Rivers Disappearing Within Palm Oil Concessions Raise Ecological Concerns in Indonesia

In Indonesia's Riau province, the issue of palm oil plantations encroaching on riverbanks, leading to ecological destruction, is escalating. In mid-May 2026, the Directorate of Special Criminal Investigation of the Riau Regional Police named one palm oil corporation as a suspect for planting within the buffer zone of the Air Hitam River, a tributary of the Nilo River, in Ukui District, Pelalawan Regency. Investigators found rows of oil palm trees growing just two to five meters from the river's edge, far within the space that regulations stipulate should be left clear as protection. The estimated ecological damage approaches Rp188 billion. This case touches upon a broader issue than just one company: the fate of small rivers slowly disappearing from management within old palm oil concessions. In many old palm oil landscapes, rivers rarely vanish in a single event; instead, there is a gradual reduction in plantation management. First, a tributary disappears from the work map, then from the planting block design, and eventually from the understanding of field workers. Finally, it slips out of responsibility when the new boundaries of the business use rights no longer include its buffer zone. The water may still flow, but the river no longer exists as an ecosystem. This occurs when palm oil production often disregards the presence of rivers within its concessions. The status attached to rivers shrinks to merely a technical channel in the midst of production areas. This is what is meant by a disappearing river—not that the water evaporates, but that the river loses its recognition, protection, and its owners. This problem is rooted far back in the plantation planning stage. When plantations were opened decades ago, topographic maps, permit maps, hydrological maps, spatial planning maps, and company operational maps often did not align or were not mutually understood. Small tributaries, seasonal swamps, overflow channels, and water depressions were considered less important than other factors.