The Indonesian Journal of Southeast Asian Studies (IKAT) just published the new article written by Myrna A Safitri from the Faculty of Law Pancasila University Jakarta. This journal brings on The Prevention of Peatland Fires in Indonesia: ‘Law in Action’ to Implement the ASEAN Haze Treaty as its title.
This journal calls attention to Indonesia that carries a vital role in the implementation of the ASEAN Haze Treaty, signed in 2002. The ASEAN Haze Treaty is expected to reduce transboundary haze pollution and improve regional environmental governance. The Indonesian government has improved its regulation and strengthened institutional aspects of peatland protection. However, few studies appointed that these policy changes have impacted fire prevention in degraded peatland ecosystems. Based on the issues, this article would examine the political factors behind the legal and institutional changes in Indonesia’s peatland governance during 2016-2020. It is known that there are six predominant factors in peatland law improvement: strong leadership, improved coordination at the national and sub-national levels, making operational directives, establishing a specialized Government institution dealing with peatland restoration, law enforcement, and the strength of civil society in doing public oversight.