Home › Campaigns › Theme: Forests & forest fires ›

Europe/UK

 

 

The logging of West Papua

Down to Earth No 55  November 2002


Human rights abuses connected to the logging industry will increase in West Papua as more forests are destroyed and the Indonesian security forces continue their business activities in a climate of impunity.

In July 2002, West Papuan human rights group ELSHAM reported a series of logging-related human rights abuses committed between February and June 2002 by members of the Indonesian armed forces stationed in sub-districts around Jayapura.

Sulawesi communities reject Rio Tinto's CPM mine

Down to Earth No 53-54  August 2002

The forested Kambuno mountains are the adat (customary) lands of the indigenous Poboya peoples and provide the basis for their livelihoods.

The Indonesia-UK MoU on Illegal Logging

Down to Earth No 53-54  August 2002


In April this year the Indonesian and British governments signed an agreement to improve forest law enforcement and to combat illegal logging and the international trade in illegal wood products.

UK and Indonesia sign landmark agreement on illegal logging

Down to Earth Press Release, 19 April 2002

...but forest communities' rights still violated

Britain and Indonesia are expected to announce today a Memorandum of Understanding to help protect tropical rainforest. Indonesia's forestry minister, Muhammad Prakosa, is in London to sign the agreement with UK Department for International Development. The MoU sets out how the two countries will co-operate on forest law enforcement and governance to combat illegal logging and the international trade in illegally logged timber and wood products.

STATEMENT BY UK NGOs ON THE FORESTRY MoU BETWEEN THE INDONESIAN AND UK GOVERNMENTS

We, as UK NGOs working on forest issues, share the concerns of Indonesian civil society organisations about the rapid rates of deforestation in Indonesia and the consequent loss of sustainable livelihoods.

APP and debt-financed forest destruction

Down to Earth No 52, February 2002


The highly-indebted pulp and paper group, Asia Pulp and Paper (APP), commissioned an environmental audit in September to allay fears over rainforest destruction in Sumatra.

Oil palm action

Down to Earth No 52, February 2002

Three of the biggest banks in the Netherlands - ABN AMRO, Rabobank and Fortis - have agreed to stop or substantially restrict financing for oil palm development in Indonesia on environmental and social grounds. This is the result of a joint campaign by the Indonesian oil palm advocacy network, Sawit Watch, Milieudefensie (Friends of the Earth NL) and Greenpeace Netherlands following the disastrous 1997/8 forest fires in which10 million hectares of forest land were burnt. Oil palm and pulp plant feeder companies were the main offenders.