Judicial Mafia and ecological in-justice: Obstacles to policy enforcement in Indonesian forest management and protection

Abstract

Indonesia is among the eight nations with the greatest forests area in the world. One of the most powerful tools fighting global climate change is forest conservation. Appropriate, prudent, and practical regulations and policies are needed for the protection and preservation of forests. Therefore, Ecological justice-based environmental management is a concern for all nations in the world. To achieve this, regulations and policies must take into account the needs of both people and other forest ecosystem components. This article covers a range of Indonesian laws and policies of crimes related to forest destruction. It identifies three key challenges in achieving ecological justice. The first is the government's intervention and judicial mafia's involvement. The second is ineffective criminal penalties. Punishment for environmental destruction should employ an ecological perspective and a criminal system that promotes corrective justice, restorative justice, and rehabilitative justice. The final challenge is the dominance of political power and government intervention. Political interests influence the bureaucracy's changing tasks and responsibilities and cause the conflict of power.