Penabulu REDD+

Stories · 26 February 2026 · 7 min read

The line in the Meratus

A customary boundary and a coal haul road now run within sight of each other. One of them is on the official map.

South KalimantanConsentGovernance
Forested ridges beside a river in the Meratus range, South Kalimantan.

Hulu Sungai Tengah, South Kalimantan · Placeholder image pending programme photography.

Customary territory in the Meratus is held by descent and by use, and it is legible to everyone who lives here. It is not legible to a spatial plan, which is the problem.

The map is not a description of the forest. It is a description of who may decide about it.

280,094

Critical Land Area (2018)

Land classified as critical, reflecting substantial ecosystem degradation and the need for restoration.

Mapping is the evidence base for an application, not a substitute for one.

224,428ha

Severely Critical Land (2018)

Land classified as severely critical, highlighting the scale of the province's land rehabilitation challenge.

Holding the edge meanwhile

Recognition takes years. Patrols happen weekly.

66ha

Forest Degradation (2018–2019)

Recorded forest degradation in conservation areas and other land-use areas, highlighting the need for stronger forest protection and enforcement.

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