PBPH Land Opening Postponed, Hot Spots Rise Again in October

YOGYAKARTA, GARISBUMI.com – The Ministry of Forestry has postponed land clearing activities in the Forest Utilization Business Permit (PBPH) area to reduce the risk of forest and land fires (karhutla). The policy in a letter dated October 16 2026 was implemented when hot spots increased again in October and the rainy season withdrew.

Director General of Sustainable Forest Management (PHL) Laksmi Wijayanti said the postponement was not permanent. Activities can be reopened selectively in areas that have complete data and are deemed not to be at risk.

"We make sure we work based on data and risk mitigation, not based on image," said Laksmi at a forest fire control workshop in Yogyakarta, Thursday (22/10/2026).

According to the Directorate General of PHL, the number of hot spots in concessions peaked in August, then decreased before increasing again in October. The increase also occurred outside the seven priority provinces.

About three-quarters of hot spots are outside concessions, especially open access areas bordering PBPH. The remaining quarter is within the concession. Because hot spots tend to increase on weekends, preventive patrols begin from Thursday–Friday.

Permit holders are also asked to speed up inspections and reporting after receiving a hot spot warning. A pause of more than a week is considered too slow. In peat areas, the report must include the condition of each canal blocking, including those that are not functioning or not found.

As of October 19 2026, 32 PBPHs in seven provinces have been subject to sanctions regarding the burned area of 12,926.74 hectares. In detail, 19 PBPHs were suspended and subject to forced recovery, eight were subject to forced recovery, and five permits were revoked.