Ecobiz.asia — Indonesia’s Ministry of Forestry has launched a renewed Operation Merah Putih in the Seblat Landscape, Bengkulu Province, aimed at restoring wildlife habitat while cracking down on illegal encroachment and logging activities in the forest area.
The joint operation, led by the Forestry Law Enforcement Directorate General, follows a similar campaign carried out between November and December 2025 to ensure the strategic landscape functions again as a key corridor for the Sumatran elephant and an important habitat for the Sumatran tiger.
Hari Novianto, head of the Sumatra regional forestry law enforcement office, said this year’s operation began on March 5, 2026, involving a joint task force comprising the Sumatra Forestry Law Enforcement Office, the Kerinci Seblat National Park authority, the BKSDA Bengkulu, Bengkulu provincial environment and forestry agency, the North Bengkulu Forest Management Unit, as well as local police from Mukomuko and North Bengkulu.
“The operation is focused on the Seblat Wildlife Park, Air Ipuh production forest, Teramang production forest, and parts of Kerinci Seblat National Park within the Seblat landscape, which covers around 80,978 hectares,” Hari said in a statement, as quoted on Monday (March 9, 2026).
He noted that the area serves as an important habitat for protected wildlife species but is increasingly threatened by illegal activities such as forest encroachment and illegal logging.
During the previous operation in 2025, the joint team reclaimed approximately 8,200 hectares of forest land that had been illegally occupied. Authorities also destroyed 24,100 oil palm trees planted within the forest area, dismantled 186 encroachers’ huts, cut off seven access bridges, and seized and destroyed around eight cubic metres of illegally harvested timber.
Officers also installed 81 warning signboards and secured several pieces of heavy equipment as evidence, including one bulldozer, one excavator, and various plantation tools.
From the law enforcement side, investigators have completed three case files related to illegal forest encroachment in the Seblat landscape. Three suspects are currently undergoing trial proceedings at the Mukomuko District Court.
Alongside legal action, the Forestry Law Enforcement Directorate General is also taking a persuasive approach toward communities willing to cooperate. Several residents in villages surrounding the forest area have been questioned, and three individuals have agreed to return the land they occupied to the state.
Forestry Law Enforcement Director General Dwi Januanto Nugroho said the operation aims to break the business chain behind illegal forest encroachment while restoring the ecological functions of the Seblat landscape.
“This operation is designed to dismantle the business of forest encroachment, not to target small communities. Law enforcement is focused on landowners, financiers, and heavy equipment operators who treat forest areas as illegal commodities,” he said.
He added that the government will continue land rehabilitation efforts, boundary demarcation, and stricter supervision of forestry concession holders violating regulations to ensure forest recovery and the protection of wildlife habitats in the Seblat landscape. ***
