Indonesia Boosts Patrols in Sumatra Park After Task Force Attacks

An escalation in Sumatra’s Tesso Nilo

Indonesia has sent reinforcements to Tesso Nilo National Park in Riau province, Sumatra, after a forestry task force command post was destroyed following seizures of illegal palm oil plantings inside the protected area. The move reflects a new phase in a nationwide push by the government to restore forest order and clamp down on plantations operating in state forest zones without permits. It also highlights the deepening tensions in one of Indonesia’s most contested landscapes, where conservation goals and local livelihoods often collide.

The Forestry Ministry said the additional personnel were deployed to re secure the site and prevent further damage to infrastructure that supports patrols and restoration work. Thirty soldiers and twenty forestry police are now on the ground, assigned to intensify patrols, guard areas prone to encroachment, and monitor guard posts. Tesso Nilo spans about 83,000 hectares and is home to the critically endangered Sumatran elephant. Years of encroachment have fragmented habitat and brought elephants into closer contact with farms and settlements.

This surge in enforcement is part of a broader 2025 campaign by President Prabowo Subianto’s forestry task force. The team includes military personnel and state prosecutors and has focused on oil palm operations that authorities say were carved unlawfully into forest zones. Industry groups warn the effort could disrupt global supplies if a large share of production from disputed lands is halted before it can be regularized or rehabilitated. Officials argue that lasting ecological damage is the greater risk if action stalls.

What triggered the confrontation

In recent weeks, the task force has seized about 4,700 hectares of illegal oil palm inside the Tesso Nilo landscape, dismantled access routes into the plantations, and demolished buildings linked to the operations. The destruction of a command post followed these seizures. While investigators have not detailed who was responsible, the attack underscored pushback from interests that have profited from converting protected land. Authorities say they intend to keep pressure on networks behind the encroachment while keeping park staff and local residents safe.

In a written statement, the Forestry Ministry spelled out the immediate priorities for the reinforced team. The ministry said the mission was aimed at stabilizing security and keeping restoration work on track.

The reinforcement aims to re secure the tactical command post, prevent further damage, and ensure that the operation to restore order and the ecosystem continues smoothly.

The task force was set up to target illicit activity inside state forest zones, often called kawasan hutan, where private plantations are not allowed without specific government authorization. Officials say enforcement in Tesso Nilo is part of a broader strategy to halt ongoing damage, recover protected areas, and build cases against those orchestrating and financing land clearing in forests.

Inside Tesso Nilo National Park

Tesso Nilo lies in Riau, Indonesia’s top palm oil producing province. The park has become a symbol of the struggle to shield remaining lowland forests from conversion. While its boundaries protect a critical slice of elephant habitat, many sections have been encroached and planted with oil palm over the past decade. This has left a patchwork of forest fragments and farm blocks, complicating patrols and restoration.

Authorities say much of the clearing occurred without legal permits, in zones designated as state forest. For families who later settled or purchased small plots inside those boundaries, the status of the land can be confusing. When enforcement intensifies, disputes often arise over maps, titles, and compensation. Encroachment also feeds human elephant conflict. Elephants seeking food move through farms and plantations, sometimes destroying crops. That can lead to confrontations that put both wildlife and people at risk.

Officials say the new patrol plan includes a stronger presence in areas most prone to encroachment, better monitoring of guard posts, and quick repairs to infrastructure needed for ranger movement. The aim is to deter further clearing, stabilize security after the post was destroyed, and create conditions for ecological recovery in the most damaged parts of the park.

The scale of land seizures and a new state operator

Across Indonesia, the task force reports that around 3.7 million hectares of plantations have been seized as part of the broader effort to bring illegal operations to a halt. Nearly half of that area has been transferred to a new state run company, Agrinas Palma Nusantara, which now ranks as the largest palm oil company in the world by land size. The creation of a state operator is intended to centralize management of seized areas, though authorities have not yet laid out detailed plans for every tract.

Officials say the overarching goal is twofold. Ecologically sensitive areas inside parks and protected forests are slated for restoration and protection. Production blocks outside those protected zones are expected to be brought into legal compliance, with the company responsible for upholding environmental rules and traceability. How that transition unfolds on the ground will shape both the speed of ecosystem recovery and the fate of plantations that have operated in a gray zone for years.

That transition will also test governance. Accurate maps, clear boundaries, and transparent processes will be essential to resolve overlapping claims. Indonesia’s push to improve traceability aligns with rising demands from global buyers. The European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), for example, will require companies to prove that commodities like palm oil did not come from land deforested after the end of 2020. Bringing seized areas into legal and verifiable supply chains would ease compliance with such rules and could secure market access.

Protests and the fight over livelihoods

Public opposition is growing in some hotspots. In Riau’s oil palm belt, thousands of residents marched last week to protest government takeovers inside the Tesso Nilo area and to demand clarity on the legal basis for the seizures. They called for operations to pause while land rights are reviewed. Local leaders say land tenure should be decided in court if disputes cannot be reconciled. Police were deployed in large numbers to keep the peace during the rally.

Many households in Riau depend on palm oil as their main source of income. In places where land status is unclear, sudden enforcement can create hardship if people lose access to fields without a path to legal resolution or alternative income. Officials maintain that restoring protected forests is essential, and that communities should not be cut off from fair recourse. The challenge is to pull down criminal networks that profit from encroachment while preventing any drift into wider unrest.

State forest zones are under central government control. Overlapping maps and long standing disputes have created confusion at the village level about which areas are lawful to farm. That confusion has been exploited by brokers who sell plots inside protected zones or organize clearing crews and heavy equipment. Lawful restructuring will require mapping, mediation, and, in some cases, accountability for those who knowingly traded in protected land.

The Forestry Ministry says enforcement is aimed at syndicates that organize, finance, and equip illegal operations, not at punishing ordinary residents. A senior official stressed that message in public remarks.

Enforcement operations are focused on landowners, financiers, and heavy equipment operators who trade in state forest areas, not on sacrificing the people.

How enforcement is being carried out

In Tesso Nilo, the task force says it has dismantled access roads into encroached areas, demolished buildings tied to illegal operations, and blocked routes used to move supplies. The reclaimed 4,700 hectares inside the park will be guarded more closely in the coming weeks. The new patrols are designed to stop fresh clearing and allow restoration teams to assess what can be rehabilitated. The added military and forestry police are also intended to reduce the risk of further attacks on command posts and staff.

Dwi Januarto Nugroho, a senior official at the Forestry Ministry, says the aim is to disrupt the money and machinery behind forest conversion, not one off subsistence activity.

The operations are designed to break the chain of business destroying the area, with a focus on landowners, financiers, and heavy equipment operators trading in state forest areas.

Indonesia has been adopting new tools to strengthen forest protection. In some parts of Sumatra, AI based acoustic sensors have been piloted to detect the sound of chainsaws and alert patrols. The technology sends real time audio to be analyzed by software that flags possible illegal logging, helping community rangers and officials respond faster. Combined with more boots on the ground and clearer mapping, such systems can help reduce the speed and scale of forest clearing.

Could the crackdown shake global palm oil markets

Indonesia supplies more than half of the world’s palm oil, a commodity used in food, cosmetics, and biofuels. Any disruption to production or logistics can ripple through prices. Industry groups warn that a sweeping seizure of plantations, followed by a transition period before legal operators take over, could pull volumes off the market and tighten supplies. If encroached blocks inside protected forests are retired or reforested, production from those areas will not return to the market at all. That could be felt in global trade flows in the short run.

Officials counter that cleaning up illegal production will ultimately strengthen Indonesia’s position with buyers that demand traceable and deforestation free supplies. Regulations like the EUDR will require proof of legal land status and geolocation data to the plot level. Consolidating seized areas under a legal operator, auditing boundaries, and restoring protected zones would make it easier to sell into strict markets. The near term will likely see a mix of disruptions and improvements, depending on how fast seized assets are mapped, verified, and either rehabilitated or folded into compliant supply chains.

Wildlife and human safety in focus

For conservationists, the renewed push in Tesso Nilo is about more than law enforcement. The park is one of the last strongholds for Sumatran elephants. Habitat loss has forced elephants to roam across farms and settlements in search of food, increasing conflict and risk of injury on both sides. Restoring native forest and securing corridors inside the park can reduce encounters and improve chances for the species to recover.

At the same time, the safety of residents and park staff is paramount. Better patrol coverage, clear communication with nearby communities, and practical conflict mitigation can reduce tensions. Many successful programs in Sumatra have relied on community engagement, including local ranger teams, early warning systems for elephant movement, and support for alternative livelihoods in villages near protected areas. As the crackdown proceeds, those approaches will be important to keep the peace while the forest heals.

What to Know

• Reinforcements were deployed to Tesso Nilo National Park after a command post was destroyed following seizures of illegal palm oil plantings.
• Thirty soldiers and twenty forestry police were sent to intensify patrols, guard hot spots, and monitor guard posts.
• The 2025 forestry task force includes military personnel and state prosecutors and is targeting operations in state forest zones.
• About 4,700 hectares were reclaimed inside the Tesso Nilo landscape, with access routes dismantled and buildings demolished.
• The Forestry Ministry says the aim is to restore order and ecosystem functions while preventing further damage.
• Thousands of residents in Riau protested against government takeovers and demanded clarity on land rights.
• Officials say enforcement targets landowners, financiers, and heavy equipment operators, not ordinary residents.
• Nationwide, around 3.7 million hectares of plantations have been seized, with nearly half transferred to Agrinas Palma Nusantara.
• Tesso Nilo covers about 83,000 hectares and is critical habitat for Sumatran elephants.
• Industry groups warn of possible supply disruptions, while officials say legal and traceable production will strengthen market access.