Jayapura – The Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) together with the Papua Legal Aid Foundation (LBH), the Papua Merauke LBH and the LBH Papua Sorong Post is urging the president, governors, regents and mayors across the Land of Papua to immediately declare a state of disaster emergency due to drought and forest and land fires.
They also called for an immediate halt to forest clearing activities associated with the Food and Energy National Strategic Project (PSN) in Merauke.
The demands come exactly eight years after the central government and provincial governments in Papua signed the Manokwari Declaration on October 10, 2018, pledging to protect Papua's forests, conservation areas and customary forests.
During a meeting on fire management at the Merauke regent's office on Friday October 9, the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) reported approximately 5,543 fire hotspots in Merauke regency, 1,855 in Mappi regency and 1,754 in Boven Digoel regency. Smoke from these fires has reportedly reached Asmat regency, the Lorentz National Park area and as far as East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).
The South Papua Provincial Environment, Forestry and Land Agency recorded that 25,838 hectares of forest and land were burned between January and July 2026. The impact of the dry season was also noted in other provinces across the Papua region: around 500 hectares of community crops in the Agandugume, Oneri and Lambewi districts in Puncak regency suffered crop failure due to hailstorms and frost; the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program in Asmat regency was halted due to a clean water crisis; and haze blanketed at least 17 districts in Fakfak regency. Details of incidents by regency are attached.
These conditions arose after the BMKG reported to the president that the 2026 El Nino phenomenon had become active and could potentially reach very strong intensity, with the peak risk of forest and land fires occurring between August and September 2026. However, none of the provinces in the Papua region were included in the five priority monitoring provinces designated by BMKG. To date, neither the central government nor the regional governments in Papua have declared a disaster emergency status.
The YLBHI and LBH chapters across Papua argue that the disaster in South Papua cannot be viewed solely as a climatic phenomenon. The highest concentration of hotspots are found in Merauke, Mappi and Boven Digoel, areas targeted for PSNs covering approximately two million hectares of customary land belonging to the Malind Indigenous people and other indigenous communities.
This projects are proceeding based on the Decree of the Minister of Environment and Forestry Number 835/2024, dated July 12, 2024. It involves ten companies with the support of TNI (Indonesian Military) Territorial Development Battalions (BTP), yet it lacks free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) from indigenous communities and lacks an environmental impact analysis (AMDAL), as mandated by Article 22 paragraph (1) of Law Number 32/2009 on Environmental Protection and Management.
Clearing tropical rainforest on this scale amidst El Nino warnings heightens the region's vulnerability to fires and drought, with the consequences borne by indigenous communities who never gave their consent. indigenous communities in South Papua are currently challenging the decision in the State Administrative Court (PTUN).
Law Number 24/2007 on Disaster Management mandates that the government undertake preparedness, early warning and mitigation measures when there is a potential for disaster (Articles 44 through 47), and empower the president, governors and regents/mayors to declare a state of disaster emergency (Article 51).
Precedents for declaring such a status in Papua already exist: in 2023 the government declared an emergency response period due to drought and famine in the Agandugume and Lambewi districts of Puncak regency. Neglecting to declare an emergency status while allowing sources of vulnerability to persist constitutes a violation of the right to a good and healthy environment which is guaranteed by Article 28H, Paragraph (1) of the 1945 Constitution and Article 9 Paragraph (3) of Law Number 39/1999 on Human Rights.
Emanuel Gobay from the YLBHI Papua Advocacy Desk stated: "Fires in Merauke, Mappi, and Boven Digoel are burning on customary lands where forests are being cleared without community consent and without environmental impact assessments. The BMKG had warned of a prolonged dry season since mid-year, yet the government proceeded with a two-million-hectare forest clearing project and, to this day, has not declared an emergency status. The state has a legal obligation to protect its citizens from disasters and to halt policies that exacerbate them. Delaying action on both fronts means leaving Indigenous Papuan communities to bear the consequences of policies they never consented to",
Based on the above and in accordance with the role of the public the protection of human rights as stipulated under Article 100 of Law Number 39/1999, the YLBHI, LBH Papua, LBH Papua Merauke and LBH Papua Sorong Post urge the following:
1. That the president, governors, regents and mayors across the Land of Papua must immediately declare a state of emergency regarding the drought and forest/land fires in accordance with Article 51 of Law Number 24/2007, and issue early warnings to the public in accordance with Article 46 of the same law.
2. That the president, the Minister of Forestry, and the Minister of Environment must immediately halt all forest clearing associated with the Merauke PSN and the granting of large-scale forest utilisation permits in the Land of Papua as a mitigation measure under Article 47 of Law Number 24/2007, as well as review Minister of Environment and Forestry Decree (LHK) Number 835/2024 and conduct an environmental audit of all PSN activities.
3. That provincial governments across the Land of Papua and Regional Disaster Management Agencies (BPBD) immediately establish an El Nino disaster response task force and ensure preparedness in accordance with Article 45 of Law Number 24/2007, by prioritising the provision of clean water and food to affected villages and the active involvement of Indigenous communities.
4. That the panel of judges hearing the lawsuit filed by indigenous Papuans must examine the case earnestly and rule in favour of the Indigenous communities to protect Papua's tropical rainforests, in accordance with the principle of "in dubio pro natura" (when in doubt, in favour of nature) principle.
- Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI)
- LBH Papua
- LBH Papua Merauke
- LBH Papua Sorong Post
Contact Person: Emanuel Gobay, YLBHI Papua Advocacy Desk
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Delapan Tahun Deklarasi Manokwari, Tanah Papua Dilanda Karhutla dan Kekeringan: YLBHI dan LBH se-Papua Desak Penetapan Status Darurat Bencana dan Penghentian PSN Merauke".]
