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License to Clear, a new report from Greenpeace International, urges national and regional governments to seize a fleeting opportunity to intervene in a large area designated for palm oil deforestation in Papua Province. Since the year 2000, the forest land approved for plantations in the province of Papua has an area of almost one million hectares - an area that is almost twice the size of the island of Bali. [1]
It will be nearly impossible for Indonesia to meet its Paris Agreement commitments if the estimated 71,2 million tons of forest carbon stored in the plantation concession areas earmarked for deforestation in Papua Province are released. [2] Most of this forest remains intact for the time being. Therefore, reversing this step by providing permanent protection for unclaimed forest areas and recognizing Indonesia's customary land rights could be the most important moment for reaching the UN Conference of the Parties later this year.
The report found systematic violations of permit regulations when plantations were forced into wooded areas. To make matters worse, the measures introduced by the national government to protect forests and moors - such as the forest moratorium and the oil palm moratorium - have failed to deliver the promised reforms and are hampered by poor implementation and a lack of enforceability. In fact, the government can hardly appreciate the recent decline in deforestation in Indonesia. Instead, market dynamics, including consumer demands responding to biodiversity loss, fires and human rights abuses related to palm oil, are largely responsible for the decline. Unfortunately, a disaster is imminent as palm oil prices rise and groups of plantations in West Papua hold massive, unclaimed woodland banks.
The pandemic only made things worse when the government introduced the controversial Omnibus Job Creation Act, designed by oligarchic interests to dismantle environmental and health and safety measures. In addition, no progress has been made in recognizing the rights of indigenous peoples. So far, no indigenous community in West Papua has succeeded in obtaining formal legal recognition and protection of their land as an indigenous forest (Hutan Adat). Instead, they have seen their land turned over to businesses without their free and prior consent.
Kiki Taufik, Global Head of the Indonesian Forest Campaign at Greenpeace Southeast Asia, said: “Systemic forest reforms have not occurred despite the opportunities that have arisen from a decade-long forest moratorium and the international forest protection funds that have already been made available, and they offer considerably more. Before further funds are released, international partners and donors must define clear and strict criteria that prioritize full transparency as a prerequisite. This would ensure that they support the effective implementation of Indonesia's efforts to achieve good forest management and avoid a worsening climate crisis.
“Our research revealed strong relationships and overlapping interests between Indonesian political elites and plantation companies in Papua Province. Former cabinet ministers, members of the House of Representatives, influential members of political parties and senior retired military and police officers have been identified as shareholders or directors of plantation companies listed in the report's case studies. This enables a culture in which legislation and policy-making are distorted and law enforcement is weakened. Despite the promise of a palm oil permit review, companies still have permits for primary forest areas and bogs that have had their protection removed, and it appears that not a single area has been reintroduced into the forest area. "
In late February, a permit review team led by the governor of Papua Barat Province recommended that more than a dozen plantation licenses be revoked and that the forest areas be managed sustainably by their indigenous owners instead. [3] If the leadership of the neighboring province Papua takes a similarly bold stance and the national government supports both provinces, the priceless forests of West Papua could avoid the decimation that has hit forests elsewhere in Indonesia.
The full report here
Notes:
[1] The forest area approved for plantations is 951.771 ha; Bali has an area of 578.000 hectares.
[2] This figure corresponds to almost half of the annual CO2 emissions from international aviation in 2018 (Which).
[3] Joint press release from Papua Barat Province and the Anti-Corruption Commission
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Photos: Greenpeace
