Tripa Swamp, one of three major peat swamp areas on the west coast of Aceh, is once again in the spotlight in national discussions on climate change and biodiversity conservation. Located in Nagan Raya and Southwest Aceh districts, the ecosystem was once known as “the most carbon-rich tropical swamp forest in Southeast Asia.”

In the last two decades, Tripa Swamp has been under tremendous pressure due to land conversion, palm oil plantations, and forest fires. The area of ​​its peat ecosystem, which originally covered more than 61,803 hectares, has now shrunk drastically, leaving ecological damage that threatens the lives of flora, fauna, and local communities.

Based on satellite image analysis in 2022, it shows that the forest cover area is still around 6,874.37 hectares. However, in October 2024 the remaining forest cover area was only around 6,428.37 hectares. There has been a reduction in forest cover area of ​​around 446 hectares in a period of two years.

On average, the area of ​​forest cover loss is around 20.2 hectares per month. The last remaining peat forest in Nagan Raya also still overlaps with the Right to Cultivate (HGU) of a palm oil plantation company.

The overlay map with the HGU map in Nagan Raya shows the HGU of PT. Sura Panen Subur (SPS) 2 covering an area of ​​7,565.26 hectares and the HGU of PT Kallista Alam covering an area of ​​520.78 hectares. So the total area of ​​HGU in the peatland protection area is 8,086.04 hectares.

The use of land by plantation HGU is legally considered legal, because of their existence before the KEL was determined and the status of the area at the time the permit was granted until now is Other Use Area (APL).

However, the company should have stopped opening new land because it contains peat domes. Because it is not in accordance with the Regulation of the Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Indonesia No. 14 of 2009 concerning the prohibition of cultivation in areas containing peat domes with a depth of more than 3 meters. And there are regulations that strengthen the protection of peat forests in Rawa Tripa, namely the Decree of the Minister of Environment and Forestry of the Republic of Indonesia Number Sk.129 / Menlhk / Setjen / Pkl.0 / 2/2017 concerning the Determination of the National Peat Hydrological Unity Map.

APEL Green Aceh routinely monitors the Rawa Tripa area and finds land clearing activities. Excavators and bulldozers are openly destroying the peat forest ecosystem.

Deforestation is carried out for the purpose of expanding palm oil plantations by large companies, and has been carried out for the past ten years.

Tripa Swamp used to be one of the places with the highest density of Sumatran orangutans (Pongo abelii) highest in the world. Today, this species is almost extinct in the region due to habitat fragmentation and fires. Other species affected include: Orangutans,Sumatran tiger, Honey Bear, Hundreds of types of wading birds and Medicinal plant species and swamp endemics This condition is exacerbated by the lack of firm action against perpetrators of forest burning and destruction.

The damage to the peat ecosystem in the Tripa swamp has reached a critical point with the loss of forest cover due to land conversion and illegal encroachment. This condition has threatened the habitat of rare animals, the Orangutan and the Sumatran Tiger. Palm oil plantation activities have become the main cause of damage in the Tripa Swamp.

Based on the results of data analysis, it was found that there was an overlap of the Peat Protection Area with the company's HGU Area, which in this case is PT. SPS II covering an area of ​​7,565.26 hectares and PT. Kallista Alam covering an area of ​​520.78 hectares. So that the total HGU in the Peat Protection area is 8,086.04 hectares

Tripa Swamp provides a variety of natural resources that are the mainstay of local people's lives. They utilize non-timber forest products, such as rattan and medicinal plants, and catch swamp fish such as limbat fish (a type of swamp catfish) which are an important source of protein and income for the community. However, land clearing for oil palm plantations has destroyed the natural habitat of fish and disrupted the hydrological cycle, thus threatening the sustainability of natural resources.

The condition of the community whose livelihood depends on the natural resources in the Tripa swamp also has an impact on the occurrence of land occupation, the opening of very massive forest areas, one of which is very impacted is the fishermen who look for swamp catfish and rattan seekers in the Tripa swamp area. Currently, they are indirectly starting to reduce their income because the condition of the Tripa swamp forest is getting more attention, which will also have an impact on their income.

Regarding the legal case of the burning of Rawa Tripa land by PT Kallista Alam, the Coalition urged the Suka Makmue District Court to immediately execute the decision to restore the environment of 1,000 hectares of burned land, at a cost of IDR 251.76 billion, confiscation of SHGU collateral No. 27 covering an area of ​​5,769 Ha, and a coercive fee of IDR 5 million per day.

The same demand also applies to the legal case of PT Surya Panen Subur II. The coalition also asked the Suka Makmue District Court to implement the environmental restoration decision for 1,200 hectares of burned land, at a cost of Rp302.15 billion, and compensation payment of Rp136.86 billion.

If we look at the condition of the remaining forest, then the fate of the Sumatran orangutan and the Sumatran tiger and the biodiversity in the Tripa swamp are very threatened by the existence of occupation and the opening of swamp forests into oil palm plantations. As a result of deforestation, the forest which is their roaming area is getting narrower, so there will be conflict between humans and animals.

Since 2017 to 2018, PT. Kallista Alam and PT. Surya Panen Subur II have been proven to have burned the Tripa peatland area. The company has not yet fully implemented the court's decision that has been made and is binding on the firmness of the court and the police because the problem is still ongoing until now.

The condition of the community whose livelihood depends on the natural resources in the Tripa swamp also has an impact on the occurrence of land occupation, the opening of very massive forest areas, one of which is very impacted is the fishermen who look for swamp catfish and rattan seekers in the Tripa swamp area. Currently, they are indirectly starting to reduce their income because the condition of the Tripa swamp forest is getting more attention, which will also have an impact on their income.

We hope that the Suka Makmue District Court will immediately implement the court's decision which has been made and is binding on the two companies that have carried out the burning of the Tripa swamp, namely PT Kallista Alam and PT Surya Panen Subur II, both of which are required to restore the land.

We also ask for the Suka Makmue Court's commitment to immediately execute the two companies if the two companies restore the land that they have burned. This restoration consists of PT Kalista Alam as much as 1000 ha with a restoration cost of more than 251 billion and also PT Surya Panen Subur as much as 1200 ha with a restoration cost of more than 302 billion. The decision has not been implemented until now, so we consider the court to be less firm in its decision.

We also urge the Aceh provincial government and Nagan Raya district to immediately upgrade the status of the Tripa swamp area to a conservation area in order to save the remaining peat and the surrounding wildlife, namely orangutans, Sumatran tigers and the biodiversity within it.

Demands

• Urging Nusron Wahid, Minister of ATR/BPN: Revoke HGU Owned by PT. Kallista Alam (520.78 Ha) and PT. Surya Panen Subur (7565.26 Ha). Protect Peat, Save Biodiversity
• Urged Raja Juli Antoni, Minister of Forestry, to immediately take firm action to save the Rawa Tripa forest
• Urging the Governor of Aceh Muzakir Manaf and the Regent of Nagan Raya Dr. Teuku Raja Keumangan. S.H., M.H. to immediately increase the protection status of Tripa Swamp, to save the biodiversity in Tripa Swamp
• Urging the Suka Makmue District Court to immediately execute PT. Kallista Alam Number: 12 / Pdt.G / 2012 / PN / Mbo jo Number: 50.PDT / 2014 / PT.BNA jo number 651 K / Pdt / 2015 jo Number: 1 PK / Pdt / 2017 in the main case: confiscation of collateral for the Land Use Rights Certificate No. 27 with an area of ​​5,769, environmental restoration of burnt land of approximately 1000 hectares at a cost of Rp. 251,765,250,000.00 so that the land can be used again Sentencing the Defendant to pay a fine (dwangsom) of Rp. 5,000,000 per day for the delay in implementing the decision in this case, -
• Urging the Suka Makmue District Court to immediately execute PT. Surya Panen Subur II Number: 700/Pdt.G/2013/PN.Jkt.Sel Jo Number: 796/PDT/2014/PT DKI jo Number 2905 K/Pdt/2015 jo Number 690 PK/Pdt/2018 the main case to pay material compensation to the State Treasury account of Rp136,864,142,800 Environmental restoration of burnt land covering an area of ​​approximately 1200 hectares at a cost of Rp302,154,300,000,- so that the land can be used again.