Mewabahnya virus Covid-19 ternyata tidak menyurutkan aktivitas penebangan hutan secara ilegal. Juni 2020, temuan Jikalahari di Desa Pulau Padang, Kabupaten Kuantan Singingi, mengindikasikan adanya rencana penebangan hutan alam seluas 1.565 hektar yang akan dilakukan oleh PT Nusa Prima Manunggal (NPM), anak perusahaan Asia Pacific Resources International Limited (APRIL).
A civil society organizations’ consortium monitoring deforestation in West Kalimantan said last week that The Forest Trust (TFT), a consultant hired by Sinar Mas Group’s Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) should clarify verification on deforestation findings in its two suppliers’ concessions in “a more comprehensive way and to embrace all relevant parties suspected by the consultant in its rebuttal report.”
A consortium of West Kalimantan civil society organizations accused Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) of breaching its own Forest Conservation Policy (FCP) announced last month where suspension on natural forest and peatland clearance started since 1 February 2013.
Several NGOs are calling on the Government to stop granting concessions for conversion and land clearing on peatlands, citing data that shows the major factor inciting this year's forest fires is forest conversion, mainly on peat soil sites.