Criminal Liability against Business Entities Committing Forest Burning in the Perspective of the Development of Environmental Criminal Law

Abstract

This study aims to investigate issues on how corporate deforestation (by fire) occurs and the responsibilities of business entities for the crime they have committed. Employing the descriptive method, this study relied on secondary data. Destruction of forests has impacted many sectors, e.g., environment, economics, institutional, socio-politics, and others associated with accessibility and biodiversity of forest resources. Such an issue blames factors, such as illegal logging, forest fires, poor monitoring and management of operationalization of the licensing system in forest areas, conversion of forest to plantations, and settlements and other non-forestry development agendas. Corporate deforestation, which is mainly aimed to open new space, is a form of intolerable criminal act given its detrimental effect on the ecosystem and public health. As the one that is responsible for any actions, corporates or business entities are urged to monitor all of their agendas and development. This notion, however, seems insufficient to address the issue of corporate deforestation since legal consequences have little to no effect in reducing primary forest loss.