THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE GOVERNMENT AND BUSINESS ENTITIES IN COMBATING FOREST AND LAND FIRES IN RIAU
Keywords:
Forest and Land Fires, Government Liability, Corporate Liability, Legal Remedies, RiauAbstract
Forest and land fires in Riau Province are a recurring disaster that degrades air quality, harms public health, and causes social and economic losses, even though a multi-layered legal framework is already in place, ranging from the 1945 Constitution, the Environmental, Forestry, and Plantation Acts, Government Regulation No. 4 of 2001, to Riau Provincial Regulation No. 1 of 2019. This study aims to analyze the effectiveness of that framework, to explain the liability patterns of the central government, local governments, and business actors, and to examine legal remedies that can be used to address forest and land fires in Riau. The research employs a normative legal method with statutory and conceptual approaches, using primary and secondary legal materials that are analyzed qualitatively and descriptively. The findings indicate that weak oversight and inconsistent law enforcement render the relatively comprehensive regulations ineffective, while conflicts of economic interest prevent local governments from fulfilling their supervisory role optimally. At the same time, the amendment to Article 88 of the Environmental Protection and Management Act by the Job Creation Act weakens the position of the state and the public in pursuing corporate liability because the phrase “without the need to prove fault” has been removed. The study underscores the need to strengthen monitoring, enforce administrative, civil, and criminal sanctions, and optimize public lawsuits so that forest and land fire control in Riau can become more effective, just, and sustainable
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Copyright (c) 2026 Devioleta Putri Aulia, Syakira Maulidia Arifin, Khairunnisa Azzahra, Fathia Hausa Nadine, Sekar Restika Wardany, Radhitiya Atalah Sebayang (Author)
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