Our new report ‘License to Clear’ urges national and provincial governments in Indonesia to seize a fleeting opportunity to intervene in a vast area slated for deforestation for palm oil in Papua Province. Since 2000, forest estate land released for plantations in Papua Province has totalled almost a million hectares – an area almost twice the size of the island of Bali.
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In Bahasa:
The report finds systematic violations of permitting regulations as plantations were pushed into forest areas. To make matters worse, forest and peatland protection measures introduced by the national government – such as the Forest Moratorium and the Oil Palm Moratorium – have not yielded the reforms promised and are hamstrung by poor implementation and a lack of enforceability.
It will be nearly impossible for Indonesia to meet its commitments in the Paris Agreement if the estimated 71.2 million tonnes of forest carbon stored in the plantation concession lands targeted for clearing in Papua Province are released. The majority of this forest remains intact for now, so reversing this move by providing permanent protection for uncleared forest areas and recognising customary land rights could be Indonesia’s banner moment to take to the UN Conference of Parties later this year.
Download the report (English): License to Clear
Download the report (Bahasa): Stop Baku Tipu