Nagan Raya — The APEL Green Aceh Foundation strongly condemns the increasingly massive land clearing and deforestation activities in the Rawa Tripa area of ​​Nagan Raya. Based on field monitoring, these activities are strongly suspected to be carried out using heavy equipment such as bulldozers and excavators.

In addition to land clearing, the APEL Green Aceh team also discovered illegal construction of huts, posts, and semi-permanent structures erected without permits in protected peat areas and areas included in the Indicative Map for Postponement of New Permits (PIPPIB). These activities are considered to exacerbate peat ecosystem degradation and open up opportunities for illegal land conversion, said Rahmad Syukur, Director of Apel Green Aceh.

From the collected photo and video documentation, heavy equipment is clearly being used to level the land and create new access routes. Several points show indications of permanent or semi-permanent land use after clearing. This situation has the potential to damage the hydrological function of the peat, increase the risk of fire, threaten wildlife habitat, and violate environmental protection regulations, he concluded.

The APEL Green Aceh Foundation urges the Nagan Raya Police, the Aceh Police Chief, and the Sumatra Law Enforcement Agency to immediately investigate the alleged environmental crime. The heavy equipment used must be immediately sealed and confiscated as evidence, while illegal structures on the site must be recorded, identified, and legally processed, including demolition if proven to be constructed without a permit.

Law enforcement officials were also asked to investigate the involvement of parties suspected of being responsible, starting from the owners of heavy equipment, land owners, contractors, to parties who ordered or facilitated the activity.

In addition to law enforcement, APEL Green Aceh requested the formation of a special team to conduct rapid mapping of land clearing locations, illegal development points, new access routes, and the extent of damaged areas. This data is considered crucial as a basis for law enforcement and ecosystem restoration.

"The damage to Tripa Swamp continues to recur. The presence of illegal structures indicates that permanentization efforts must be stopped immediately. Law enforcement must be swift and firm to prevent further widespread destruction," emphasized Rahmad Galih, director of Apel Green Aceh.

The APEL Green Aceh Team has collected evidence in the form of photos, videos, and location coordinates to be submitted to the police and Gakkum as supporting materials in the investigation process.