Borneo rainforest to be converted for palm plantations

The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) has released a set of photos from a visit to a contested area of forest set to be converted for oil palm plantations in Indonesian Borneo. The pictures, taken this month, show an area of forest used by hundreds of villagers from the community of Muara Tae in East Kalimantan. The community, made up of indigenous Dayak Benuaq, is fiercely opposing efforts to seize and log the forest, arguing that oil palm plantations will destroy their livelihoods. "There are more than 800 families in Muara Tae relying on the forests for their food, water, medicine, culture and identity," said EIA's Faith Doherty in a statement. "Put simply, they have to keep this forest in order to survive." EIA is working with Telapak, an Indonesian NGO, to help the Muara Tae community win recognition of their rights to the land as traditional users. The Dayak Benuaq have managed forests in Borneo for generations. Doherty said the Dayak Benuaq's struggle reflects poorly on the Indonesian government's commitment to reduce deforestation. “The rhetoric from the President of Indonesia on curbing emissions by reducing deforestation is strong but on the front line, where indigenous communities are putting their lives at risk to protect forests, action is sorely missing," she said. “Giving these communities, such as the Dayak Benuaq, the rights they deserve is a vital step to reduce catastrophic levels of deforestation in Indonesia.” PT Munte Waniq Jaya Perkasa is currently bulldozing forests around Muara Tae to establish an oil palm plantation. The company, which is owned by Malaysia-based TSH Resources, is backed by police and other security personnel. At the root of the conflict is a disagreement over 638 hectares of forest. The Dayak Benuaq have used the land for generations but their ownership rights have not been recognized. Accordingly they have been largely powerless in trying to stop PT Munte Waniq Jaya Perkasa, which has acquired a plantation license, from converting the forest. EIA and Telapak say the standoff represents an opportunity for the Indonesian government to demonstrate its commitment to recognizing customary land rights. In July, Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, head of the Indonesian President’s Special Delivery Unit and the REDD+ Task Force, pledged to "recognise, respect and protect" traditional or Adat rights. Additional leverage in the battle could come from Norway's 1.8 percent stake in TSH Resources. Norway has committed $1 billion to help Indonesia reduce deforestation and peatlands degradation and is therefore a target for criticism when its pension fund investments are linked to forest destruction and social conflict.