JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – The discourse on revoking Mining Business Permits (IUP) within forest areas must be accompanied by law enforcement and environmental restoration by the companies involved.
This was conveyed by Publish What You Pay (PWYP) Indonesia in response to the President’s instruction to the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM), Bahlil Lahadalia, to accelerate the revocation of IUPs within one week.
PWYP Indonesia National Coordinator, Aryanto Nugroho, stated that Prabowo’s move is a test of the government’s commitment to improving governance in the natural resource sector. He emphasized that permit revocation is merely an entry point, not the end of the problem.
“We agree with the President’s sense of urgency, but speed must not come at the expense of the quality of law enforcement,” Aryanto said in a statement on Wednesday (April 15, 2026).
He added that permit revocation is only an initial administrative step that must not eliminate legal, financial, and environmental accountability.
“If permits are simply revoked while corporate obligations disappear and the officials who issued them walk free, then revocation risks becoming a mechanism for absolving past wrongdoing or a gateway for redistributing land to new interest groups,” he explained.
Mining permits located in forest areas must be addressed immediately, as these areas have experienced massive deforestation.
According to the Status of Deforestation in Indonesia (STADI) 2025 report by Auriga Nusantara, Indonesia’s deforestation increased by 66 percent in 2025—marking a tragic reversal after years of decline.
The report identifies the mining sector as one of the main contributors to forest loss, particularly through permits operating within protected and conservation forest areas.
“The data shows that this spike in deforestation is directly correlated with the expansion of extractive commodities. Therefore, forest areas where mining permits are revoked must be fully restored to their original function, not redistributed for new permits,” Aryanto stated.
“If these lands are handed over to new players, then the President’s instruction would amount to nothing more than a business rotation on top of environmental destruction,” he added.
PWYP Indonesia emphasized that the regulation of mining activities in forest areas must be conducted transparently, with meaningful public participation. Civil society notes that law enforcement often stalls because government actions fail to address root causes.
Forest Protection Must Be Prioritized
According to Aryanto, law enforcement must be oriented toward protecting forests and the environment. Permit revocation cannot be interpreted as eliminating financial obligations, post-mining reclamation responsibilities, or environmental restoration duties of the companies involved.
The revocation of IUPs does not eliminate outstanding financial obligations, including taxes and non-tax state revenues (PNBP).
“The government must ensure that reclamation guarantees are available and enforceable, rather than allowing abandoned mining pits to become deadly legacies for communities,” Aryanto said.
Source: Kompas