Indonesia

A growing list of global household brands, from PepsiCo to L’Oréal to Hershey’s, have suspended their purchases from Astra Agro Lestari (AAL), Indonesia’s second- largest palm oil producer, in the wake of reports of land grabbing, environmental degradation and criminal persecution of human rights defenders by AAL and its subsidiaries operating in Central Sulawesi province.

The seizure of ancestral land belonging to Sakai Indigenous People has again caused casualties in Riau province, Indonesia. One person from the Sakai community died after suffering head injuries due to the repressive action by palm oil plantation company PT Panahatan on June 27.

Indonesia’s decision to revoke plantation permits across the country is marred with irregularities including companies continuing to operate or engage in conflicts with Indigenous and local communities.

The Korean corporation aims to secure 850,000 ha of arable land and produce grain through joint ventures in major farming countries such as Australia, North America and South America.

Illegal oil palm plantations spanning an area one and a half times the size of London have been amnestied under an Indonesian government program that critics say incentivizes corporations over small farmers.

PT Kenertec Power Systems, a company belonging to the Korindo group has agreed to end a long-running lawsuit intended to silence a civil society campaign to protect rainforest, in Indonesia’s Papua province, threatened by Korindo’s extensive palm oil operations after a judge in Germany set to dismiss the case.

Indigenous leader of the Awyu people filed an environmental and land rights lawsuit challenging the plan by a Malaysian-owned palm oil company that will clear tens of thousands of hectares of West Papuan forest.

An investigation by Mongabay, The Gecko Project and BBC News found villagers across Indonesia gave up their land to corporations in exchange for a share of the palm oil boom but have been left with empty promises. Tom Walker, head of research at The Gecko Project, argues that increasing transparency, accountability and investigations of errant companies are critical steps that could be taken to solve the problem.

Deforestasi akibat aktivitas pembukaan lahan untuk perkebunan kelapa sawit di Papua cenderung meningkat. Yayasan Pusaka Bentala Rakyat mencatat terdapat lima perusahaan perkebunan yang melakukan penggundulan hutan pada 2022 yakni: PT Inti Kebun Sawit (IKS); PT Inti Kebun Sejahtera (IKSJ); PT Permata Nusa Mandiri (PNM); PT Subur Karunia Raya (SKR) dan PT Internusa Jaya Sejahtera (IJS).

As the palm oil industry swept through Indonesia, it transformed millions of hectares of land into plantations. An opaque system supposed to improve rural livelihoods has left villagers waiting for profits — and answers.

Poor planning and ignoring advice of indigenous groups resulted in flooding, failed crops and left behind arid, barren land that could exacerbate the climate crisis

On the ground and in the courts, members of the Moi indigenous group are resisting oil palm expansion in West Papua, Indonesia