TEMPO.CO, Jakarta-This year, the Peatland Restoration Agency (BRG) has set a target to restore 600,000 hectares of damaged peatlands in four regency, namely Pulau Pisang in Central Kalimantan, Musi Banyuasin South Sumatra, Ogan Komering Ilir and Meranti Island in Riau.

“[The peatland restorations in] the four regencies are mandated in the Presidential Regulation on the BRG establishment,” BRG head Nazir Foead told journalists at his office in Central Jakarta on Thursday, March 10, 2016.To achieve the target, Nazir said that his team has planned steps to be taken over a year ahead, including a social restoration effort. BRG’s deputy of education, dissemination, participation and partnership Myrna Safitri added that public would be involved in the restoration efforts to minimize land burnings.

Nazir said that the peatland physical restorations would be initiated by collecting data of the lands to be restored. The aim was to determine the strategies to execute the plan and select appropriate vegetation for each peatland.  

The peatland restoration efforts reflected government’s commitment to restore the land functions.

“We have plans to restore the function [of the lands],” Nazir said, adding that the plan was resulted in a discussion initiated by the BRG’s expert group.

Since its establishment, the BRG has been assigned to restore 2 million hectares of peatlands in seven provinces include Riau, South Sumatera, Jambi, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, South Kalimantan and Papua, as mandated by Presidential Regulation No. 1/2016.

AMRI MAHBUB