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	<channel>
		<title>Conservation news</title>
		<atom:link href="https://news.mongabay.com/feed/?location=central-java&#038;type=post" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
		<link>https://news.mongabay.com/list/central-java/</link>
		<description>Environmental science and conservation news</description>
		<lastBuildDate>Sat, 15 Aug 2026 21:18:36 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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	<title>Central Java environmental news</title>
	<link>https://news.mongabay.com/list/central-java/</link>
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				<item>
					<title>New study explores how reforestation could help Java&#8217;s leopards survive</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/new-study-explores-how-reforestation-could-help-javas-leopards-survive/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/new-study-explores-how-reforestation-could-help-javas-leopards-survive/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>13 May 2026 01:33:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Basten Gokkon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Basten Gokkon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2020/03/19054541/Foto-CI-Perhutani-YOJ-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=319188</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Central Java, East Java, Indonesia, Java, and Southeast Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Cats, Conservation, Critically Endangered Species, Development, Endangered Species, Environment, Habitat, Habitat Degradation, Habitat Loss, Infrastructure, Leopards, Mammals, Predators, Top Predators, Tropical Forests, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Reforestation done right could be key to helping rebuild habitat connectivity for Javan leopards on an island with one of the highest human densities on Earth, a new study says. It frames strategic forest restoration — linking up fragmented patches of forest to create contiguous corridors — as offering a rare pathway to balance rapid [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Reforestation done right could be key to helping rebuild habitat connectivity for Javan leopards on an island with one of the highest human densities on Earth, a new study says. It frames strategic forest restoration — linking up fragmented patches of forest to create contiguous corridors — as offering a rare pathway to balance rapid infrastructure expansion with the conservation of the endangered big cat. “And to implement this, strong commitment from various stakeholders is needed, given Java’s highly fragmented landscape; this will undoubtedly be a significant challenge,” study lead author Andhika C. Ariyanto, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Twente in the Netherlands, told Mongabay by email. Camera-trap image of a Javan leopard on Mount Sanggabuana, West Java province. Image courtesy of Sanggabuana Wildlife Ranger. The study is the first to produce an islandwide model of habitat connectivity for the Javan leopard (Panthera pardus melas), offering conservationists a new tool to identify which forest corridors should be protected and restored as infrastructure development expands across Java, Andhika said. By comparing the impact of new roads and railways with a scenario in which degraded forests were restored, Andhika and his colleagues found that replanting trees in key areas could help reconnect fragmented habitats throughout Java and give wildlife, including leopards, more room to move and survive. They looked at key forest areas used by leopards across Java, an island half the size of the U.S. state of Texas with five times its population. This high human population density has&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/new-study-explores-how-reforestation-could-help-javas-leopards-survive/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/new-study-explores-how-reforestation-could-help-javas-leopards-survive/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-319188</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Indonesia’s giant Java seawall plan sparks criticism &#038; calls for alternatives</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/09/indonesias-giant-java-seawall-plan-sparks-criticism-calls-for-alternatives/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/09/indonesias-giant-java-seawall-plan-sparks-criticism-calls-for-alternatives/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>11 Sep 2025 01:30:34 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Basten Gokkon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Basten Gokkon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/09/10115229/6-Indonesian-village-rising-tidal-floodwaters-768x512-1.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=305716</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Indonesian Fisheries]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Central Java, East Java, Indonesia, Java, Southeast Asia, Tropics, and West Java]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Adaptation To Climate Change, Climate, Climate Change, Climate Justice, Coastal Ecosystems, Conservation, Deforestation, Disasters, Environment, Erosion, Fish, Fisheries, Fishing, Flooding, Forestry, Forests, Global Environmental Crisis, Impact Of Climate Change, Nature-based climate solutions, Ocean Warming, Oceans, Overfishing, Sea Levels, Solutions, Tropical Deforestation, Tropical Forests, and Water]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has set up a new authority to build a massive seawall along the north coast of Java, a project aimed at shielding millions of residents from flooding and sinking land, but observers reject it as a true solution while highlighting risks, elite bias and lack of consultation. The president on Aug. [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has set up a new authority to build a massive seawall along the north coast of Java, a project aimed at shielding millions of residents from flooding and sinking land, but observers reject it as a true solution while highlighting risks, elite bias and lack of consultation. The president on Aug. 25 officiated the formation of the North Java Coast Management Authority to oversee the construction of a 700-kilometer (435-mile) seawall from Banten to Gresik, aimed at protecting 20 million coastal residents from erosion, tidal flooding and land subsidence. The $80 billion project will cover planning, financing and construction, with officials hoping to attract investors while addressing environmental and social impacts. Prabowo appointed retired Vice Admiral Didit Herdiawan Ashaf, who’s currently the vice fisheries minister, to lead the new government agency, with Darwin Djajawinata and Suhajar Diantoro serving as vice chairs. The agency will oversee planning, financing and construction of the seawall, addressing environmental and social considerations, and its head can adjust plans as needed. “Why two vice chairs? Because managing the North Coast (Pantura) will inevitably involve investment. One vice chair was appointed from Danantara. The other represents the government, specifically the Ministry of Home Affairs, given that this project will span five provinces on Java Island,” State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi told reporters in Jakarta as quoted by local media Tempo. &nbsp; Tidal floodwaters engulf Timbulsloko village. Image by Nuswantoro/Mongabay Indonesia. A 2023 study found that major northern Javan cities, including Jakarta, Pekalongan, Semarang and&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/09/indonesias-giant-java-seawall-plan-sparks-criticism-calls-for-alternatives/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/09/indonesias-giant-java-seawall-plan-sparks-criticism-calls-for-alternatives/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-305716</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>New model reveals hidden dynamics of Indonesia’s booming songbird trade</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/09/indonesia-songbird-trade-wildlife-trafficking-market-demand-supply/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/09/indonesia-songbird-trade-wildlife-trafficking-market-demand-supply/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>02 Sep 2025 13:09:50 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Basten Gokkon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Basten Gokkon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/08/29070532/1000269860-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=305118</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Wild Bird Trade]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Central Java, East Java, Indonesia, Jakarta, Java, and West Java]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Birds, Conservation, Crime, Endangered Species, Environment, Environmental Policy, Illegal Trade, Law, Law Enforcement, Pet Trade, Rainforests, Trade, Wildlife, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Researchers have developed the first model to map how supply and demand interact in Indonesia’s highly lucrative songbird trade, revealing patterns that could help curb poaching pressure on rare and threatened species. Market dynamics in Indonesia’s songbird trade appear to be driven more by species traits, such as mimicry, rather than species identity, according to [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Researchers have developed the first model to map how supply and demand interact in Indonesia’s highly lucrative songbird trade, revealing patterns that could help curb poaching pressure on rare and threatened species. Market dynamics in Indonesia’s songbird trade appear to be driven more by species traits, such as mimicry, rather than species identity, according to a new paper published in the journal Biological Conservation. The researchers said understanding this trade aspect could uncover demand patterns that were previously overlooked, subsequently aiding in the development of strategies to reduce demand in a country whose songbird trade is one of the world’s most prolific wildlife trade sectors. “There is one big question that I get asked a lot: who are buying these birds found in the markets and for what? Why are they selling so many species?” study lead author Karlina Indraswari, who conducted the research during her Ph.D. studies at the Queensland University of Technology in Australia, told Mongabay by email. “Then it continued to the question, why are there so many species recorded in the supply side, yet very little info from the demand side? &#8230; Therefore, can we, at least, get a rough idea of why certain species are traded. So, with that, I shared the idea to the team who were keen to assist me with this paper,” she added. Demand for wild-caught birds remains high, fueling a market that poses serious risks to Indonesia’s threatened species. Image courtesy of Ganjar Cahyadi. The bird trade thrives in Indonesia,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/09/indonesia-songbird-trade-wildlife-trafficking-market-demand-supply/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/09/indonesia-songbird-trade-wildlife-trafficking-market-demand-supply/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-305118</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>On Java’s Mount Slamet, two former trappers find new calling as bird protectors</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/08/on-javas-mount-slamet-two-former-trappers-find-new-calling-as-bird-protectors/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/08/on-javas-mount-slamet-two-former-trappers-find-new-calling-as-bird-protectors/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>31 Aug 2025 15:13:54 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[L. Darmawan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Mongabay Editor]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/08/29084318/A-Sikatan-cacing-jawa_Cyornis-banyumas_Burung-Indonesia_Jihad-1536x1025-1-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=305124</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Central Java, Indonesia, Java, Oceania, and Southeast Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Birds, Conservation, Critically Endangered Species, Endangered Species, Environment, Hunting, Trapping, Wildlife, and Wildlife Trade]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[BANYUMAS, Indonesia — As youngsters, Ari and Junianto would clamber over the upland above Sambirata village, gathering sap to glue-trap the birds nesting below Java’s Mount Slamet. “If it gets wet it’ll lose its stickiness, so you’d have to place it during the day,” Junianto, now in his mid-30s, told Mongabay Indonesia as he pressed [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[BANYUMAS, Indonesia — As youngsters, Ari and Junianto would clamber over the upland above Sambirata village, gathering sap to glue-trap the birds nesting below Java’s Mount Slamet. “If it gets wet it’ll lose its stickiness, so you’d have to place it during the day,” Junianto, now in his mid-30s, told Mongabay Indonesia as he pressed on through thin mist up Mount Slamet together with Ari. A mother Javan blue flycatcher (Cyornis banyumas) is seen feeding her young in their nest. Image courtesy of Burung Indonesia/Jihad. Junianto learned to trap birds in the fourth grade. Before long, hunting had become his primary occupation. Often he would carry a small snake as bait for bigger birds. Within half an hour, they’d usually catch a white-eye (from the Zosteropidae family) or an olive bulbul (Iole viridescens) — both are greenish songbirds — somewhere between 800 and 1500 meters (2,600 and 4,900 feet) up the mountain. Junianto, a former bird hunter, is now a conservation activist. Image by L. Darmawan for Mongabay Indonesia. Their contact lists grew as they became more experienced hunters. Junianto began stockpiling birds from other hunters that he supplied to traders in the neighboring city of Purwokerto. Ari, meanwhile, branched out into selling species on social media. Between 2011 and 2012, he sold not just songbirds, but also slow lorises (Nycticebus coucang), sugar gliders (Petaurus breviceps) and even Javan hawk-eagles (Nisaetus bartelsi), Indonesia’s national bird — the equivalent of trading bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) in the U.S. Ari recalled earlier&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/08/on-javas-mount-slamet-two-former-trappers-find-new-calling-as-bird-protectors/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/08/on-javas-mount-slamet-two-former-trappers-find-new-calling-as-bird-protectors/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-305124</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Rare Javan leopard sighting renews focus on conservation, monitoring efforts</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/08/javan-leopard-camera-trap-java-endangered-wildlife-big-cat-conservation/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/08/javan-leopard-camera-trap-java-endangered-wildlife-big-cat-conservation/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>22 Aug 2025 08:11:08 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Basten GokkonFalahi Mubarok]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Basten Gokkon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/08/22093338/456923fa-fddc-4f6d-954b-0822fcb212b6.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=304773</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Indonesian Forests]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Central Java, East Java, Indonesia, Java, and Southeast Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Big Cats, Biodiversity, Cats, Conservation, Critically Endangered Species, Endangered Species, Environment, Habitat, Habitat Degradation, Habitat Loss, Leopards, Mammals, Predators, Top Predators, Tropical Forests, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A camera trap in an Indonesian mountain forest has recorded a rare Javan leopard, sparking renewed conservation monitoring efforts in the area. The Javan leopard (Panthera pardus melas) was captured on a camera installed in the Mount Lawu forest area of Central Java province, according to a July 29 post by the KGPAA Mangkunagoro I [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A camera trap in an Indonesian mountain forest has recorded a rare Javan leopard, sparking renewed conservation monitoring efforts in the area. The Javan leopard (Panthera pardus melas) was captured on a camera installed in the Mount Lawu forest area of Central Java province, according to a July 29 post by the KGPAA Mangkunagoro I Grand Forest Park (Tahura) on Instagram. The recording, which shows the endangered big cat strolling calmly past the lens, was obtained after officials followed up on a hiker’s report of a leopard sighting along a trail. Dhidhit Suryono, field coordinator team leader at Tahura Mangkunagoro, said the cameras were installed for two full weeks around the reported site to ensure optimal observation results and increase the chance of capturing footage. The exact location of the recording is not being disclosed, he added, to prevent potential poaching. Tahura KGPAA Mangkunagoro I is a 231-hectare (571-acre) forest park on the slopes of Mount Lawu, a 3,265-meter (10,712-foot) volcano on the border between Central and East Java provinces. Image courtesy of Tahura KGPAA Mangkunagoro I. The effort involved four officers and two local residents, Dhidhit said. Of the 10 cameras they carried, only three worked in the field, one of which captured the leopard before the observation period ended. He said this backed their hypothesis that the animal regularly roams the area. Tahura KGPAA Mangkunagoro I is a 231-hectare (571-acre) forest park on the slopes of Mount Lawu, a 3,265-meter (10,712-foot) volcano on the border between Central and&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/08/javan-leopard-camera-trap-java-endangered-wildlife-big-cat-conservation/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-304773</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Batang coal plant’s seawater permit imperils marine life, fishing communities</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/07/batang-coal-plants-seawater-permit-imperils-marine-life-fishing-communities/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/07/batang-coal-plants-seawater-permit-imperils-marine-life-fishing-communities/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>26 Jul 2025 03:39:55 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Basten Gokkon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Basten Gokkon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/07/25085441/ba9-IMG_8776.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=303177</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Indonesian coal and Indonesian Fisheries]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Central Java, Indonesia, Java, and Southeast Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Activism, Climate, Climate Change, Coal, Coastal Ecosystems, Corporate Environmental Transgressors, Ecosystems, Energy, Environment, Fish, Fisheries, Fishing, Fossil Fuels, Global Environmental Crisis, Infrastructure, Land Grabbing, Marine, Ocean Warming, Politics, Sea Levels, and Social Conflict]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Indonesia’s marine ministry has approved one of Java’s largest coal plants to use vast amounts of seawater for cooling, prompting concerns from marine experts over the impact of heated discharge on coastal ecosystems and fisheries. The Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries on July 22 issued a permit for the utilization of seawater for non-energy [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Indonesia’s marine ministry has approved one of Java’s largest coal plants to use vast amounts of seawater for cooling, prompting concerns from marine experts over the impact of heated discharge on coastal ecosystems and fisheries. The Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries on July 22 issued a permit for the utilization of seawater for non-energy purposes (ALSE) to PT Bhimasena Power Indonesia (BPI), the operator of the Batang coal-fired power plant in Central Java. The permit makes the Batang facility the first power plant in Java and the second in Indonesia to be legally authorized to manage seawater for industrial activities, the ministry said in a statement. The ministry said the Batang plant utilized approximately 3 billion cubic meters (106 billion cubic feet) of seawater annually, primarily for cooling purposes, and such large-scale seawater use requires accountable management in accordance with government regulations. The ALSE permit regulates the use of seawater for non-energy industrial purposes, such as cooling, potable water production or other uses, according to the ministry. “This effort also supports transparency and accountability in sustainable marine industries,” Frista Yorhanita, the ministry’s director of marine resources, said in the statement. Unfavorable coastal conditions in Batang, Central Java, have made it increasingly difficult for fishers to operate. Image by Wulan Yanuarwati/Mongabay Indonesia. The Batang thermal coal plant began full operations in 2022 with a 2,000-megawatt capacity. As one of Java’s main power sources, it was built to boost Indonesia’s energy supply and support local economic growth. However, instead of improving&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/07/batang-coal-plants-seawater-permit-imperils-marine-life-fishing-communities/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-303177</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Central Java villages take fast fashion to the cleaners at Indonesia’s Supreme Court</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/05/central-java-villages-take-fast-fashion-to-the-cleaners-at-indonesias-supreme-court/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/05/central-java-villages-take-fast-fashion-to-the-cleaners-at-indonesias-supreme-court/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>26 May 2025 00:56:33 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[T. Handoko]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Philip Jacobson]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/05/14132715/IMG_2627-1200x800-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=299072</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Central Java, Indonesia, Java, and Southeast Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Air Pollution, Business, Environment, Environmental Law, Fashion industry, Fish, Fishing, Freshwater, Industry, Poisoning, Pollution, Rivers, Supply Chain, Sustainability, Waste, and Water Pollution]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[SUKOHARJO, Indonesia — Sarmi recalls the unusual blight that fell over Gupit village around 2017, when doves and finches appeared to vanish from the sky. “With pollution that acrid and poisonous, there weren’t any birds or animals around — they all went away,” she told Mongabay Indonesia. Life in this part of Sukoharjo, a subdued [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[SUKOHARJO, Indonesia — Sarmi recalls the unusual blight that fell over Gupit village around 2017, when doves and finches appeared to vanish from the sky. “With pollution that acrid and poisonous, there weren’t any birds or animals around — they all went away,” she told Mongabay Indonesia. Life in this part of Sukoharjo, a subdued farming district on the island of Java, changed in 2017 when Indonesia’s largest textile group, known as Sritex, opened a factory run by one of its subsidiaries, PT Rayon Utama Makmur (RUM), to supply rayon fibers, also called viscose, to the global fast fashion industry. RUM stopped operating in mid-2023, one of the early dominoes leading up to Sritex itself folding on March 1 this year after being declared bankrupt for missed debt repayments. Sritex had made uniforms for Indonesia’s military and supplied garments to high-street fixtures like H&amp;M and Uniqlo. But sales at the group slumped from around $1.3 billion in 2019 to less than $850 million a year later as the coronavirus pandemic weakened consumer demand. More than 10,000 workers lost their jobs overnight as Sritex stopped operating in March, after the cabinet of President Prabowo Subianto mulled a rescue for the country’s largest textile company, which had started out as a simple shop in the 1960s. As officials in Central Java surveyed the collapse of the province’s biggest employer, Sarmi and 184 others celebrated vindication in court. “Even my child&#8217;s vertigo, thank God, is gone,” Sarmi said. “He used to need treatment&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/05/central-java-villages-take-fast-fashion-to-the-cleaners-at-indonesias-supreme-court/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/05/central-java-villages-take-fast-fashion-to-the-cleaners-at-indonesias-supreme-court/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-299072</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>In an ancient Javanese sultanate, coastal women battle climate fallout</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/04/in-an-ancient-javanese-sultanate-coastal-women-battle-climate-fallout/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/04/in-an-ancient-javanese-sultanate-coastal-women-battle-climate-fallout/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>16 Apr 2025 02:55:45 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Irfan Maulana]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Philip Jacobson]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Food systems]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/04/15075217/Women-in-Timbul-Seloko-Village-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=297543</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Central Java, Indonesia, Java, and Southeast Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change, Climate Justice, Conservation, Environment, Erosion, Fish, Fisheries, Fishing, Food, Gender, Global Environmental Crisis, Impact Of Climate Change, Ocean Warming, Oceans, Overfishing, Sea Levels, and Women In Science]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[DEMAK, Indonesia — The Java Sea has pursued Sunarti for years, first submerging her birthplace in Timbulsloko village, before forcing the mother of two to flee inland on the northern coast of Demak district in Indonesia’s Central Java province. “I became unemployed,” the 53-year-old told Mongabay Indonesia. “The crops we planted wouldn’t grow. I asked [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[DEMAK, Indonesia — The Java Sea has pursued Sunarti for years, first submerging her birthplace in Timbulsloko village, before forcing the mother of two to flee inland on the northern coast of Demak district in Indonesia’s Central Java province. “I became unemployed,” the 53-year-old told Mongabay Indonesia. “The crops we planted wouldn’t grow. I asked God, ‘Why is my life like this?’” As each year passed, brackish water claimed more of the Demak coast, flooding the fields and fishponds in this farming district of 1.2 million people. The water invaded homes and places of business after breaching flood defenses built by communities to hold back the tide. When floodwater intruded into cemeteries, families confronted grief for their loved ones once again. “The water gradually rose up and the roads were submerged,” Sunarti said. “In the end, my father and I went to Semarang on a bicycle.” Sunarti’s new start in Indonesia’s sixth-largest city, a busy port of almost 2 million people, at first involved casual work peeling onions and laboring on construction sites. Later, the mother of two trained to work in the fisheries sector. However, most fishers on Java’s north coast, a region known as Pantura, are themselves struggling to adapt to changes at sea off the world’s most populous island. Mongabay reporting has documented Pantura’s fishers sailing ever farther from home just to sustain a living, as the costs of doing business mount. Overfishing has pushed many fisheries to the brink of collapse or beyond, but research shows&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/04/in-an-ancient-javanese-sultanate-coastal-women-battle-climate-fallout/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/04/in-an-ancient-javanese-sultanate-coastal-women-battle-climate-fallout/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-297543</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Illegal seabed dredging surges as Indonesia resumes sand exports</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/02/sea-sand-dredging-indonesia-fisheries-export-marine-ecosystem-singapore/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/02/sea-sand-dredging-indonesia-fisheries-export-marine-ecosystem-singapore/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>20 Feb 2025 12:34:57 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[M AmbariYogi Eka Sahputra]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Hayat Indriyatno]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/02/18091541/Penambang-pasir-laut-rakyat-di-sekitaran-Pulau-Babi-Kabupaten-Karimun-Provinsi-Kepri-Minggu-24-Maret-2024.-Foto-Yogi-Eka-Sahputra-2-1536x865-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=294576</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Indonesian Fisheries]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Central Java, Indonesia, Jakarta, Southeast Asia, and Sumatra]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Activism, Cities, Coastal Ecosystems, Conflict, Development, Ecosystems, Environment, Environmental Law, Fish, Fisheries, Fishing, Infrastructure, Mangroves, Marine, Oceans, and Politics]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[JAKARTA/BATAM, Indonesia — Mounting reports of illegal seabed dredging in Indonesian waters have raised ecological alarm bells following the resumption of a controversial policy of sand exports. On Feb. 10, a Navy patrol detained seven boats found to be illegally dredging sea sand off the coast of West Manggarai district in East Nusa Tenggara province. [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[JAKARTA/BATAM, Indonesia — Mounting reports of illegal seabed dredging in Indonesian waters have raised ecological alarm bells following the resumption of a controversial policy of sand exports. On Feb. 10, a Navy patrol detained seven boats found to be illegally dredging sea sand off the coast of West Manggarai district in East Nusa Tenggara province. In January, authorities in Jakarta’s Thousand Islands district shut down sand dredging activities off Biawak Island for improper permits. And last October, a maritime patrol seized two Malaysian-flagged vessels for allegedly mining sand off the coast of the island of Batam in Riau Islands province. An officer with the Indonesian fisheries ministry’s enforcement unit watches over a barge suspected of being used in illegal sea sand dredging. Image by Yogi Eka Sahputra/Mongabay Indonesia. For many marine observers, these reports of illegal activities appear to be an alarming result from the burgeoning demand for sand in the wake of the government’s decision in May 2023 (enshrined in two follow-up Ministry of Trade decrees in August 2024) to resume exports of sand extracted from the seabed. Prior to this, there had been a 20-year moratorium on exporting dredged sea sand, though not on its domestic trade. Imam Trihatmadja, program director of the NGO Destructive Fishing Watch (DFW) Indonesia, said illegal sand mining had been going on with impunity for a long time due to a lack of monitoring by authorities. Now with exports allowed once again, the illegal activity will only increase, Imam said, as long as&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/02/sea-sand-dredging-indonesia-fisheries-export-marine-ecosystem-singapore/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/02/sea-sand-dredging-indonesia-fisheries-export-marine-ecosystem-singapore/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-294576</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Javan fisherwomen lead fight against marine dredging amid fears of damage</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/10/fishers-women-indonesia-pantura-java-dredging-sand-exportsogical-and-economic-damage/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/10/fishers-women-indonesia-pantura-java-dredging-sand-exportsogical-and-economic-damage/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>10 Oct 2024 01:09:33 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Basten Gokkon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Hayat Indriyatno]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2024/10/08082815/Aksi-Diam-768x512-1.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=288341</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Indonesian Fisheries]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Central Java, Indonesia, Jakarta, and Southeast Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Activism, Cities, Coastal Ecosystems, Conflict, Development, Ecosystems, Environment, Environmental Law, Fish, Fisheries, Fishing, Infrastructure, Mangroves, Marine, Oceans, Politics, and Women In Science]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[JAKARTA — Fisherwomen on the north coast of Indonesia’s Java Island are leading the fight against the government’s decision to dredge sea sand for export, warning the activity may exacerbate the impacts of rising sea levels and marine ecological degradation. In May 2023, the Indonesian government issued a regulation that allowed sand extracted from the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[JAKARTA — Fisherwomen on the north coast of Indonesia’s Java Island are leading the fight against the government’s decision to dredge sea sand for export, warning the activity may exacerbate the impacts of rising sea levels and marine ecological degradation. In May 2023, the Indonesian government issued a regulation that allowed sand extracted from the seabed to be sold abroad, ending a 20-year-old ban on exporting dredged sea sand. The decision was immediately met with widespread criticism, even though officials, including President Joko Widodo himself, claimed the dredging would only take place in open-water marine areas where “natural sedimentation” had occurred, while coastal areas and small islands would be off-limits to the activity. Earlier this year, the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries issued a follow-up decree, designating seven locations for sea dredging. These sites — mostly in the Natuna Islands off Sumatra, East Kalimantan province in Borneo, and the north Java coast, known as Pantura — cover a combined area about 590,000 hectares (1.45 million acres). The decree would allow up to 17.65 billion cubic meters (623 billion cubic feet) of sand to be extracted. “When we learned that Demak [in Pantura] has been designated [for dredging], we were stunned,” Masnuah, 50, founder of the Puspita Bahari Fisherwomen’s Community in Central Java province, told Mongabay in a recent interview. A woman holds a sign that reads “We need comfort, not dredging” at a protest in Demak, Central Java province, against dredging sea sand for exports. Image courtesy of the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2024/10/fishers-women-indonesia-pantura-java-dredging-sand-exportsogical-and-economic-damage/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/10/fishers-women-indonesia-pantura-java-dredging-sand-exportsogical-and-economic-damage/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-288341</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Indonesian activist freed in hate speech case after flagging illegal shrimp farms</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/05/daniel-frits-maurits-tangkilisan-indonesia-environmental-activist-exonerated-illegal-shrimp-farm-hate-speech-karimunjawa-marine-protected-area/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/05/daniel-frits-maurits-tangkilisan-indonesia-environmental-activist-exonerated-illegal-shrimp-farm-hate-speech-karimunjawa-marine-protected-area/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>22 May 2024 11:19:11 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Basten Gokkon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Basten Gokkon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2024/05/22093740/WhatsApp-Image-2024-05-22-at-14.14.43-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=282366</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Endangered Environmentalists and Indonesian Fisheries]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Central Java, Indonesia, Java, and Southeast Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Activism, Animals, Aquaculture, Ecosystems, Environment, Environmental Law, Environmental Policy, Fisheries, Freshwater, Human Rights, Law, Law Enforcement, Marine, Marine Conservation, Oceans, Overfishing, Pollution, Regulations, and Sustainability]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[JAKARTA — An Indonesian court has overturned the sentence of environmental activist Daniel Frits Maurits Tangkilisan on widely criticized hate speech charges for highlighting the damaged caused by illegal shrimp farms in a protected marine park. The May 21 ruling by the Semarang High Court in Central Java province quashes the April 4 sentence handed [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[JAKARTA — An Indonesian court has overturned the sentence of environmental activist Daniel Frits Maurits Tangkilisan on widely criticized hate speech charges for highlighting the damaged caused by illegal shrimp farms in a protected marine park. The May 21 ruling by the Semarang High Court in Central Java province quashes the April 4 sentence handed down by the Jepara District Court that found Daniel’s Facebook post about the environmental degradation of Karimunjawa National Park constituted hate speech and caused public unrest. Daniel was one of the four activists from the environmental movement #SaveKarimunjawa charged under the controversial 2008 law on online speech. The appeal court judges stated that while Daniel evidently made the statement, he was also proven to be defending the right to a healthy environment, which is enshrined in Indonesia&#8217;s Constitution. Experts had strongly criticized the legal proceedings against the four environmental activists, labeling them as a systematic attempt by the authorities to suppress, scare and stifle dissent using what are known as SLAPP tactics, short for strategic lawsuits against public participation. “Daniel’s exoneration should be a whip for the Indonesian police and attorney general’s office to be careful in applying the law so as not to criminalize activists,” Sekar Banjaran Aji, a coordinator at the NGO Public Interest Lawyer Network (Pil-Net) Indonesia, told Mongabay on May 22. Daniel Frits Maurits Tangkilisan has been exonerated in a hate speech case over a Facebook post criticizing illegal shrimp farms operating in Karimunjawa National Park. Image courtesy of Lentera Jawa&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2024/05/daniel-frits-maurits-tangkilisan-indonesia-environmental-activist-exonerated-illegal-shrimp-farm-hate-speech-karimunjawa-marine-protected-area/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/05/daniel-frits-maurits-tangkilisan-indonesia-environmental-activist-exonerated-illegal-shrimp-farm-hate-speech-karimunjawa-marine-protected-area/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-282366</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Indonesian court jails environmentalist for flagging illegal farms in marine park</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/daniel-tangkilisan-karimunjawa-marin-national-park-indonesia-environmental-activist-jailed/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/daniel-tangkilisan-karimunjawa-marin-national-park-indonesia-environmental-activist-jailed/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>04 Apr 2024 10:57:16 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Basten Gokkon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Basten Gokkon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2024/04/04083328/karimunjawa-3.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=280632</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Indonesian Fisheries]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Central Java, Indonesia, Java, and Southeast Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Activism, Animals, Aquaculture, Ecosystems, Environment, Environmental Law, Environmental Policy, Fisheries, Freshwater, Human Rights, Law, Law Enforcement, Marine, Marine Conservation, Oceans, Overfishing, Pollution, Regulations, and Sustainability]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[JAKARTA — An Indonesian court has sentenced environmental activist Daniel Frits Maurits Tangkilisan to seven months in prison for his online criticism of illegal shrimp farms inside a marine national park off Java Island. The Jepara High Court in Indonesia’s Central Java province also fined Daniel 5 million rupiah ($315) in its April 4 ruling. [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[JAKARTA — An Indonesian court has sentenced environmental activist Daniel Frits Maurits Tangkilisan to seven months in prison for his online criticism of illegal shrimp farms inside a marine national park off Java Island. The Jepara High Court in Indonesia’s Central Java province also fined Daniel 5 million rupiah ($315) in its April 4 ruling. It found the activist guilty of “spreading hate” under a controversial 2008 law on online speech, over a Facebook post in which he denounced the shrimp farms operating inside Karimunjawa National Park, an ostensibly protected area. Judge Parlin Mangatas Bona Tua said Daniel’s post had “created unrest” among community members in Karimunjawa. The sentence handed down was less than the 10 months sought by prosecutors. Daniel Frits Maurits Tangkilisan, an environmental activist, is photographed in police custody after being arrested for criticizing the presence of illegal shrimp farms in a protected area. Image courtesy of Lingkar Juang Karimunjawa. Indonesian environment ministry officials inspect an illegal shrimp farm in Karimunjawa National Park. Image courtesy of the Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry. A coalition of 21 environmental and human rights groups has lambasted the court’s decision. In a press statement issued after the ruling, it said the decision set a negative precedent that anyone could be punished due to “a subjective perception of others,” regardless of the truth. “This decision gives a bad image for Indonesian courts,” the statement said. “The impact of this decision is very bad for environmental protection efforts in Karimunjawa.” Daniel is&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/daniel-tangkilisan-karimunjawa-marin-national-park-indonesia-environmental-activist-jailed/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/daniel-tangkilisan-karimunjawa-marin-national-park-indonesia-environmental-activist-jailed/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-280632</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Indonesian activists face jail over FB posts flagging damage to marine park</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/03/indonesia-karimunjawa-marine-park-illegal-facebook-uu-ite-pollution-shrimp-farms/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/03/indonesia-karimunjawa-marine-park-illegal-facebook-uu-ite-pollution-shrimp-farms/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>25 Mar 2024 16:24:01 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Basten Gokkon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Basten Gokkon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2024/03/25085615/daniel_169.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=280224</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Endangered Environmentalists and Indonesian Fisheries]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Central Java, Indonesia, Java, and Southeast Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Activism, Animals, Aquaculture, Ecosystems, Environment, Environmental Law, Environmental Policy, Fisheries, Freshwater, Human Rights, Law, Law Enforcement, Marine, Marine Conservation, Oceans, Overfishing, Pollution, Regulations, and Sustainability]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[JAKARTA — Greenpeace has condemned mounting legal actions taken by Indonesian authorities against four activists for protesting illegal shrimp farms damaging a marine park off the island of Java. The four activists from the environmental movement #SaveKarimunjawa have been accused of violating a controversial 2008 law on online speech over posts they made denouncing the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[JAKARTA — Greenpeace has condemned mounting legal actions taken by Indonesian authorities against four activists for protesting illegal shrimp farms damaging a marine park off the island of Java. The four activists from the environmental movement #SaveKarimunjawa have been accused of violating a controversial 2008 law on online speech over posts they made denouncing the shrimp farms operating inside Karimunjawa National Park, an ostensibly protected area. “All of this is a form of silencing the public who are fighting for the environment, who are fighting against the business interests of oligarchs and dirty businesses,” Greenpeace Indonesia said in a statement. Observers have widely condemned the legal action against the four environmental defenders, calling it part of exhaustive efforts by the authorities to censor, intimidate and silence through so-called SLAPP measures, or strategic lawsuit against public participation. Daniel Frits Maurits Tangkilisan, an environmental activist, is standing trial for allegedly spreading online hate while posting about the protection of Indonesia’s Karimunjawa National Park from illegal shrimp farms. Image courtesy of Lingkar Juang Karimunjawa. The most advanced of the ongoing cases is that against Daniel Frits Maurits Tangkilisan, who was charged in June 2023 for his criticism posted on Facebook the previous year. Police arrested him on Dec. 7, 2023, but granted him conditional release the following day. His case eventually came before the Jepara High Court, and on March 19 prosecutors sought a conviction with a jail sentence of 10 months and a fine of 5 million rupiah ($320). The court has&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2024/03/indonesia-karimunjawa-marine-park-illegal-facebook-uu-ite-pollution-shrimp-farms/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/03/indonesia-karimunjawa-marine-park-illegal-facebook-uu-ite-pollution-shrimp-farms/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-280224</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Finance and support are key to fishers adopting eco-friendly gear, study shows</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/01/indonesia-fishers-eco-friendly-gear-equipment-sustainability-catch-crab/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/01/indonesia-fishers-eco-friendly-gear-equipment-sustainability-catch-crab/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>03 Jan 2024 07:00:27 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Basten Gokkon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Basten Gokkon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2023/12/27072928/WhatsApp-Image-2023-12-21-at-15.21.23-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=277094</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Indonesian Fisheries]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Central Java, Indonesia, Java, Southeast Asia, and West Java]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Coastal Ecosystems, Conservation, Ecosystems, Environment, Environmental Law, Environmental Policy, Fisheries, Fishing, Governance, Illegal Fishing, Marine, Marine Conservation, Oceans, Overfishing, Regulations, Research, and Sustainability]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[JAKARTA — Small-scale fishers who have better access to financing, the support of a peer group, and a general awareness of environmental problems tend to be more likely to adopt eco-friendly fishing gear, a new study from Indonesia has found. In turn, these same fishers largely enjoy better catches, improving both their welfare and the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[JAKARTA — Small-scale fishers who have better access to financing, the support of a peer group, and a general awareness of environmental problems tend to be more likely to adopt eco-friendly fishing gear, a new study from Indonesia has found. In turn, these same fishers largely enjoy better catches, improving both their welfare and the sustainability of the stocks they target, according to the findings by researchers from the Indonesian fisheries ministry and the national research agency. “The results of our work are very relevant to the current management of sustainable fisheries in Indonesia,” corresponding author Carunia Mulya Firdausy, from the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) and Tarumanagara University in Jakarta, told Mongabay in an email. The study looked at 647 fishers who target blue swimming crabs off the north coast of the island of Java, the heart of Indonesia’s fishing industry. They found that fishers who opted to switch to less-destructive gear tended to be those who were involved in fisheries groups or cooperatives, had access to loans or a higher degree of financial capability, and were more aware of uncertainties in the climate, weather, and currents. Government-affiliated researchers studied the blue swimming crab fishery off the north coast of Java from April to June 2022. Image courtesy of Eka Nurjati/National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN). The study found that being a part of a fishing group encouraged individual fishers to use recommended equipment that’s less damaging to the environment. Having better access to credit from banks is&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2024/01/indonesia-fishers-eco-friendly-gear-equipment-sustainability-catch-crab/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/01/indonesia-fishers-eco-friendly-gear-equipment-sustainability-catch-crab/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-277094</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Iconic Indonesian raptor still threatened by habitat degradation, isolation</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2023/12/javan-hawk-eagle-indonesian-raptor-bird-prey-endangered-species-population/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2023/12/javan-hawk-eagle-indonesian-raptor-bird-prey-endangered-species-population/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>12 Dec 2023 08:17:56 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Basten Gokkon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Basten Gokkon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2023/12/11051029/Photo3-Juvenile-Jhe-nest-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=276526</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Indonesian Forests]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Bali, Central Java, East Java, Indonesia, Java, Southeast Asia, and West Java]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Birds, Conservation, Endangered Species, Environment, Environmental Law, Environmental Policy, Forests, Hunting, Illegal Trade, Rainforests, Raptors, Trade, Tropical Forests, Wildlife, and Wildlife Trade]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[JAKARTA — Most of the habitat of the Javan hawk-eagle is protected, but threats of forest degradation and isolation loom over the surviving population of Indonesia’s national bird, a new study shows. The latest population estimate for the Javan hawk-eagle (Nisaetus bartelsi) is 511 breeding pairs, an increase from 325 pairs in 2009, according to [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[JAKARTA — Most of the habitat of the Javan hawk-eagle is protected, but threats of forest degradation and isolation loom over the surviving population of Indonesia’s national bird, a new study shows. The latest population estimate for the Javan hawk-eagle (Nisaetus bartelsi) is 511 breeding pairs, an increase from 325 pairs in 2009, according to the research. It added that 70% of the species’ habitat lies within protected areas across the islands of Java and Bali, while the remainder is in farmland. “Improved habitat distribution data are needed to better estimate the current population size and to facilitate development of new strategies and action plans,” says the study published Nov. 21 in the Journal of Raptor Research. A juvenile Javan hawk-eagle in Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park. Image courtesy of Heru Cahyono. Researchers observe a Javan hawk-eagle nest in Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park. Image courtesy of Rofifah Aulia Suyitno. The researchers conducted field surveys between 2008 and 2019 by observing the nests of eagle couples and revisiting them during the breeding season, and also collected information through interviews with local communities, key informants from local nongovernmental organizations, government officials, and site managers. To analyze the data, they included improved study methods, such as higher-resolution satellite imagery, which helped in identifying the important habitats. The scientists credited these improved methods with helping them come up with a population estimate that was higher than previously calculated. They also found that while the species prefers big forest areas for breeding, they can&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2023/12/javan-hawk-eagle-indonesian-raptor-bird-prey-endangered-species-population/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2023/12/javan-hawk-eagle-indonesian-raptor-bird-prey-endangered-species-population/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-276526</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Small-scale fishers in Indonesian isles flag use of banned net by outsiders</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2023/09/indonesian-traditional-fishers-cantrang-seine-net-pantura-java-sustainable/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2023/09/indonesian-traditional-fishers-cantrang-seine-net-pantura-java-sustainable/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>07 Sep 2023 05:22:16 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Moh. Tamimi]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Basten Gokkon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2022/09/21081919/6-Fishers-unload-cantrang-nets-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=272970</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Indonesian Fisheries]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Central Java, East Java, Indonesia, Java, Kalimantan, and Southeast Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Coastal Ecosystems, Conservation, Ecosystems, Environment, Environmental Law, Environmental Policy, Fisheries, Fishing, Governance, Illegal Fishing, Law Enforcement, Marine, Marine Conservation, Oceans, Overfishing, Politics, Regulations, and Sustainability]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[SUMENEP, Indonesia — Small-scale fishers in Indonesia’s Masalembu Islands have filed a petition to the government calling for the establishment of an exclusive fishing zone off-limits to larger trawlers that use a controversial type of net that scoops up everything in its path. The Masalembu archipelago is dotted in the Java Ssea between the islands [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[SUMENEP, Indonesia — Small-scale fishers in Indonesia’s Masalembu Islands have filed a petition to the government calling for the establishment of an exclusive fishing zone off-limits to larger trawlers that use a controversial type of net that scoops up everything in its path. The Masalembu archipelago is dotted in the Java Ssea between the islands of Java and Borneo, an area that’s one of the most heavily trafficked fishing zones in Indonesia. The petition, submitted with support from fisheries NGOs, are demanding the designation of a traditional fishing zone, an essential or protected ecosystem area, and the enforcement of a strict ban against cantrang, a ubiquitous form of seine net. “Because the fish stocks have now been depleted, have been exploited way too much, many [large-scale] fishers now go to Masalembu and other small islands off the northern Java coast,” Fikerman Saragih, from the Coalition for Fisheries Justice (KIARA), one of the NGOs advocating for the small fishers, told Mongabay Indonesia. A cantrang net at a fishing port in East Java province. Image by Asad Asnawi for Mongabay. Under Indonesian fisheries law, the 12-nautical-mile (22-kilometer) zone off an island’s coast is reserved for traditional and small-scale fishers, defined as those using boats smaller than 10 gross tonnage. These are exempted from boat and operation registration, while larger boats are required to apply for vessel and fishing licenses, especially if they plan to catch fish in waters outside of the region where they’re registered. The Java Sea has for generations played&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2023/09/indonesian-traditional-fishers-cantrang-seine-net-pantura-java-sustainable/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2023/09/indonesian-traditional-fishers-cantrang-seine-net-pantura-java-sustainable/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-272970</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Indonesian illegal shark and ray exports remain rampant amid poor monitoring</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2023/08/indonesian-illegal-shark-and-ray-exports-remain-rampant-amid-poor-monitoring/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2023/08/indonesian-illegal-shark-and-ray-exports-remain-rampant-amid-poor-monitoring/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>08 Aug 2023 08:31:58 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Asad Asnawi]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Basten Gokkon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2023/07/27084020/F1_2-768x512-1.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=271438</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Indonesian Fisheries]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Central Java, East Java, Indonesia, Java, Papua, and Southeast Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animal Welfare, Animals, Biodiversity, Conservation, Crime, Ecosystems, Elasmobranchs, Environment, Environmental Law, Environmental Policy, Fish, Fisheries, Fishing, Illegal Fishing, Illegal Trade, Law Enforcement, Marine, Marine Animals, Marine Conservation, Mongabay investigation, Oceans, Overfishing, Regulations, Saltwater Fish, Sharks, Sustainability, Wildlife, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[LAMONGAN, Indonesia — The Brondong Fisheries Port in Indonesia’s East Java province was busy on a Friday morning in February as workers worked as swiftly as possible to unload the catches. Among the landed crates of fish, there were sharks and rays that appeared to be different types. Rizal, one of the many fish buyers [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[LAMONGAN, Indonesia — The Brondong Fisheries Port in Indonesia’s East Java province was busy on a Friday morning in February as workers worked as swiftly as possible to unload the catches. Among the landed crates of fish, there were sharks and rays that appeared to be different types. Rizal, one of the many fish buyers who had stood by at the port since early morning, looked happy at the sight of that day’s catches. He eventually collected the biggest volume among the group with some 10 tons of both sharks and rays. Rizal’s fish handlers immediately got to work and cut off the sharks&#8217; fins. Shark fins are the most valuable for Rizal. He could only get as much as 14,000 rupiah ($0.93) per kilogram (2.2 pounds) of shark meat, but the fins could be sold for millions of rupiah per kilogram. The longer the fins, the higher the price. For those measuring 15 centimeters (6 inches), the price point is between 500,000-700,000 rupiah ($33-46) per kilogram, while those measuring 40 cm (16 in) are priced at 2 million-2.4 million rupiah ($132-$159). Rizal said his buyers, who are from other cities in Java such as Surabaya, Pati, Tegal and Jakarta, would typically pay for 50-100 kg (110-220) of the fins. One of the hundreds of sharks landed at Brondong Fisheries Port of Indonesia&#8217;s East Java province. Image by A. Asnawi/Mongabay-Indonesia. Brondong is one of many Indonesian ports where sharks and rays are landed. A Mongabay-Indonesia investigation between January and April&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2023/08/indonesian-illegal-shark-and-ray-exports-remain-rampant-amid-poor-monitoring/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2023/08/indonesian-illegal-shark-and-ray-exports-remain-rampant-amid-poor-monitoring/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-271438</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Indonesia foresters hope Garuda poachers turn gamekeepers</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/10/indonesia-foresters-hope-garuda-poachers-turn-gamekeepers/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/10/indonesia-foresters-hope-garuda-poachers-turn-gamekeepers/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>11 Oct 2022 03:37:13 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[L. Darmawan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Philip Jacobson]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2022/10/10111723/hawk-eagle-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=261309</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Central Java, Indonesia, Java, and Southeast Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Birds, Community-based Conservation, Conservation, Conservation Solutions, Endangered Species, Environment, Hunting, Raptors, Solutions, Tropical Forests, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[BANYUMAS, Indonesia — When community foresters ascended one of Java’s most sacred mountains to survey the symbolic Javan hawk-eagle, partnering up with poachers appeared to kill two birds with one stone. “The bird hunters know the locations — and hopefully in this way they will have awareness,” said Sisworo, who heads the community forestry agency [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[BANYUMAS, Indonesia — When community foresters ascended one of Java’s most sacred mountains to survey the symbolic Javan hawk-eagle, partnering up with poachers appeared to kill two birds with one stone. “The bird hunters know the locations — and hopefully in this way they will have awareness,” said Sisworo, who heads the community forestry agency in Karangsalam village, Central Java province. In early August, residents armed with binoculars began the hike uphill to begin mapping the local biodiversity in areas around Mount Slamet, a volcano that was a prominent holy site during the Mataram Kingdom a thousand years ago. Midway through the expedition, a group chanced upon one of the birds flying over the volcanic slopes — a sight that’s becoming increasingly rare, local officials said. A group mapping and monitoring Javan hawk-eagles in the forest area of the southern slopes of Mount Slamet. Photo by L Darmawan for Mongabay. “We were very pleased,” said Daryono, chair of the community forestry office in Kemutug Dor village. “The Javan hawk-eagle is currently in the endangered category.” Javan hawk-eagles (Nisaetus bartelsi) are top predators that typically grow to around 60 centimeters (24 inches) in length. The hawk-eagle is commonly known here as a Garuda, reflecting its likeness with the mythical Buddhist-Hindu bird that’s the country’s national emblem. The hawk-eagle is also Indonesia’s national bird. It’s found only in Java, the world’s most populous island. Only 300-500 mature individuals remain, according to the most recent assessment, published in late 2016, by the IUCN,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2022/10/indonesia-foresters-hope-garuda-poachers-turn-gamekeepers/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/10/indonesia-foresters-hope-garuda-poachers-turn-gamekeepers/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-261309</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Ban on use of destructive net fails to make an impact in Indonesia, experts say</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/07/ban-on-use-of-destructive-net-fails-to-make-an-impact-in-indonesia-experts-say/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/07/ban-on-use-of-destructive-net-fails-to-make-an-impact-in-indonesia-experts-say/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>20 Jul 2022 05:34:25 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Basten GokkonYogi Eka Sahputra]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Hayat Indriyatno]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2022/07/19091949/Falahi-Mubarok_Musim-ikan-Tongkol-3-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=258357</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Indonesian Fisheries]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Central Java, Indonesia, Java, Riau Islands, Southeast Asia, and Sumatra]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Coastal Ecosystems, Conservation, Ecosystems, Environment, Environmental Law, Environmental Policy, Fisheries, Fishing, Governance, Illegal Fishing, Law Enforcement, Marine, Marine Conservation, Oceans, Overfishing, Politics, Regulations, and Sustainability]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[NATUNA/JAKARTA, Indonesia — A year after it was introduced as a replacement for a type of fishing net long seen as unsustainable, the square-mesh seine net has prompted concerns from fisheries experts in Indonesia. The jaring tarik berkantong net was meant to be the less-destructive successor to the widely used cantrang net, which the Indonesian [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[NATUNA/JAKARTA, Indonesia — A year after it was introduced as a replacement for a type of fishing net long seen as unsustainable, the square-mesh seine net has prompted concerns from fisheries experts in Indonesia. The jaring tarik berkantong net was meant to be the less-destructive successor to the widely used cantrang net, which the Indonesian fisheries ministry effectively banned in July 2021. On paper, there are clear differences between the two: the jaring tarik berkantong has a square-shaped mesh, with a mesh size of 5 centimeters (2 inches), making it less likely for baby fish to be caught than in the diamond-meshed cantrang, with a mesh size of 2.5 cm (1 in). “Of course, there’s hope that the replacement has had some impact because the ministry must have done their research” when introducing it, said Oktavianto Darmono, a marine researcher at the think tank Fisheries Resource Center of Indonesia (FRCI). “But if you ask me if the impact has been significant, frankly speaking, no.” An inspection aboard a fishing boat, the KM Sinar Samudra, to check for the use of the banned cantrang fishing net. Image by Yogi Eka Sahputra/Mongabay Indonesia. In the year since the change was imposed, reports have been published and submitted to the fisheries ministry about violations related to the use of both cantrang and its replacement. In a recent interview with Mongabay, Oktavianto said the only difference between cantrang and jaring tarik berkantong is the shape of the mesh. In practice, both nets are dragged&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2022/07/ban-on-use-of-destructive-net-fails-to-make-an-impact-in-indonesia-experts-say/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/07/ban-on-use-of-destructive-net-fails-to-make-an-impact-in-indonesia-experts-say/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-258357</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>In restoring polluted rivers, Indonesia looks at restocking endemic fish</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/07/in-restoring-polluted-rivers-indonesia-looks-at-restocking-endemic-fish/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/07/in-restoring-polluted-rivers-indonesia-looks-at-restocking-endemic-fish/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>12 Jul 2022 12:16:55 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Basten GokkonL. Darmawan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Philip Jacobson]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2022/07/05121532/Ikan-Nilem-1-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=257986</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Indonesian Fisheries]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Central Java, Indonesia, Java, and Southeast Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Conservation, Conservation Solutions, Ecosystems, Environment, Fish, Fishing, Freshwater, Freshwater Fish, Lakes, Nutrient Pollution, Pollution, Restoration, Rivers, Sedimentation, Solutions, Tropics, and Water Pollution]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[BANYUMAS/JAKARTA, Indonesia — A muddy flood polluting a river on the Indonesian island of Java earlier this year depleted its fish stock, raising calls for restoration and restocking efforts in the body of water that empties out into the Indian Ocean. Two reported mudflows overwhelmed the Serayu River within a week between March 30 and [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[BANYUMAS/JAKARTA, Indonesia — A muddy flood polluting a river on the Indonesian island of Java earlier this year depleted its fish stock, raising calls for restoration and restocking efforts in the body of water that empties out into the Indian Ocean. Two reported mudflows overwhelmed the Serayu River within a week between March 30 and April 6, mucking its waters that cross five districts in Central Java province. Both incidents were attributed to the activities of a nearby hydropower plant operated by PT Indonesia Power Mrica Banjarnegara. The company’s hydroelectric dam opened its gates to flush out agricultural waste runoff that had piled up in the reservoir. Local fishers have blamed the subsequent sedimentation and low oxygen levels in the river for polluting the water and killing many of the fish. The Serayu River is home to at least a dozen endemic freshwater fish species. “I’ve estimated that hundreds of thousands of endemic fish and millions of small fish died &#8230; because of the extremely high mud concentration,” Eddy Wahono, chairman of the local group Serayu Downstream Water Resource Management Society Forum (FMPSDA), told Mongabay Indonesia in April. Fishers say they can no longer catch fish in the Serayu River in Indonesia&#8217;s Central Java province in the wake of recent mud floods that have polluted the body of water. Image by L Darmawan/Mongabay Indonesia. Indonesia has nearly 20 million hectares (49 million acres) of inland waters, most of it swamps and wetlands, but also 1.7 million hectares (4.2 million acres)&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2022/07/in-restoring-polluted-rivers-indonesia-looks-at-restocking-endemic-fish/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/07/in-restoring-polluted-rivers-indonesia-looks-at-restocking-endemic-fish/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-257986</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Crackdown on villagers highlights heavy hand of Indonesia’s ‘strategic’ projects</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/02/crackdown-on-villagers-highlights-heavy-hand-of-indonesias-strategic-projects/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/02/crackdown-on-villagers-highlights-heavy-hand-of-indonesias-strategic-projects/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>14 Feb 2022 16:39:25 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Hans Nicholas Jong]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Hans Nicholas Jong]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2022/02/14162821/53450177_2219901761399980_8066467521311539200_n-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=252673</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Central Java, Indonesia, Java, and Southeast Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Activism, Conflict, Dams, Environment, Human Rights, Infrastructure, Land Conflict, Land Rights, Mining, Politics, and Social Conflict]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[JAKARTA — Local opposition to a mine on Indonesia’s Java Island, and the heavy-handed police crackdown on protesters, has turned the national spotlight on a spate of development projects touted by the government as being of “strategic importance.” The conflict centers on a planned mine that will supply the nearby Bener dam, under construction since [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[JAKARTA — Local opposition to a mine on Indonesia’s Java Island, and the heavy-handed police crackdown on protesters, has turned the national spotlight on a spate of development projects touted by the government as being of “strategic importance.” The conflict centers on a planned mine that will supply the nearby Bener dam, under construction since 2018, with andesite rock. About a quarter of the village of Wadas in Purworejo district, in the province of Central Java, is slated to be mined — something that locals have strongly opposed since 2013. But while their protests have simmered for nearly a decade, the issue only exploded onto the national stage this month: On Feb. 8, hundreds of police officers arrived in Wadas, claiming they were there to escort officials from the land agency who wanted to demarcate the 114-hectare (282-acre) mining area within the village. The heavy police presence triggered a clash with the villagers, resulting in the arrest of 67 people, 13 of them children. Police had previously arrested 11 and 12 villagers, respectively, in similar confrontations in 2019 and 2021. A preliminary investigation by the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) found that the police used physical violence in the latest incident in Wadas. It said this had caused trauma among some villagers, including children, with several people fleeing their homes and not returning yet. The police have refuted Komnas HAM’s findings, saying they only “forcefully arrested” the villagers without resorting to violence. A villager, who asked to be&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2022/02/crackdown-on-villagers-highlights-heavy-hand-of-indonesias-strategic-projects/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-252673</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Can the little-known tamanu tree replace palm oil in Indonesia’s biofuel bid?</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/02/can-the-little-known-tamanu-tree-replace-palm-oil-in-indonesias-biofuel-bid/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/02/can-the-little-known-tamanu-tree-replace-palm-oil-in-indonesias-biofuel-bid/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>09 Feb 2022 13:35:35 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Nuswantoro]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Philip Jacobson]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2022/02/09132556/Budi-Lesksono-tamanu-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=252499</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Agroecology and Indonesian Palm Oil]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Central Java, Indonesia, Java, and Southeast Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[agribusiness, Agriculture, Biodiesel, Biofuels, Environment, Oil, Palm Oil, Plantations, Research, Trees, Tropical Conservation Science, and Tropical Forests]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia — Even as a boy, Budi Leksono knew the tamanu tree had many uses. The small, hard fruit of the tree, about the size of a pingpong ball, made for a convenient plaything. Budi used to pick them from the one growing outside his home in Pekalongan — tamanu trees had been planted [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia — Even as a boy, Budi Leksono knew the tamanu tree had many uses. The small, hard fruit of the tree, about the size of a pingpong ball, made for a convenient plaything. Budi used to pick them from the one growing outside his home in Pekalongan — tamanu trees had been planted all along Java’s northern coast during colonial times — and watch as road repair workers used tamanu wood, which can burn even when wet, to heat the asphalt. “Since my childhood I have known the tamanu,&#8221; said Budi, now 58. &#8220;So when I began my research, it was already very familiar to me.” Today, Budi, a senior researcher at the Indonesian government’s Center for Forest Biotechnology and Tree Improvement, has a different vision for the tamanu tree: that it will serve as a pillar of Indonesia’s biodiesel program. The program currently relies on palm oil, the ubiquitous edible oil of which Indonesia is the world’s top producer. Palm oil comes from the red, spiky fruit of the oil palm tree (Elaeis guineensis), grown on huge monoculture plantations and smaller farms across Indonesia. Dried nyamplung fruit. The waste can be used as animal feed. Image by Nuswantoro/Mongabay Indonesia. Since its launch in 2008, the biodiesel program has been rolled out in stages, with the government mandating progressively higher concentrations of palm oil-derived biodiesel into conventional diesel. In its current B30 stage, the diesel sold at the pump contains a 30% blend of biodiesel and 70% diesel&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2022/02/can-the-little-known-tamanu-tree-replace-palm-oil-in-indonesias-biofuel-bid/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-252499</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Worked to death: How a Chinese tuna juggernaut crushed its Indonesian workers</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2021/09/worked-to-death-how-a-chinese-tuna-juggernaut-crushed-its-indonesian-workers/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2021/09/worked-to-death-how-a-chinese-tuna-juggernaut-crushed-its-indonesian-workers/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>13 Sep 2021 10:46:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Annelise GiseburtBasten GokkonMakoto WatanabePhilip JacobsonSeulki LeeTaufik Wijaya]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Mongabay Editor]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2021/09/13034303/IUU-Henchman_Mongabay-768x450.png" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=247027</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Finning the High Seas, Indonesian Fisheries, Investigation, and Oceans]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Atlantic Ocean, Central Java, China, East Asia, Fiji, Indonesia, Japan, Pacific Ocean, Philippines, Samoa, Senegal, South Korea, South Sumatra, Southeast Asia, and West Africa]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Crime, Endangered Species, Environment, Environmental Law, Fish, Fishing, Forced labor, Governance, Illegal Fishing, Law Enforcement, Mongabay investigation, Oceans, Poaching, Politics, Sharks, Tuna, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[This story won an Excellence in Investigative Reporting award from the Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) in 2022. (Baca dalam Bahasa Indonesia &#124; 阅读中文版  &#124; 日本語で読む) When Sepri was growing up, life in his village began to deteriorate. In the 1990s, the village, Serdang Menang, in the south of Indonesia’s Sumatra Island, was centered [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[This story won an Excellence in Investigative Reporting award from the Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) in 2022. (Baca dalam Bahasa Indonesia | 阅读中文版  | 日本語で読む) When Sepri was growing up, life in his village began to deteriorate. In the 1990s, the village, Serdang Menang, in the south of Indonesia’s Sumatra Island, was centered around fertile rice fields and rivers full of fish. But after a palm oil company drained and denuded the swampy landscape, flooding and wildfires became commonplace, damaging local livelihoods. Sepri’s father, a tenant farmer, found new work as a janitor at a police station. But when Sepri reached adulthood, he, like millions of others in the world’s fourth-most populous country, saw migration as his only chance to make a living. With only a middle-school education, Sepri tried his hand in Jakarta, the nation’s capital, but his salary at an aging shopping mall was barely enough to meet his basic needs. He returned home disheartened after a few years. Back in the village, he spent much of his time at a loose end, watching soccer at his sister Rika’s house. She worried about her little brother. Many young men with too much time on their hands had fallen prey to methamphetamine use. Police in the village had recently shot dead one local dealer and were openly threatening to kill others. Rika, who ran a food stall with her husband, urged Sepri to take an easy job, stay out of trouble and start a family. But Sepri&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2021/09/worked-to-death-how-a-chinese-tuna-juggernaut-crushed-its-indonesian-workers/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-247027</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Coastal Indonesian village adapts to life amid rising tidal floodwaters</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2021/08/coastal-indonesian-village-adapts-to-life-amid-rising-tidal-floodwaters/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2021/08/coastal-indonesian-village-adapts-to-life-amid-rising-tidal-floodwaters/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>05 Aug 2021 10:09:08 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Nuswantoro]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Philip Jacobson]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2021/08/04091118/banner-Indonesian-village-rising-tidal-floodwaters-768x450.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=245518</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Indonesian Fisheries]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Central Java, Indonesia, Java, Southeast Asia, and Tropics]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Adaptation To Climate Change, Aquaculture, Climate, Climate Change, Coastal Ecosystems, Conservation, Deforestation, Disasters, Environment, Fisheries, Fishing, Flooding, Forestry, Forests, Global Environmental Crisis, Impact Of Climate Change, Mangroves, Nature-based climate solutions, Oceans, Sea Levels, Solutions, Tropical Deforestation, Tropical Forests, and Water]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[TIMBULSLOKO, Indonesia — For Kartimah, traveling to the doctor’s office for her regular checkups is no longer such a simple journey. The trip used to be a short hop by scooter. But now, the elderly woman must take a boat to higher ground before she can begin to travel by land. Today, she wishes for [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[TIMBULSLOKO, Indonesia — For Kartimah, traveling to the doctor’s office for her regular checkups is no longer such a simple journey. The trip used to be a short hop by scooter. But now, the elderly woman must take a boat to higher ground before she can begin to travel by land. Today, she wishes for one thing: “A dry road, like before.” Kartimah lives in Timbulsloko, some 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) from the north coast of Indonesia’s Java Island. Forty years ago, the hamlet was surrounded by rice paddies. But the last of these was submerged by tidal floodwaters in 2016. So were the roads linking the community with other settlements. Many residents, around a third of the hamlet’s 120 families, chose to move away. Those who stayed — because relocation was expensive, they didn’t want to face new uncertainties, or Timbulsloko was their home — have had to adapt to the watery conditions. Residents must wade across slippery submerged roads, sometimes through currents. Image by Nuswanyoto/Mongabay Indonesia. Timbulsloko’s transformation from an agricultural hub into a waterworld of boardwalks and canoes is attributable to several factors. Some, like climate change, which is causing ice caps to melt and sea levels to rise, are beyond residents’ control. Others, like the destruction of mangrove swamps to make way for fish farms, were their own doing. “In the past, this village was very prosperous,” Shobirin, a community leader, told Mongabay Indonesia at his home in Timbulsloko hamlet. “There were many coconut palms. In&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2021/08/coastal-indonesian-village-adapts-to-life-amid-rising-tidal-floodwaters/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-245518</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Javan leopards, the dwindling &#8216;guardians&#8217; of Java&#8217;s forests</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2021/07/javan-leopards-the-dwindling-guardians-of-javas-forests/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2021/07/javan-leopards-the-dwindling-guardians-of-javas-forests/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>19 Jul 2021 22:48:46 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Erik Hoffner]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Erik Hoffner]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2021/07/19183645/Javan-leopard-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=244991</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Central Java, East Java, Indonesia, Java, Southeast Asia, and West Java]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Big Cats, Conservation, Critically Endangered Species, Endangered Species, Habitat Degradation, Habitat Loss, Human-wildlife Conflict, Illegal Trade, Leopards, Mammals, Poaching, Wildlife, Wildlife Corridors, and Wildlife Trade]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Hariyo &#8220;Beebach&#8221; Wibisono studies Javan leopards, the last remaining apex predator on Indonesia&#8217;s island of Java, which, with a land area about the size of Alabama, is also home to 147 million people, including in the country&#8217;s massive capital city, Jakarta, plus other metro areas. Despite these dense urban landscapes, pockets of natural forest persist [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Hariyo &#8220;Beebach&#8221; Wibisono studies Javan leopards, the last remaining apex predator on Indonesia&#8217;s island of Java, which, with a land area about the size of Alabama, is also home to 147 million people, including in the country&#8217;s massive capital city, Jakarta, plus other metro areas. Despite these dense urban landscapes, pockets of natural forest persist around the island, and some of these are still patrolled by Panthera pardus melas: with the extinction of the Javan tiger — last glimpsed in Meru Betiri National Park in 1976 — the critically endangered Javan leopard is the only big cat left on the island. To get an update on this iconic species, Mongabay interviewed Wibisono via email, who shares what is currently known and makes the case for leopard conservation: &#8220;People living in Java should preserve the leopard to assure that the remaining forest ecosystems are healthy for human living. Traditionally, some Javan tribes believe that Javan leopard is a symbol of prosperity and guardian of the forests, which provide them with healthy water and fresh air.&#8221; His responses were edited lightly for brevity and clarity. Mongabay: What is the current population estimate for wild Javan leopards? Hariyo Wibisono: Our most recent estimate was 320 (between 120 and 570) adult individuals based on the best available, site-specific density estimates extrapolated to the available forest habitats. One of the remaining prime habitats of the Javan leopard on the east coast of East Java province. Image courtesy of Sintas Indonesia. Mongabay: What kind of habitat&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2021/07/javan-leopards-the-dwindling-guardians-of-javas-forests/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-244991</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Relocating mangroves for Indonesian highway ‘not that easy,’ expert warns</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2021/05/relocating-mangroves-for-indonesian-highway-not-that-easy-expert-warns/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2021/05/relocating-mangroves-for-indonesian-highway-not-that-easy-expert-warns/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>04 May 2021 01:55:17 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[L. Darmawan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Basten Gokkon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2020/05/15050105/38105739361_d8e6a99d43_c-768x319.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=242217</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Southeast Asian infrastructure]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Central Java, Indonesia, Java, and Southeast Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Coastal Ecosystems, Development, Environment, Infrastructure, Land Conflict, Land Use Change, and Roads]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[PURWOKERTO, Indonesia — An environmental expert in Indonesia has warned against a government plan to relocate mangrove trees along the north coast of the island of Java to make way for a highway and levee project. The project, billed at $557 million, will run 27 kilometers (17 miles) from Semarang, the capital of Central Java [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[PURWOKERTO, Indonesia — An environmental expert in Indonesia has warned against a government plan to relocate mangrove trees along the north coast of the island of Java to make way for a highway and levee project. The project, billed at $557 million, will run 27 kilometers (17 miles) from Semarang, the capital of Central Java province, east to the district of Demak, and is touted as a solution to coastal flooding in communities along the strip. The project’s concession covers almost 540 hectares (1,330 acres) of land, some of which includes swaths of intact mangrove forest. The Central Java environmental agency says it will relocate mangrove trees from three different sites in the project area, spanning a total of 46 hectares (114 acres), as part of efforts to offset the environmental impacts of the highway project. It has not yet determined the new planting site, however. The Java transportation network map, with roads in yellow. Image by Gunawan Kartapranata via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0). “You can’t just relocate them and expect the mangroves will just continue to grow. That’s not how it works,” Rudhi Pribadi, a marine researcher at Diponegoro University in Semarang, told Mongabay Indonesia in a recent interview. Rudhi said that mangroves required particular ecosystem criteria, such as water salinity, to stay alive. He added that a comprehensive study on potential relocation sites would have to be done before any relocation took place. “And it’s not easy to meet those criteria,” he said. Rudhi said much of&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2021/05/relocating-mangroves-for-indonesian-highway-not-that-easy-expert-warns/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-242217</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Java’s mangroves pay a high price for stopping plastic flowing out to sea</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2021/04/javas-mangroves-pay-a-high-price-for-stopping-plastic-flowing-out-to-sea/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2021/04/javas-mangroves-pay-a-high-price-for-stopping-plastic-flowing-out-to-sea/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>05 Apr 2021 14:39:01 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Julia John]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Mongabay Editor]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2021/03/25174650/1-mangove-plastic-banner-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=240911</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Indonesian Fisheries and Indonesian Forests]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Central Java, Indonesia, Java, and Southeast Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Conservation, Deforestation, Environment, Forestry, Forests, Mangroves, Plastic, Pollution, Rainforests, Research, Saving Rainforests, Solutions, Trees, Tropical Forests, and Water Pollution]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Celine van Bijsterveldt and her team had traveled to Central Java’s mangrove forests to investigate efforts to restore them. But when the researchers saw plastic trash strewn throughout the swamps, ensnaring roots and shrouding branches, they were instead compelled to examine its toll on the trees. “It&#8217;s a crazy amount of plastic,” said van Bijsterveldt, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Celine van Bijsterveldt and her team had traveled to Central Java’s mangrove forests to investigate efforts to restore them. But when the researchers saw plastic trash strewn throughout the swamps, ensnaring roots and shrouding branches, they were instead compelled to examine its toll on the trees. “It&#8217;s a crazy amount of plastic,” said van Bijsterveldt, a doctoral candidate at Utrecht University and NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, and the lead author of the resulting paper in Science of The Total Environment. “You just couldn&#8217;t ignore it.” Although mangroves adapt to plastic debris, too much can kill them. Scientists worry that its continued accumulation could endanger these forests and the ecological and human communities depending on them. This concern is especially pressing in Indonesia, home to almost one-quarter of the world’s mangrove ecosystems and to highly acute plastic litter and mangrove destruction. Plastic lies atop mangrove roots on the forest floor. Image by Celine van Bijsterveldt. Van Bijsterveldt and her colleagues analyzed the plastic’s prevalence and effect on mangrove growth and survival in Demak, a town on Java’s northern coast. In addition to field observations, they conducted a six-week experiment to determine how plastic cover affects trees’ root growth, stress and survival. The investigators counted an average of 27 plastic articles per square meter, mostly from local areas, carpeting up to 50% of the mangrove floor. Ground core samples indicated that plastic often sat stuck in top sediment layers, causing lengthy low-oxygen conditions. As expected, trees totally buried in&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2021/04/javas-mangroves-pay-a-high-price-for-stopping-plastic-flowing-out-to-sea/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-240911</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>The women of Kendeng set their feet in cement to stop a mine in their lands. This is their story.</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2020/11/the-women-of-kendeng-set-their-feet-in-cement-to-stop-a-mine-in-their-lands-this-is-their-story/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2020/11/the-women-of-kendeng-set-their-feet-in-cement-to-stop-a-mine-in-their-lands-this-is-their-story/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>13 Nov 2020 13:14:02 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Febriana Firdaus]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Mongabay Editor]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2020/11/12182357/kendeng-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=236808</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Central Java, Indonesia, Jakarta, Java, and Southeast Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Activism, Conservation, Culture, Environment, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Rights, Land Conflict, Land Rights, Land Use Change, Mining, and Politics]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[This article was co-produced with The Gecko Project. Read parts two and three of the series, and watch the film here. Serene, prosperous, fertile. These words come to mind as I stand at the top of a hill in Tegaldowo village, on the island of Java, in Indonesia, one Sunday evening in 2019. It is [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[This article was co-produced with The Gecko Project. Read parts two and three of the series, and watch the film here. Serene, prosperous, fertile. These words come to mind as I stand at the top of a hill in Tegaldowo village, on the island of Java, in Indonesia, one Sunday evening in 2019. It is an idiom used to describe this giant island, with its rich soils, verdant rice paddies and teak forests. But the tranquility hides a more turbulent story. Across Indonesia, the world’s third largest democracy, mass demonstrations have erupted. Some 3,000 kilometers (1,864 miles) to the east, anger at decades of mistreatment of indigenous Papuans has spilled over into violence. In the capital, Jakarta, students are taking to the streets in their thousands, protesting against a raft of new laws many fear will erode civil liberties. Among the most contentious features of the new legislation is concern that it will enable the government to criminalize farmers and activists fighting against extractive companies taking their land. Already, hundreds of communities are locked in simmering conflicts with firms that have logged their forests, mined their mountains, and transformed their farmland into plantations. Many of these people once hoped that the president, Joko Widodo, would tip the scales in the favor of the powerless. But in the coming months those hopes will be dashed. By November 2020, the government will sign into effect sweeping new legislation that appears to entrench the power of oligarchs, and of the private firms responsible&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2020/11/the-women-of-kendeng-set-their-feet-in-cement-to-stop-a-mine-in-their-lands-this-is-their-story/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2020/11/the-women-of-kendeng-set-their-feet-in-cement-to-stop-a-mine-in-their-lands-this-is-their-story/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-236808</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Arrests in Indonesian probe into latest case of labor abuses on Chinese fishing boats</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2020/07/arrests-in-indonesian-probe-into-latest-case-of-labor-abuses-on-chinese-fishing-boats/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2020/07/arrests-in-indonesian-probe-into-latest-case-of-labor-abuses-on-chinese-fishing-boats/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>28 Jul 2020 10:44:34 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Basten Gokkon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Basten Gokkon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2020/07/27074256/kapal-lu-huang-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=233047</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Indonesian Fisheries]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Central Java, Indonesia, Java, Riau Islands, Southeast Asia, and Sumatra]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Conservation, Crime, Environment, Environmental Law, Environmental Policy, Fish, Fisheries, Fishing, Forced labor, Governance, Human Rights, Illegal Fishing, Illegal Trade, Law Enforcement, Marine, Marine Conservation, Oceans, shark finning, Sustainability, Trade, trafficking, Wildlife, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[JAKARTA — Authorities in Indonesia have arrested and charged six executives from local recruitment agencies linked to the forced labor endured by 22 Indonesians on board two Chinese fishing boats. Those charged are accused of the human trafficking of the migrant workers, one of whom died on board one of the boats and was stored [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[JAKARTA — Authorities in Indonesia have arrested and charged six executives from local recruitment agencies linked to the forced labor endured by 22 Indonesians on board two Chinese fishing boats. Those charged are accused of the human trafficking of the migrant workers, one of whom died on board one of the boats and was stored in a freezer. The workers were recruited in Indonesia and left the country for Singapore in late December 2019 to work on the Chinese-owned boats Lu Huang Yuan Yu 117 and Lu Huang Yuan Yu 118. The boats were scheduled to sail to Argentina to fish for squid. When the boats arrived back in Indonesian waters in early July, they were stopped by authorities who had been tipped off about alleged crew abuse and human trafficking. Police discovered the body of one of the workers, Hasan Afriandi, 20, inside the freezer on the Lu Huang Yuan Yu 118. Arie Dharmanto, the police officer overseeing the investigation from the province of Riau Islands, said at a July 26 press conference that the recruitment of the workers by the local agencies did not comply with labor laws. He added his office was working with Interpol on the investigation, as they suspect that a recruitment company based in Singapore was also involved. Police in the Riau Islands have impounded both boats as part of the investigation. Indonesian authorities hold a press conference at the dock in the Riau Islands where the Lu Huang Yuan Yu 117 and Lu&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2020/07/arrests-in-indonesian-probe-into-latest-case-of-labor-abuses-on-chinese-fishing-boats/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2020/07/arrests-in-indonesian-probe-into-latest-case-of-labor-abuses-on-chinese-fishing-boats/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-233047</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Indonesia’s $300m geothermal play risks being undercut by cheap coal</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2020/06/indonesias-300m-geothermal-play-risks-being-undercut-by-cheap-coal/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2020/06/indonesias-300m-geothermal-play-risks-being-undercut-by-cheap-coal/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>19 Jun 2020 04:05:31 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Basten Gokkon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Basten Gokkon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2017/11/28171554/9682828898_68bd00a76c_h-e1667320220111-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=231463</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Indonesian coal]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Bali, Central Java, Indonesia, Java, Southeast Asia, and West Java]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Carbon Emissions, Clean Energy, Climate Change, Coal, Conservation, Economics, Energy, Environment, Environmental Policy, Fossil Fuels, Governance, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Politics, and Renewable Energy]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[JAKARTA — A newly secured loan of $300 million for Indonesia to boost its geothermal energy generation will be wasted amid a glut of cheap coal power, and also could contribute to environmental degradation, observers say. On May 28 the Asian Development Bank (ADB) announced the approval of the loan to PT Geo Dipa Energi [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[JAKARTA — A newly secured loan of $300 million for Indonesia to boost its geothermal energy generation will be wasted amid a glut of cheap coal power, and also could contribute to environmental degradation, observers say. On May 28 the Asian Development Bank (ADB) announced the approval of the loan to PT Geo Dipa Energi (GDE), a state-owned company that was initially set up as a joint venture of state utility PT PLN and state oil and gas firm PT Pertamina. The loan will finance the addition of 55 megawatts of generating capacity each at existing geothermal plants in Dieng, in Central Java province, and Patuha, in West Java. The projects are expected to be completed by 2024. But clean-energy observers say these plants may be unable to compete with existing and new plants running on coal, which the government subsidizes for power generation. They will feed into the Java-Bali grid, which already has a glut of idle electricity due to low demand, effectively meaning the geothermal power could go to waste, said Satrio Swandiko Prilianto, renewable energy campaigner at Greenpeace Southeast Asia. Farmers work a potato farm near a geothermal plant on the Dieng Plateau, on the Indonesian island of Java. Image by Raditya Mahendra Yasa via Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0). “This is a key point that needs to be addressed, because there’s currently already about 40% overcapacity in the Java-Bali grid,” Satrio told Mongabay. “Coupled with the pandemic that has caused lower electricity consumption, it isn’t impossible that&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2020/06/indonesias-300m-geothermal-play-risks-being-undercut-by-cheap-coal/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2020/06/indonesias-300m-geothermal-play-risks-being-undercut-by-cheap-coal/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-231463</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Indonesian levee project serves industry over community, study says</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2020/05/indonesian-levee-project-serves-industry-over-community-study-says/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2020/05/indonesian-levee-project-serves-industry-over-community-study-says/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>22 May 2020 10:50:46 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Basten Gokkon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Basten Gokkon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2020/05/15050105/38105739361_d8e6a99d43_c-768x319.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=230322</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Southeast Asian infrastructure]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Central Java, Indonesia, Java, and Southeast Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Coastal Ecosystems, Development, Environment, Infrastructure, Land Conflict, Land Use Change, and Roads]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[JAKARTA — A highway and levee project touted as a solution to coastal flooding in communities along the north coast of Indonesia’s Java Island will shortchange those very communities and benefit manufacturing companies, according to a new study. Work has begun on the toll road that will run 27 kilometers (17 miles) east from Semarang, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[JAKARTA — A highway and levee project touted as a solution to coastal flooding in communities along the north coast of Indonesia’s Java Island will shortchange those very communities and benefit manufacturing companies, according to a new study. Work has begun on the toll road that will run 27 kilometers (17 miles) east from Semarang, the capital of Central Java province, to the district of Demak. The road will include a 10-km (6-mi) section atop a levee on reclaimed land, and is expected to cut the travel time from one hour at present to 25 minutes. The 15.3 trillion rupiah ($1 billion) project is part of a slate of nationally strategic infrastructure programs. The project is also expected to prevent tidal flooding in the area, where decades of development have cause the land to sink, in some places below sea level, affecting more than 6,800 hectares (16,800 acres) of land. Land subsidence is a major problem along Java’s north coast, including in the capital, Jakarta. But the new project could end up having the opposite effect, exacerbating land subsidence and leading to an increase in flooding, according to the findings from an interdisciplinary study carried out between August 2019 and February this year. “This project will bring forth all kinds of environmental injustice,” said Hotmauli Sidabalok, a legal expert at Soegijapranata Catholic University in Semarang and one of the researchers behind the study that was published April 6. The Java transportation network map, with roads in yellow. Image courtesy of&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2020/05/indonesian-levee-project-serves-industry-over-community-study-says/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-230322</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Hundreds protest pollution from coal-fired power plant in Java</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2019/10/coal-power-plant-pollution-cilacap-indonesia/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2019/10/coal-power-plant-pollution-cilacap-indonesia/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>04 Oct 2019 09:51:05 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[L. Darmawan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Basten Gokkon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2019/10/04051134/Tempat-Pelabuhan-Ikan-Desa-Menganti-yang-berdekatan-dengan-lokasi-PLTU-Cilacap.-Foto-Tommy-Apriando-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=223098</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Indonesian coal]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Central Java, Indonesia, Java, and Southeast Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Air Pollution, Coal, Energy, Environment, Fossil Fuels, Mining, Pollution, and Social Conflict]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
											<grant>
							<![CDATA[2019CSTF]]>
						</grant>
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[CILACAP, Indonesia — Hundreds of people in this city in central Java staged a protest this week demanding a meaningful solution to a long-running air pollution problem caused by ash from a coal-fired power plant. The protesters, from the village of Winong in Cilacap district, gathered outside the district environment agency office on Sept. 30 [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[CILACAP, Indonesia — Hundreds of people in this city in central Java staged a protest this week demanding a meaningful solution to a long-running air pollution problem caused by ash from a coal-fired power plant. The protesters, from the village of Winong in Cilacap district, gathered outside the district environment agency office on Sept. 30 to call for sanctions against PT Sumber Segara Primadaya (S2P), which operates the Cilacap power plant. They carried signs that read “The People Need Clean Air” and “The People Are Showered by Coal Dust,” as well as “We Need Proof, Not Promises,” in reference to previous statements by local officials vowing to resolve the problem. Protesters hold up a banner that reads “The People Are Showered With Coal Ash.” Image by L. Darmawan/Mongabay Indonesia. A map showing the location of Cilacap power plant. Image courtesy of Google Earth. Residents of Winong, a village of fewer than a thousand people, have since 2016 blamed the power plant for polluting the water and air in area. They say the plant’s operations have depleted the water table, and that any water they can draw up from their wells is salty. They also complain of a constant rain of ash peppering their homes, forcing them to clean up every day. Local children have reportedly been diagnosed with pollution-related ailments, including bronchitis and skin rashes. The plant, including its waste management facility, known as the ash yard, is located just 20 meters (66 feet) away from the village. After multiple&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2019/10/coal-power-plant-pollution-cilacap-indonesia/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-223098</doi>				</item>
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