Oil palm harvests take place twice a month and last for a week. Motorbikes are loaded with kernel and taken to Dosan were the harvest is weighed. The fruit is then taken by truck to a milling station in Lubuk Dalam. Oil palm plantations have expanded rapidly over the past two decades in Indonesia, clearing large swathes of natural forest and critical peatland areas. Promises of economic development and jobs to local communities have not come true for many. An innovative, independent small-holder approach has delivered social and economic benefits and helped protect the remaining forest. The Dosan community has committed to protecting its forests and moving to improved environmental management practices that include zero burning, no herbicide use and improved water management to maintain the peatland water system.05/15/2012
© Greenpeace / John Novis