IMPLEMENTATION OF THE LAW AND POLICY IN PROTECTING AND MANAGING THE KRUENG PEUSANGAN WATERSHED, ACEH PROVINCE, INDONESIA

Abstract

The Krueng Peusangan watershed in the Aceh Province, Indonesia, has an important role in the daily life of residents in the surrounding areas. The watershed serves as a supply of clean water, shelter, food sources, and sources of income for hundreds of thousands of people. Forest encroachment activities, mining, plantations, and land conversion have interrupted the watershed balance. These various activities cause threats of loss of forest area, biodiversity extinction, water crisis, flooding, human-animal conflict, and also global warming and food crisis. Therefore, this article analyses the law and policies issued by the Central, Provincial, and Regency/City Governments related to the management of the Krueng Peusangan Watershed and to examine the legal framework needed for watershed protection and management. This type of research is normative legal research using the regulatory, conceptual, and case approaches. The results revealed that the existing legal framework has not fully protected watershed rescue. The policies issued are still partial and have not been integrated on a regional or sectoral basis. This paper suggests that the Government of Aceh and Regency/City Governments to revise several Qanun, i.e., the Mid-Term Development Plan Qanun, the Watershed Management Qanun, Strategic Environmental Assessment Qanun, Qanun of Environmental Protection and Management Plan, and laws and regulations in the environmental, forestry, plantation and mining sectors.