Indonesia

According to The World's Mangroves 1980-2005 (FAO 2007), Indonesia has the largest mangrove area in the world in terms of the extent of the region. However, the condition of mangroves has declined both in quality and quantity from year to year. In 1982, Indonesia's mangrove forests covered an area of 4,25 million ha, while in 2009 it was estimated to be less than 1,9 million ha (KIARA, 2010).

The People’s Coalition for Fisheries Justice Indonesia (KIARA) celebrated the World Mangrove Day issuing a press release where it “urged the government to immediately conduct a revocation of the business license and or development projects (oil palm plantations, shrimp farms, coastal reclamation, and so on) that causes the loss of mangrove forests.

The emergence of “Paper Dragons”. (Available in Indonesian).

On January 29, 2013, at about 4:30pm, a protest of peasants was violently repressed in South Sumatra by the Regional Police. About 25 people were beaten and arrested, peasants and also three activists including Anwar Sadat, Director of WALHI South Sumatra, the main environmental NGO of the country. Please help release Anwar and the other arrested people by signing the On Line Petition: www.change.org/ReleaseAnwar

Elimination of customary laws through regulations In 1950, Indonesia’s forests spanned over 162,290,000 hectares, covering 80% of the country’s 192,257,000-hectare land area. According to the 1999 Forestry Law, the forest area owned by the state accounted for 133,876,645.68 hectares.

The certifying body Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) has failed to act against a company looking for RSPO’s seal which has bulldozed farmland and forests belonging to the indigenous community of Muara Tae, assisted by the intimidation of armed police brought in to protect the company.

“Mining, plantation firms reported for rights abuses”, a Jakarta Post headline informs that mining and plantation companies are among the actors that should be held responsible for numerous human rights abuses in the country, according to a National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) report. The rights commission revealed that companies ranked second — trailing behind the National Police — in its list of institutions reported for human rights violations.

“Manufacturing Consent” is a film that features evidence and first-hand testimony of the abuses of PT Borneo Surya Mining Jaya (PT Borneo) in Muara Tae. The company, a subsidiary of First Resources Ltd, bulldozed farmland and forests belonging to the indigenous community of Muara Tae, assisted by the intimidation of armed police brought in to protect the company, while trying to obtain RSPO certification under fake information.

Several banks and other financial institutions around the world have been warned on last 6 November to avoid investments in pulp and paper mills associated with deforestation and human rights abuses in Indonesia. Sixty environmental and social non-governmental organisations, including a dozen Indonesian civil society groups, have sent letters asking for assurances that the financial institutions will not invest in increased pulp milling capacity by Asia Pulp and Paper (APP) or other companies associated with the Sinar Mas Group until reforms have been achieved.

Article based on a field visit and conversations with villagers in 5 of the 7 most affected communities by this project.

About 40 farmers of a La Via Campesina member organization (Serikat Petani Indonesia) from Jambi province protested in front of the Germany Embassy on October 16 against the negative impacts of a Debt Nature Swap (DNS), signed in 2007 between the German Government and Indonesian authorities. The objective of the agreement to protect tropical forests in Sumatra led in practice to the eviction, burning of houses and arresting of farmers who have lived long in the area.   Source: http://www.metrojambi.com/v1/metro/11013-puluhan-petani-merangin-demo-kedutaan-jerman.html

The state administrative High Court in Medan, has decided in favor of the organization WALHI, cancelling administrative decisions that led to the issuance of the license to the oil palm plantation PT Kalista Alam for an area of around 1,605 hectares in the Rawa Tripa peat swamp forest, Nagan Raya District, Aceh.