#AllEyesOnPapua : a viral cry to protect the nation’s last rainforests.
From the dense rainforests of Papua, an impassioned chorus has risen demanding the Indonesian government halt a palm oil company’s plans to raze over 36,000 hectares of land — an area half the size of Jakarta; the indigenous Awyu and Moro tribes have called home for centuries.
RELEVANT SUSTAINABLE GOALS
“The forest is the center of our life,” explained Hendrikus Woro, an environmental advocate from the Awyu tribe, at a recent protest in Jakarta. “We’ve come this long distance to beg the Supreme Court to restore our rights by revoking this palm company’s permit.”
At the heart of the conflict is a sprawling concession held by the Indo Asiana Lestari company that encompasses part of the Moro clan’s customary lands. Though the firm obtained environmental approvals, the indigenous groups allege they were never properly consulted or compensated.
A Losing Legal Battle
The tribes have been waging a protracted legal battle since 2023 when the Jayapura State Administrative Court initially rejected a lawsuit challenging the company’s permits.
“The three witnesses testified they were never involved in any socialization by the company or local government,” said Sekar Banjaran Aji, a legal advisor for the Awyu tribe, describing that initial trial.”This shows the government ignored the very existence of impacted communities.”
With time running out before the concession’s forests are cleared, the indigenous groups have taken their desperate fight to the nation’s highest court on Java island. There, they held solemn rituals this week outside the Supreme Court to raise awareness of their plight.
“We are wholly dependent on the forest for our livelihoods through hunting and gathering practices passed down over generations,” Woro told reporters through a translator. “Sacrificing it to a palm plantation would be sacrificing our very identity and existence as a people.”
Conservationists have also rallied behind the tribes’ cause, arguing that Papua’s vast tracts of biodiverse rainforest represent one of the world’s last great natural bastions in dire need of protection.
Historic Rights at Stake
The conflict has put a spotlight on Indonesia’s complex legal framework governing indigenous land rights in Papua. Though the region’s special autonomy laws enshrine broad rights for native Papuans, those are often outweighed by industrial development interests assert critics.
“We acknowledge indigenous Papuans’ historic claims, but economic progress requires striking a balance,” said Tito Karnavian, the national investment chief overseeing the contentious palm oil project. “With proper management, this plantation can bring sustainable development that uplifts all Papuans.”
As lawyers prepare for a Supreme Court showdown that could have sweeping ramifications across the restive region, the indigenous tribes insist they have no intention of relenting in the fight to safeguard their rainforest lifeblood.
“Our identity is inseparable from this land,” said Woro, gesturing to the lush foliage surrounding his remote village. “No matter how long the struggle, we’ll never stop defending our home and our way of life.”
For the Awyu, Moro and other Papuan tribes, preserving the world’s last great rainforests is an existential battle – one that will help shape the future of the entire planet. All eyes should indeed be on Papua to see how that showdown unfolds.
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