) The numbers have risen fast this year. On January 20, 2026, the presidential office said the task force had already reclaimed 4.09 million hectares of oil palm plantations in forest areas and that Prabowo had revoked the permits of 28 companies found in violation. (presidenri.go.id) (setkab.go.id) Some of the reclaimed land is not going back to forest immediately. Reuters reported that about 30,500 hectares were handed to the state company PT Agrinas Palma Nusantara on April 10, while about 255,000 hectares were transferred to the forestry ministry. (channelnewsasia.com) (en.antaranews.com) That transfer has drawn criticism from environmental groups and land-rights advocates. Mongabay reported in July 2025 that civil society groups said the campaign was displacing Indigenous and local communities, hitting smallholders harder than large companies, and concentrating seized plantations under Agrinas. (news.mongabay.com) The government has paired the seizures with rule changes that could let some repossessed plantation land seek formal release from forest status. Legal analysts say Forestry Ministerial Regulation No. 20 of 2025 created a process for applications covering oil palm areas the state had already repossessed under the 2025 presidential regulation. (armilarako.com) (cspo-watch.com) For now, the immediate test is whether Prabowo’s order turns objections into criminal cases. The task force has moved from permit revocations and fines to threats of prosecution, while control of millions of hectares is being reassigned inside the state. (channelnewsasia.com) (presidenri.go.id)
