International Conference Tropical Studies And Its Application / Criteria for Damage to Peat Ecosystems in the Environmental Law Perspective

Abstract

A good and healthy environment is the basic right of every Indonesian citizen guaranteed by the State, written on the Indonesian Constitution Article 28 H paragraph (1). To guarantee such rights, pollution prevention and environmental damage instruments are conducted, including the standard criteria for damage to peatland ecosystems, which have not been maximized to date in the environmental law aspect. Peat is included in the standard criteria of ecosystem damage written on Article 21 paragraph (3) letter f of Law Number 32 Year 2009 on Environmental Protection and Management. Peatlands have important ecological functions as supporting ecosystems, hydrological regulators, water supplies, and flood controllers, and biodiversity conservation facilities, as well as global climate control. Peatland clearing and peatland management are widely implemented and pay more attention to economic value, thus marginalizing the ecological aspects of the environment. This causes the destruction of peat soil which has significant impacts on the environment. In East Kalimantan, peat is important to the coal-forming process. Coal comes from the remains of plants that become peat and then become young coal to old coal. Therefore, the standard criteria for the destruction of peat ecosystems is important to maintain the ecosystem sustainability within the forest area.