PALMOILMAGAZINE, JAKARTA — The Indonesian government has disclosed a serious environmental breach, revealing that around four million hectares of protected forests and national parks have been illegally occupied by oil palm plantations over the past 10 to 15 years.
The disclosure was made by Hashim Djojohadikusumo, Special Envoy of the President for Energy and Environment, during the Indonesia Economic Summit 2026 held at the Shangri-La Hotel in Jakarta on Wednesday.
Hashim said the large-scale encroachment reflects weak state protection of conservation areas, openly pointing to illegal practices carried out by irresponsible business actors.
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“Over the past 10 to 15 years, around four million hectares of protected forests and national parks have been illegally taken over by oil palm plantations. These were planted by—allow me to say—rogue businessmen. These areas were not properly protected, whether intentionally or unintentionally,” Hashim said, as quoted by Palmoilmagazine.com from tvOneNews on Friday (February 6, 2026).
According to Hashim, one of the core problems lies in the severe shortage of forest protection personnel. Indonesia currently has only about 5,000 Forest Rangers, officially known as Forestry Police (Polsus Kehutanan), tasked with safeguarding dozens of strategic conservation areas nationwide.
“Indonesia has only around 5,000 forest rangers. They are our frontline forest guardians,” he said.
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Hashim stressed that the number is grossly inadequate given the vast territory and the scale of conservation areas under protection. With 57 national parks spread across the archipelago, effective monitoring under current conditions is virtually impossible.
“Five thousand personnel to protect 57 national parks is simply unrealistic. We all know this, and previous governments knew it as well, but the issue was never truly resolved,” he emphasized.
In response, Hashim revealed that President Prabowo Subianto has taken a strategic decision to significantly strengthen forest protection by massively expanding the number of forest rangers.
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“President Prabowo has decided to increase the number of forest rangers from 5,000 to 70,000 personnel,” Hashim said.
The move is expected to mark a major shift in Indonesia’s approach to safeguarding its conservation forests, as the government steps up enforcement against illegal plantation activities and seeks to restore state authority over protected lands. (P2)
