Deforestation in Papua Hits Population Hard, Primary Forest Must Make Way for Palm Oil
Indonesia is steadily continuing to cut down primary forest, despite the EU deforestation rules that will come into effect next year. In fact, the largest deforestation project in the world is currently underway in Papua. In Merauke, rainforest the size of three-quarters of the Netherlands is being cleared to establish palm oil and sugarcane plantations.
Palm oil is still massively present in products in Dutch supermarkets. According to Wageningen University, it is in about 40 percent of soaps, cookies, soups, and sauces on the shelves. Moreover, the Netherlands is the largest importer of palm oil in Europe. Palm oil that mainly comes from the by far largest producer on earth: Indonesia.
The logging area in the region of South Papua looks desolate. Gigantic fields of dried clods with piles of cut tree trunks. And only 43,000 of the planned 2.3 million hectares have been cut so far.
The scale of the deforestation can be clearly seen in these drone images:
The logging companies do not yet have all the land in their hands. Approximately 40,000 local Papuans live in the area, who have lived from the forest for generations. "That is a guava plant. We sell that at the market," says Vincent Pipaloh. "There is a tree whose leaves we use as vegetables. And here you see liana roots. We make medicine from those."
The forest he saw as his property was once much larger. "I once had a large bamboo forest. But that is gone now." One kilometer next to his small forest farm, a military base is being built. One of the many in heavily militarized Papua. Where in the rest of Indonesia there is one police officer or soldier per 700 citizens, in Papua it is one per 100.
Divide and Rule
The army offers help to the authorities to take the remaining logging land from the Papuans, according to Pipaloh. "The military intelligence service came by in June." There was no confrontation that day, but according to activist Tasya Manong it was a clear signal. "It is one of the many ways Indonesian authorities intimidate activists and local Papuans. Everyone who resists the destruction of this habitat faces it."
Indonesian journalists discovered that local governments try to force residents by phone to sign away their land. And the palm oil companies also try, according to Pipaloh, to drive a wedge between family members by offering jobs or paying bills. "That is how a conflict arose between my brother and me," says Pipaloh. A divide and rule strategy, then.
According to the Indonesian government, the logging area in South Papua is a Strategic National Project for food and fuel security. Something the Papuans should also benefit from through jobs, cheap food, and fuel. But on the rice fields local Papuans receive as compensation for their piece of forest, the agricultural costs often turn out to be too high to earn enough from the harvest. But when they discover that, it is already too late.
Local governments do nothing about this, according to activists. "Because the political elite themselves profit from the revenues of the palm oil and sugarcane industry." There is no hard evidence that local officials receive money, but activist groups criticize the shady issuance of permits and suggest corruption. Something that is, to say the least, not uncommon in Indonesia.
As far as the Indonesian government is concerned, the traditional life of the forest farmers in South Papua is dying a silent death. A documentary about the largest deforestation project on earth had to be shown in secret meetings. At dozens of these so-called nobars, the army was sent to stop the screening.
That is also the reason why NOS made this trip without a permit, knowing that the permit would not be granted. "I don't understand why international media are not allowed to come here to hear our voice," says Pipaloh. But activist Tasya Manong understands it. As long as the world knows nothing about this, nothing will be done.
Rules Difficult to Enforce
Especially with the knowledge that the EU deforestation rules will come into effect next year. "Countries must stop importing Indonesian products for which forest is cut down. Especially because human rights are also being violated."
But enforcing those deforestation rules will prove difficult. The EU itself knows that too. Various reports show that palm oil from Papua is mixed in Indonesian factories with palm oil that complies with the rules. This makes it very difficult for importers to discover whether they are importing palm oil for which primary forest has been cut. This seems to be one of the reasons why Indonesia feels safe to continue cutting forest for plantations.