Indonesian civil society calls on government for transparency and accountability to protect and restore peatlands and forests

An Indonesian coalition of NGOs has released a joint statement to call for improved transparency and sustainability criteria in the new Indonesian government policy to protect peatlands. The NGO coalition (Gemapala Fakfa, Belantara Papua, Auriga, Eyes on The Forest, WWF Indonesia, Wetlands International, ELSAM, Yayasan Pusaka, HaKi and Kemitraan) expressed its support for the Indonesian government plans to protect and restore Indonesia’s peatland. However, the NGOs are concerned with the “land swap” policy, issued in July 2017, which allocates new HTI concessions on mineral soils as compensation to forestry companies that will have to restore peatlands in their own concessions.

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Bank policies that protect peatlands and reduce deadly fires in Indonesia are long overdue

Many financial institutions are divesting from the coal industry, and avoiding association with fossil fuels, yet investment in the Indonesian pulp industry is also the root cause of massive greenhouse gas emissions. It’s time for banks to put in place safeguards to stop any further irresponsible involvement in the pulp industry.

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Indonesia: Riau province declares early emergency to combat haze

Indonesian province of Riau has declared a state of emergency, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency said, after President Joko Widodo urged regional authorities to avoid a repeat of fires that smothered Southeast Asia in smog in 2015.

The government of Indonesia seeks to control the slash-and-burn land clearances for palm and pulp plantations which send clouds of toxic smoke over the region each year causing damage to public health, the climate and the economy.

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APRIL suppliers still failing to have the have work plans approved

As of the fourth week of this month, 33 pulpwood companies have had their 10-year work plans (2017-2026) approved by the Indonesian Ministry of the Environment and Forestry on the basis that these work plans are aligned with Indonesia’s new peat regulations.
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APRIL fails to reverse Indonesian peat protection regulations

In a victory for the protection of peatlands in Indonesia, Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) won the lawsuit filed by PT Riau Andalan Pulp & Paper (PT RAPP) at the State Administrative Court (PTUN) Jakarta, Thursday 21/12.

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Indonesian NGOs Write to Banks: Stop Financing APRIL

Thirty Indonesian NGOs have sent a letter to twenty banks in China and Europe calling on them to divest from APRIL and its related companies.

In 2015, after a long history of rainforest distraction and community rights abuses, APRIL announced a new commitment. Since then the company has failed at proper implementation. Its suppliers were caught several times violating Indonesian regulations, leading the government to recently suspend its working plan. After years of frustration and a lack of integrity by the company, the only two remaining NGOs have now left the APRIL sustainability advisory committee.

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Paradise Papers for APRIL

An investigation by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) reveals that APRIL has shuffled billions of dollars through a web of offshore companies. Big banks such as Credit Suisse and ABN Amro have continued to lend to April’s offshore subsidiaries despite environmentalists’ concerns and the banks’ own sustainability policies.

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Evaluating the Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance Performance of Sinar Mas Group (SMG) and Royal Golden Eagle (RGE) Companies

WWF-Indonesia together with Auriga, Forest Peoples Programme, Hutan Kita Institute, Jikalahari, KKI Warsi, Rainforest Action Network, Titian, Walhi Riau, Walhi Jambi, Wetlands International, and Woods & Wayside International have published Evaluating the Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance Performance of Sinar Mas Group (SMG) and Royal Golden Eagle (RGE) Companies.

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