Greenpeace Meets Indonesian President [Google Translate]
Greenpeace International Executive Director Kumi Naidoo met Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. According to Naidoo, the meeting is a good signal for Greenpeace. They discussed the carbon emissions reductions targets, renewable energy and an industry-led campaign against Greenpeace in Indonesia. Two Greenpeace International staffers were last year blocked from returning to Indonesia in response to the green group’s targeting of Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) over the forestry giant’s forest management practices.
Rhino Task Force Formed [Google Translate]
In recognition of the International Year of the Rhino launched on June 5, the Indonesian government formed a rhino task force. It includes Indonesian and international experts, conservation organizations, and communities. The task force aims to enhance the protection of rhinos in Indonesia and establishing a supervisory capacity for remaining rhino populations. Indonesia is home to two of the world’s five surviving rhinos species. Both are critically endangered and on the brink of extinction in the wild.
Police Versus Farmers in Oil Palm Plantation [Google Translate]
Conflict over a palm oil plantation turned bloody in Labuhan Baru district, North Sumatra. During a confrontation over a plantation belonging to PT SMART, one of the world’s largest palm oil companies, security forces shot a 16-year old protester on Monday, June 4th. 60 farmers were arrested during the demonstration, 50 of whom were released shortly after the shooting. The incident has been reported the the National Human Rights Commission, the Parliament, environmental organizations and human rights NGOs in Jakarta.
Related articles
Why is Indonesia afraid of Greenpeace?
(10/18/2011) Last week Indonesian immigration officials in Jakarta blocked Greenpeace director John Sauven from entering the country. Sauven, who two weeks earlier had obtained the proper business visa for his visit from the Indonesian embassy in London, was scheduled to convene with his team in Jakarta, travel to the island of Sumatra, and meet with officials and Indonesian businesses at a forestry conference. The following day, Greenpeace campaigner Andrew Tait was harassed by unknown individuals who attempted to serve him with a deportation warrant.
(06/04/2012) Trekking through deep mud and sawgrass we find a stinking wallow. The elite rangers, dressed completely in black despite the tropical heat, mark the site with the GPS unit, measure the mucky puddle’s depth, and move on. This is the first sign of one of the planet’s rarest animals—the Javan rhino. Only 35 or so remain, including none in captivity. This patch of rainforest and swamp in Ujung Kulon National Park—on the very tip of West Java—is their last and only refuge.
Palm oil company gives up land contested by local communities as part of sustainability pledge
(03/21/2011) An Indonesia palm oil company has relinquished part of its plantation concession to communities that traditionally use the land as part of its commitment to sustainability principles under the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), reports the Forest Peoples Programme. The move is a response to a new procedure that could reduce conflict between palm oil developers and forest-dependent communities.
Breakthrough? Controversial palm oil company signs rainforest pact
(02/09/2011) One of the world’s highest profile and most controversial palm oil companies, Golden Agri-Resources Limited (GAR), has signed an agreement committing it to protect tropical forests and peatlands in Indonesia. The deal—signed with The Forest Trust, an environmental group that works with companies to improve their supply chains—could have significant ramifications for how palm oil is produced in the country, which is the world’s largest producer of palm oil.
