Prabowo Issues Presidential Instruction Banning Land Clearing by Burning

President Prabowo Subianto of Indonesia has issued Presidential Instruction (Inpres) Number 11 of 2026 concerning Strengthening the Enforcement of the Ban on Land Clearing by Burning and Control of Forest and Land Fires. The Inpres was signed on August 31, 2026. In the first decree, item 1, Prabowo instructed all ministries, institutions, and regional heads to enforce the prohibition of land clearing by burning and the prohibition of forest and/or land fire activities in accordance with the provisions. This reinforcement is also stated in item 6 of the first decree, which orders the application of criminal, civil, and administrative sanctions against those who conduct, order, facilitate, or allow forest and land fires to occur. Furthermore, the second decree, item 1, regulates the tightening of exceptions for land clearing using local wisdom. It states that the application of these exceptions can only be made by fulfilling cumulative requirements. These requirements include limiting the area cleared to a maximum of two hectares per family, mandating strictly maintained firebreaks, prohibiting the practice in peatland ecosystems and within a 500-meter radius buffer zone, and ensuring it is not for corporate interests, commercial plantations, mining, or concession holders. Referring to the first decree, item 4, it states that the exception for forest and land burning based on local wisdom is carried out strictly. Item 5 further clarifies that this can only be implemented after the emergency status of forest and land fires in a region is revoked by the regional head, and it is not a year-round practice. Separately, Indonesian National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo stated that the government has suspended permits for forest and land burning by local residents, commonly known as local wisdom. "Furthermore, there is an instruction from the President that because we are currently entering an extreme El Nino long dry season, the application related to forest burning with local wisdom is not being applied or is being canceled," said Listyo after a meeting at the Marine Corps Headquarters in Jakarta on Monday (7/9). Listyo also conveyed that any individuals who violate this prohibition can face sanctions ranging from criminal, civil, to administrative penalties. He also mentioned that his ranks, together with TNI soldiers, are directly educating the public in the field regarding land clearing regulations. "Local rules themselves also have rules and requirements, including reporting to the village head, having firebreaks, and reporting the results, waiting, and so on," he said. In addition, Listyo mentioned that eight companies are currently being processed in connection with forest and land fire cases in Kalimantan and Sumatra. He stated that to date, a total of 200 police reports related to forest and land fires are being processed, with 138 perpetrators identified as suspects. Of these hundreds of perpetrators, 119 intentionally carried out burning for land clearing, while 18 others were proven negligent, causing fires.