In Indonesia, due to the political and social situation around peatland, the
sustainable management of the peat environment has become a difficult task.
Majority of peatlands are classified as state forest, and state appropriation has created
contestation, overlapping, and insecurity over forest tenure conditions (Sunderlin
et al. 2008; RRI 2012). Companies that were given concessions in peatland areas
developed plantations, roads, and canals under weak state regulations, attracting
people to move in. The complexity and vagueness of land possession have prevented
the local villagers from managing peatland sustainably and continuously. As a result,
the peatland has dried up, resulting in degradation, and in turn leading to widespread
fires. The resultant haze caused incalculable damage to the local economy and has
impacted the health of not only the local people, but also those in Malaysia and
Singapore. In 2015, 0.5 million people in the region were diagnosed with upper
respiratory infections. Haze has become a trans-boundary environmental, economic,
and political issue.
25.2 Research Site
Tanjung Leban village is located on the coast of Bengkalis District, Riau province,
and has a population of 558 households and 2097 people. Tanjung Leban, the
surveyed village, was separated from the neighboring Sepahat village to form a
new village in 2004.
The area included within the present-day village comprises mostly peatland, and
the population has grown since around the year 2000 when large-scale timber
exploitation began. The area of the entire village is 17,000 ha, which is exceptionally
large for a single village. Majority of the village land is covered by UNESCOcertified Biosphere Reserve in the Giam Siak Kecil or by industrial tree plantation
concessions (Hutan Tanaman Industri, HTI) operated by forestry companies under
the corporate umbrella of the Sinar Mas conglomerate (Fig. 25.1). The land for
which the company obtained the concession is classified as state land. The surveyed
village has three sub-villages. A sub-village is a subdivision of an administrative
village and may comprise one or more hamlets. The Bakti sub-village is the oldest
settlement, from which the surveyed village formed. Bakti sub-village is located on
the coast of the Straits of Malacca and was originally created around the start of the
nineteenth century. The inhabitants were largely Melayu (Malay tribe). The permanent inhabitants have been there since at least the 1930s, although they retained the
characteristic high mobility of the Melayu people.
The results of the survey conducted in Tanjun Leban village, Bengkalis district,
Riau province in 2010/2011 include the following points (Mizuno and Masuda
2016):
1. Over the past 30 years, logging and plantation in tropical peat forests, farmland
664
O. Kozan et al.
sustainable management of the peat environment has become a difficult task.
Majority of peatlands are classified as state forest, and state appropriation has created
contestation, overlapping, and insecurity over forest tenure conditions (Sunderlin
et al. 2008; RRI 2012). Companies that were given concessions in peatland areas
developed plantations, roads, and canals under weak state regulations, attracting
people to move in. The complexity and vagueness of land possession have prevented
the local villagers from managing peatland sustainably and continuously. As a result,
the peatland has dried up, resulting in degradation, and in turn leading to widespread
fires. The resultant haze caused incalculable damage to the local economy and has
impacted the health of not only the local people, but also those in Malaysia and
Singapore. In 2015, 0.5 million people in the region were diagnosed with upper
respiratory infections. Haze has become a trans-boundary environmental, economic,
and political issue.
25.2 Research Site
Tanjung Leban village is located on the coast of Bengkalis District, Riau province,
and has a population of 558 households and 2097 people. Tanjung Leban, the
surveyed village, was separated from the neighboring Sepahat village to form a
new village in 2004.
The area included within the present-day village comprises mostly peatland, and
the population has grown since around the year 2000 when large-scale timber
exploitation began. The area of the entire village is 17,000 ha, which is exceptionally
large for a single village. Majority of the village land is covered by UNESCOcertified Biosphere Reserve in the Giam Siak Kecil or by industrial tree plantation
concessions (Hutan Tanaman Industri, HTI) operated by forestry companies under
the corporate umbrella of the Sinar Mas conglomerate (Fig. 25.1). The land for
which the company obtained the concession is classified as state land. The surveyed
village has three sub-villages. A sub-village is a subdivision of an administrative
village and may comprise one or more hamlets. The Bakti sub-village is the oldest
settlement, from which the surveyed village formed. Bakti sub-village is located on
the coast of the Straits of Malacca and was originally created around the start of the
nineteenth century. The inhabitants were largely Melayu (Malay tribe). The permanent inhabitants have been there since at least the 1930s, although they retained the
characteristic high mobility of the Melayu people.
The results of the survey conducted in Tanjun Leban village, Bengkalis district,
Riau province in 2010/2011 include the following points (Mizuno and Masuda
2016):
1. Over the past 30 years, logging and plantation in tropical peat forests, farmland
664
O. Kozan et al.