Jakarta, 7 January 2021 – Greenpeace has welcomed as long overdue the cancellation of thousands of mining, forestry and plantation permits by Indonesian President Joko Widodo, but warned that forest areas must be returned to protection and Indigenous land rights respected, rather than a new round of extractive licences issued over the same locations.
On Thursday the president announced cancellation of 192 forestry sector permits covering an area of 3,126,439 hectares, 2,078 mining permits, and an additional 34,448 hectares of plantation land use permits, reportedly on the basis of non-compliance.
Greenpeace noted that the list of cancellations includes forestland permits which were issued in violation of laws and procedures and involving political elites in the licensing process, or where a company’s presence has impacted the environment or Indigenous rights, such as those highlighted in Greenpeace’s recent License to Clear report about palm oil permitting in Papua Province.
Greenpeace Indonesia Forest Campaigner Sekar Banjaran Aji said: “The cancellation of these thousands of permits was the right decision, but one that should have come earlier. It’s crucial that the next step is to ensure these areas are protected and returned to Indigenous communities, not re-issued for extractive use by new companies.”
Where the cancelled permits covered land with important continuing ecological function such as forests and peatlands, those lands must have legal protection returned to them. Meanwhile from a social perspective, where corporate land use has lead to conflict with local or Indigenous communities, a conflict resolution and restitution mechanism must be implemented. Furthermore, law enforcement should be considered against companies whose operations have lead to environmental destruction, to ensure restoration is carried out.
Contacts:
Sekar Banjaran Aji, Greenpeace Indonesia Forest Campaigner: +62 812-8776-9880, [email protected]
Igor O’Neill, Indonesia Forest Campaign: +61 414 288 424, [email protected]