Deforestation in Indonesia has been occurring for years and it has affected many ecological systems in rain forests. Many people believe this was caused by the presence of plantations which is of one them is crude palm oil plantation. Therefore, the effects of deforestation have caused many issues including the global warming.
Deforestation is an act which cuts the trees in many forests for certain purposes including agriculture. However, as we knew in opening the plantations, we need permission from the authorized officials since it can cause many effects for living things either for flora and fauna or humanity itself. Recent study shows plantations which area opened in many areas in Indonesia have been influenced by the government policy. Nonetheless, the land allocation happening in Indonesia must be supervised thoroughly.
Based on the study conducted by Fumi Harahap et al, In Indonesia, the expansion of palm oil plantations has led to non-sustainable land use practices in past years, particularly deforestation which has caused many international issues including climatic change. As we know, Indonesia has been considered as one of the world’s lungs since it has so many rain forests. It is happened because the society needs for cooking oil, bathing products and even for energy today. But, the main question is how can this plantation could affect the environmental damage?
This study suggested that one of the causes affected by the opening of crude palm oil plantations is the deforestation. Indonesia is considered as one of the largest producer in crude palm oil products. Either for supporting the economic aspects or energy, this situation invites the government to provide land allocation. An illustration which is suggested by this study is the government of Indonesia has to fulfill the demands on bio diesel and it is fulfilled by taking advantage from palm oil industry. Hence, the numbers of crude palm oil plantations it is predicted to be increasing in the future which was 11 MHa in 2015.
The island of Sumatra and Borneo are the main producer. They also have many protected forests which have impacted the world’s climate. Surprisingly, those two islands have been considering as national’s strategic resources since the colonization era. This is a dilemma for the government because it significantly affects the economical agriculture, climate change, energy, and workplaces. The land allocation for plantations must follow the sustainable features and the policies created by the government must be in rigid system. Therefore, the balancing system in preventing deforestation can be achieved in this context.
Another illustration of the land allocation issue is the social conflict which is mentioned by the study itself. The commitment which is regulated by the government has met the officials to not act recklessly only for following the regulation. Although the legal which is occurred in Indonesia has clearly stated that protected forests are not allowed to be cultivated. However, based on the discussion we conducted with a person who is originated from Berastagi, North Sumatra shows different point of view about this social conflict.
Mostly of the citizens cultivated the land in protected forest for planting long-aged plants. For example, crude palm oil, natural rubber, and cassava. Actually, these trees are very economical which can increase the welfare of the society. But, the effect is it can damage the ecosystem particularly for on the soil nutrients. Therefore, there must be a better solution to prevent the needs of society with the environment impact.