JAKARTA — The Indonesian company responsible for the largest amount of deforestation, PT Mayawana Persada, has largely ceased clearing peatlands in the western part of Borneo. However, it has shifted focus to planting acacia trees on previously cleared peatlands, defying a government directive to halt activities and rehabilitate degraded land. Environmental activists warn that the company’s actions pose ongoing threats to the critically endangered Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus), whose habitats overlap significantly with the concession. The Ministry of Environment and Forestry issued a directive on March 28, 2024, ordering Mayawana Persada to stop logging in its pulpwood concession and focus on restoring damaged peatlands. Despite this, the company has continued planting acacia trees on cleared peatlands, including in areas designated as protected. “The forestry ministry should act tougher by ordering Mayawana Persada to halt all activities and begin rehabilitating the damaged land,” said Andi Muttaqien, executive director of the environmental NGO Satya Bumi. Satellite imagery and field visits by Satya Bumi revealed young acacia trees planted in areas like Padu Banjar and Sungai Mata-Mata villages. Analysis in September 2024 also detected heavy machinery building canals in the Sungai Mata-Mata village, supporting further planting activities. The age of the acacia trees indicate that the planting was done after the forestry ministry had ordered Mayawana Persada to halt activities, according to Restu Diantina Putri, a communication strategist from Satya Bumi who made the visit. The latest satellite imagery analysis also found 57 hectares (140 acres) of cleared forests indicated to be prepared…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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