Evaluation of Extractive Permits in the Bukit Barisan Area

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – The decline in the environmental carrying capacity of the Bukit Barisan area exacerbates the impacts of floods and landslides that have struck Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra. The government needs to evaluate extractive permits in the area as they have triggered land use changes that damage the natural ecosystem serving as a water catchment area.

The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) urges the government to promptly evaluate the extractive permits, such as those for mining, industrial forests, plantations, and energy sector licensing. This evaluation is crucial for restoring ecosystems in order to minimize potential disasters in the future.

The Campaign Manager for Forests and Plantations at Walhi, Uli Arta Siagian, stated that the state and corporations must be held accountable for the disaster in Northern Sumatra. "License evaluations must be accompanied by law enforcement and a permanent moratorium. It is impossible for the state to continuously issue permits while the ecosystem is collapsing," he said at the press conference titled "Cyclone Senyar, Ecological Disaster, and Our Future," in Jakarta, Monday (1/12/2025).

The damage to the Bukit Barisan ecosystem has rendered it unable to retain water during heavy rains triggered by the Senyar tropical cyclone. The large volume of water carries mud and wood materials from upstream. This disaster has destroyed more than 200 bridges and severed several land access routes in the three provinces.

Uli stated that permits should be granted to limit land use, especially in important ecosystems such as forests. However, currently, the issuance of permits tends to be retributive without significant control.

According to records from Walhi, this disaster is caused by increasing ecological vulnerability due to changes in important ecosystem landscapes such as forests, and is exacerbated by the climate crisis. From 2016 to 2025, an area of 1.4 million hectares of forest in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra has been deforested due to the activities of 631 companies holding mining permits, oil palm plantation business rights (HGU), forest utilization business permits (PBPH), geothermal, hydropower plant permits (PLTA), and micro-hydro power plants (PLTM).

"A permit evaluation must be carried out immediately. There can be no meaningful economic gain from a damaged ecology," he said.

According to data from the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), as of Monday at 17:30, the death toll from the disaster has reached 565 people, with 494 others still missing. This disaster has also forced more than 500,000 residents to evacuate.

North Sumatra has become the most severely affected area, with the death toll reaching 247 individuals. A total of 174 people are missing and 613 others are injured. Floods and landslides have also damaged more than 1,000 houses in the region.

The Executive Director of Walhi North Sumatra, Rianda Purba, stated that the most critical areas affected by disasters in the province are Central Tapanuli, Sibolga, and South Tapanuli, which have their sources in the Batang Toru ecosystem. In recent years, his organization has criticized the hydropower plant in that location due to its potential to damage the ecosystem, including the river basin areas.

"Exploitation activities seem to be legalized by the government through the process of releasing forest areas for permits through spatial planning revisions," he said.

Rianda added that by evaluating extractive business permits, improvements in land use can be achieved. According to him, land utilization around the Bukit Barisan area should be conducted through coordination with local communities that are familiar with the characteristics of the ecosystem.

"The production patterns that disrupt the ecosystem must be halted. The utilization of forests can still be carried out by harvesting non-timber forest products. This scheme is more environmentally friendly and has a positive impact on the community's economy," he explained.

A representative of Walhi Sumbar, Andre Bustamar, stated that the causes of disasters in Sumbar are due to the accumulation of environmental crises resulting from the government's failure to manage natural resources. According to him, deforestation, illegal gold mining, and weak law enforcement have led to ongoing ecological disasters in Sumbar.

"The phenomenon of wooden logs drifting with the river current indicates logging activities in the upstream area of the watershed. This reinforces the suspicion that forest exploitation practices are still ongoing and are a direct cause of the increased risk of ecological disasters," he explained.

The Executive Director of Walhi Aceh, Ahmad Solihin, stated that the floods that paralyzed at least 16 districts in the province send a strong message that nature can no longer bear the burden of damage imposed by humans. This disaster is not merely a natural phenomenon, but an ecological disaster produced by government policies that are neglectful, permissive, and facilitate the destruction of the living space of the community through extractive investments that greedily consume space.

The numerous casualties should serve as a reminder for the government to genuinely restore the damaged landscapes, re-evaluate, and review the permits of environmentally destructive companies.

"This recurring flood is the result of the accumulation of deforestation, palm oil expansion, and illegal gold mining that has been allowed to run rampant," he stated.

Separately, the Country Director of Greenpeace for Indonesia, Leonard Simanjuntak, stated that the severity and extent of the damage caused by the disaster in Sumatra should serve as an alarm for the massive destruction that has occurred to the ecological protective functions in Sumatra, particularly in river basins, hilly areas, and other vulnerable regions. The environmental carrying capacity of Sumatra is already critical due to its forests being "torn apart" by thousands of extractive industry permits.

"The Sumatra disaster should serve as a reminder for all of us to take immediate action to stop global warming, which will lead to a series of extreme weather events and new disasters in the future," he said.

Satya Bumi Executive Director Andi Muttaqien believes that the impact of the Sumatran flash floods could actually be minimized if companies and the government thoroughly and transparently reviewed every permit, project, and forest opening.

"The high number of casualties should serve as a reminder to the government to truly restore the damaged landscapes, re-evaluate, and review the permits of environmentally destructive companies," said Andi.