Deforestation for palm oil within the protected Gunung Leuser ecosystem in Aceh. As more palm oil companies are held accountable for deforestation in Indonesia, a growing number are hiring local…
CV Arjuna coal mine in Makroman. Photo: S. Yutinus Hardjanto. Baharuddin should be happy. The rambutan and durian trees flanking his home are heavy with fruit. Two hectares of chilies…
Forest fires in Rokan Hulu. Courtesy of Riau Forest's Facebook Page Indonesia ended 12 years of stalling this week, becoming the last ASEAN nation to ratify an agreement on transboundary…
The contested plantation. Photo: Save Our Borneo A palm oil company in Central Kalimantan continues to operate business as usual, despite a Supreme Court ruling confirming it has no legal…
The Bukit Batabuh tiger corridor within the RIMBA Corridor. Courtesy of Tiger in your tank? Major palm oil suppliers may be continuing to buy tainted palm oil despite high-profile commitments…
APP supplier concession in Riau Province, Indonesia. Photos by Rhett A. Butler Indonesian forestry giant Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) won't need to clear additional forests to meet pulp requirements…
Rainforest and smallholder jungle rubber in Sumatra. Photo by Rhett A. Butler The Indonesian government has declared it will verify ownership of 66.3 million hectares of disputed forest land by…
Oil palm fruit. Photo by Rhett A. Butler Indonesia's national airline, Garuda Indonesia, says it will start mixing palm oil-based biofuel with its jet fuel as part of an initiative…
Police in Langkat, North Sumatra, Indonesia, seized 55 porcupines from smugglers preparing to ship the animals to China. Three suspects were detained during last week's operation, while their accomplices remain…
Indonesian island lost nearly one million hectares of forest over 12 years For 10 million years the Indonesian island of Sulawesi has been disconnected from other landforms, almost inviting evolution…
Community leader in Aceh, Indonesia. Photo by Rhett A. Butler. Public hearings into alleged violations of indigenous peoples' land rights will open next week in Palu on the island of…
Illegal gold mining operation in Aceh, Indonesia. Photo by Junaidi Hanafi. In the wake of massive fish die-offs and repeated calls from environmental groups to do more than just talk…
Indonesia now has the highest deforestation rate in the world, topping even Brazil which has more than five times the natural forest cover. Background photo: rainforest in Sumatra. The Indonesian…
Protesters in Bali in June 2014. Photo by Anton Muhajir. In a reversal sparking outrage from locals, and concern from environmentalists, the Governor of Bali, Indonesia has given the green…
Reported kills for 2014 in Riau Province reached 22 by June, surpassing 2013 numbers by 63 percent There has been a spike in elephant deaths in Sumatra this year, and…
Forest fires displacing wildlife, endangering human lives across Southeast Asia Every year, thousands of hectares of Indonesian forest are illegally burned by development companies. However, Indonesia’s Minister of Environment, Balthasar…
Illegal gold mining operation in Aceh, Indonesia. Photo by Junaidi Hanafi. The Governor of Aceh Province, Indonesia appears unwilling to implement a mining moratorium, despite repeated statements he intends to…
Singkil Swamp Forest Wildlife newly burned for palm plantations in Trumon, South Aceh District, Aceh. Photo: Chik Rini. Oil palm plantations and other developments are threatening Rawa Singkil Wildlife Preserve—Aceh's…
The Environment Ministry of Sintang Regency, West Kalimantan, Indonesia declared that the water in many rivers and lakes is unsuitable for consumption due to high levels of pollution. "Much of…
Decomposing carcass of an adult orangutan in the forest of Southwest Aceh. Photos by Leuser Conservation Forum. The Leuser Ecosystem in Aceh, Indonesia is gaining the attention of international animal…
Plantation development in Riau, Sumatra. Photos by Rhett A. Butler. Dear Joko Widodo, Congratulations on your successful bid for the Indonesian presidency. Although neither you nor your opponent spent much…
Peat swamp in Malaysian Borneo Long considered an unproductive hindrance to growth and development, peat swamp forests in Southeast Asia have been systematically cleared, drained and burned away to make…
Study shows environmental income critical for rural livelihoods, challenges assumptions about how poor use forest resources An employee of MESCOT, a community-run reforestation, conservation, and alternative livelihoods initiative in Malaysian…
Sumatran tiger in an Indonesian village. Conflicts between tigers and humans will continue to increase unless the destruction and loss of Sumatra's forests is halted, warns Dr. Erni Suyanti Musabine,…
Research indicates that areas with more forest cover tend to have superior food security compared to areas with less. In addition, the loss of forest cover to deforestation has long-term…
Please note: the article originally listed "Sumatra" instead of "Sulawesi". Bangka Island indeed lies off Sumatra, but this case relates to a smaller island named Pulau Bangka in northern Sulawesi.…
This article is based on a Mongabay-Indonesia story by Lili Rambe: Sejumlah Spesies Ikan Baru dan Langka Ditemukan di Hutan Harapan Jambi. In early April, Indonesian scientists discovered an endangered…
Five industrial plantation forest concessions that supply timber to PT Asia Pulp and Paper (APP) in South Sumatra – locally known as HTI concessions – are areas of high conservation…
(reporting by Ayat S Karokaro, Indra Nugraha and Sapariah Saturi) Felled logs with eucalyptus trees in the background. Photo: Paragraph S Karokaro It was a cool and foggy day in…
WARNING: GRAPHIC PHOTOS Eleven people were arrested on April 16 by West Aceh police for allegedly killing a Sumatran elephant (Elephas maximus sumatranus), in a forest six kilometers away from…
