The Awyu tribe trembles. This indigenous population of Indonesia, whose 20,000 members live off the land’s resources, had taken action to freeze the operations of PT Indo Asiana Lestari (PT IAL) in West Papua. But on Thursday, a court in this region confirmed the validity of the company’s concession permit which authorizes the clearing of more than 39,000 hectares of forest to produce palm oil.
“This decision is bad news for the indigenous Awyu people who are fighting to defend their customary lands,” the Coalition for the Safeguarding of Papuan Customary Forests, which brings together ten environmental protection NGOs, said in a statement on Thursday. When asked, the general director of the company PT IAL did not comment.
According to this environmental coalition, the maps provided by PT IAL do not recognize the sectors occupied by local clans and the environmental assessments do not involve indigenous communities.
Palm oil is a billion-dollar industry in Indonesia, the world’s largest producer and exporter of this raw material, used in many areas, from spreads to chocolate to cosmetics. But palm oil cultivation is accused by environmental defenders of encouraging the deforestation of tropical forests in Indonesia and Malaysia, which between them produce 85% of the world’s palm oil.
“I will never go back”
“I am extremely sad and disappointed because our legal fight appears to have been in vain. But I will never back down,” said Hendrikus Woro, an environmental activist from the tribe who initiated the appeal, quoted in a press release. His lawyer said he would appeal the decision.
According to the coalition of NGOs, opponents of the PT IAL company’s project suffered “intimidation”. Last April, the European Parliament adopted a law which aims to ban the import of several agricultural products when they contribute to deforestation and are contrary to the objectives of combating climate change.