Jakarta – The Indonesian government has taken firm action to protect Tesso Nilo National Park (TNTN) in Pelalawan Regency, Riau, which is increasingly threatened by illegal encroachment. Through the establishment of the Joint Task Force for Forest Area Control (Satgas PKH), the state reaffirms its commitment to restoring TNTN’s function as a vital global lung and a key biodiversity habitat in Sumatra.
The task force was formed based on Presidential Regulation No. 5 of 2025 and is led by the Minister of Defense, with the Deputy Attorney General for Special Crimes (Jampidsus) serving as the Chief Executive. Its main focus is to regulate and reclaim forest areas that have been illegally converted into palm oil plantations or residential areas.
“Our task is to take back misused lands and hand them over to the Ministry of Forestry for restoration according to their designated purpose,” said Sutikno, Director of Prosecution at the Attorney General’s Office (Jampidsus), in an official statement.
He revealed that out of the original 81,793 hectares of TNTN, only around 12,561 hectares remain as intact forest.
“Tesso Nilo is a national park of high ecological value. We must protect it as it serves as one of the world’s lungs,” he emphasized.
Minister of Forestry Raja Juli Antoni reaffirmed that conservation areas like TNTN must not be used for commercial crops such as palm oil.
“Communities can still engage in farming, but it must align with spatial planning and not damage the forest’s ecological function,” he stated.
As part of the restoration efforts, the Ministry of Forestry through the Directorate General of Natural Resources and Ecosystem Conservation (KSDAE) has formed the Tesso Nilo Ecosystem Revitalization Team. Sapto Aji Prabowo, Director of Area Conservation at KSDAE, disclosed that only about 24 percent of the park remains as natural forest.
“Since 2021, we have restored 3,585 hectares through forest rehabilitation, watershed restoration, and reforestation,” Sapto said.
In addition, strict enforcement actions have been taken in collaboration with law enforcement authorities, including the demolition of illegal huts, confiscation of heavy equipment, and destruction of illegal palm plantations.
Sutikno added that any legal violations uncovered during the reclamation process would be dealt with firmly.
“If general crimes are found, the police will investigate. If there are indications of corruption, the Attorney General’s Office will follow up,” he stated.
These measures underscore the government’s seriousness in safeguarding critical conservation areas such as Tesso Nilo—efforts that have implications not only for local environmental sustainability but also for the preservation of Indonesia’s tropical rainforest ecosystems on a global scale.
