POLICY

Environmental feasibility for palm oil expansion, a case study from Papua
February 26, 2021

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JAKARTA (FORESTHINTS.NEWS) - Every release of state forest areas granted by Jakarta for palm oil plantation development in Papua and West Papua always includes relevant legal evidence in the form of location permits issued by the regents/mayors concerned as well as recommendation letters from the governors of the two provinces.

This means that none of these state forest area releases legally stand alone, as they involve the legal power of the regents/mayors and governors referred to above.

Another piece of legal evidence, as detailed in this news report, is a decree issued by the Governor of Papua regarding the environmental feasibility for a certain company to develop a palm oil plantation and its processing plant, which also underpinned Jakarta's release of these state forest areas.

After the release of these state forest areas was approved for this company, the legal status of the areas in question changed to non-state forest, the legal power for which rests with the two provincial governments.

In the implementation of President Joko Widodo's palm oil expansion moratorium in areas with good forest cover, the evaluation of these forested areas within existing palm oil concessions - as part of efforts to hand them back to Jakarta for their legal status to be changed to state forest areas - is also under the authority of the two governors.

Below are photos of the palm oil plantation development in Papua for which the Governor issued a decree on its environmental feasibility. This, in turn, served as a legal basis for Jakarta to issue the release of the state forest areas concerned to the company.



The location permit for the palm oil concession above comes from the Regent of Merauke and the letter of recommendation for the release of the state forest areas in question is from the Governor of Papua.

The photos below show areas with good forest cover, significant swathes of which remain within the existing palm oil concession in Papua. Based on the governor’s decree, these reportedly met the environmental feasibility criteria for developing palm oil plantations such that this decree became one of the legal bases for releasing these state forest areas to the company concerned.



A decision to hand these areas with good forest cover over to Jakarta to return their legal status to state forest areas would certainly be a lesson learned in implementing the palm oil expansion moratorium.

The evaluation from the Governor of Papua will also certainly include his letter of recommendation for releasing the state forest areas granted to the palm oil company, including the governor's decree on the environmental feasibility of developing palm oil plantations.

The environmental feasibility for developing palm oil plantations, as discussed in this news report, is of course an important part in the evaluation of areas with good forest cover in the existing palm oil concession.

Indonesia's Ministry of Environment and Forestry stated in a recent report (Feb 15) that there has not been a single proposal from the Governors of Papua and West Papua to return areas with good forest cover in existing palm oil concessions to prevent further potential deforestation for palm oil expansion.

The evaluation of areas with good forest cover in existing palm oil concessions in Papua and West Papua, according to the ministry report, shows that their distribution covers 1.26 million hectares, or more than 17 times the size of Singapore, which are said to be potential high conservation value forests, including high carbon stock areas.


TAGS: HCV FORESTS , PALM OIL , PAPUA

RELATED STORIES


POLICY

Environmental feasibility for palm oil expansion, a case study from Papua
February 26, 2021

facebookfinal.png wafinal.png twitterfinal.png emailfinal.png

JAKARTA (FORESTHINTS.NEWS) - Every release of state forest areas granted by Jakarta for palm oil plantation development in Papua and West Papua always includes relevant legal evidence in the form of location permits issued by the regents/mayors concerned as well as recommendation letters from the governors of the two provinces.

This means that none of these state forest area releases legally stand alone, as they involve the legal power of the regents/mayors and governors referred to above.

Another piece of legal evidence, as detailed in this news report, is a decree issued by the Governor of Papua regarding the environmental feasibility for a certain company to develop a palm oil plantation and its processing plant, which also underpinned Jakarta's release of these state forest areas.

After the release of these state forest areas was approved for this company, the legal status of the areas in question changed to non-state forest, the legal power for which rests with the two provincial governments.

In the implementation of President Joko Widodo's palm oil expansion moratorium in areas with good forest cover, the evaluation of these forested areas within existing palm oil concessions - as part of efforts to hand them back to Jakarta for their legal status to be changed to state forest areas - is also under the authority of the two governors.

Below are photos of the palm oil plantation development in Papua for which the Governor issued a decree on its environmental feasibility. This, in turn, served as a legal basis for Jakarta to issue the release of the state forest areas concerned to the company.



The location permit for the palm oil concession above comes from the Regent of Merauke and the letter of recommendation for the release of the state forest areas in question is from the Governor of Papua.

The photos below show areas with good forest cover, significant swathes of which remain within the existing palm oil concession in Papua. Based on the governor’s decree, these reportedly met the environmental feasibility criteria for developing palm oil plantations such that this decree became one of the legal bases for releasing these state forest areas to the company concerned.



A decision to hand these areas with good forest cover over to Jakarta to return their legal status to state forest areas would certainly be a lesson learned in implementing the palm oil expansion moratorium.

The evaluation from the Governor of Papua will also certainly include his letter of recommendation for releasing the state forest areas granted to the palm oil company, including the governor's decree on the environmental feasibility of developing palm oil plantations.

The environmental feasibility for developing palm oil plantations, as discussed in this news report, is of course an important part in the evaluation of areas with good forest cover in the existing palm oil concession.

Indonesia's Ministry of Environment and Forestry stated in a recent report (Feb 15) that there has not been a single proposal from the Governors of Papua and West Papua to return areas with good forest cover in existing palm oil concessions to prevent further potential deforestation for palm oil expansion.

The evaluation of areas with good forest cover in existing palm oil concessions in Papua and West Papua, according to the ministry report, shows that their distribution covers 1.26 million hectares, or more than 17 times the size of Singapore, which are said to be potential high conservation value forests, including high carbon stock areas.


TAGS: HCV FORESTS , PALM OIL , PAPUA

RELATED STORIES