Home › Regions › Publication: Newsletter articles › Region: Indonesia ›

Forests & forest fires

Peoples Plantations': help or hindrance in tackling deforestation?

Down to Earth No. 74, August 2007


Indonesia's forestry department is allocating millions of hectares of land to a new scheme aimed at increasing the supply for wood for the pulp and timber industries, as well as tackling poverty. But serious flaws with the 'peoples plantations' programme are raising concerns that the scheme could do more harm than good.


Indonesia's forestry department announced target figures for 'Peoples Plantations' (Hutan Tanaman Rakyat - HTR) in February this year.

WALHI calls for logging moratorium

Down to Earth No. 74, August 2007


Indonesia's most prominent environment group, WALHI (Friends of the Earth Indonesia) has repeated its call for a logging moratorium across the country.

CSOs take a stand on pulp

Down to Earth No. 73, May 2007


Civil society organisations concerned with the impacts of the pulp and paper industry and its fastwood plantations on people and forests have been discussing the basic demands to be made of industry and governments. Over the last five years, groups in North America followed by those in Europe have drawn up statements of agreed measures to transform the industry to direct their campaigning. Southern NGOs are now engaging in similar initiatives.

The Indonesian Timber Legality Verification Standard: words are not enough

Down to Earth No. 73, May 2007


After a long and tortuous process, the working group given the task of agreeing the final version of Legality Standard for Indonesian Timber has completed its work. What its impact will be on the ground, where Indonesia's forests are disappearing fast, remains to be seen.


The final draft of the Indonesian Timber Legality Verification Standard was officially handed over to the Forestry Department at the beginning of February 2007.

Pressure mounts against EU biofuel targets

Down to Earth No. 72 March 2007

NGOs are campaigning against the adoption by the European Union of mandatory biofuel targets, a move that will prompt the further expansion of oil palm plantations in Indonesia, more appropriation of indigenous lands, more forest loss, and, ironically, higher carbon emissions.

Hundreds of NGOs worldwide, and thousands of individuals have called on European Union (EU) politicians to say 'no' to biofuel targets when they decide on the issue in early March.

Palm oil is not green

Down to Earth No. 71, November 2006


Plans have been shelved to use palm oil in a UK power station after campaigners highlighted the negative consequences for local communities, forests and wildlife.

In brief... DTE 71 - November 2006

Down to Earth No. 71, November 2006

 

Worst forest fires since 1997

This year's forest fires and resulting smoke-smog pollution have again caused havoc over large areas of Kalimantan and Sumatra. Dry conditions meant that the fires spread rapidly and continued into November, before rains started easing the situation. The choking 'haze', which is expected to take a heavy toll on local people's health, spread to neighbouring countries, prompting President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to apologise to them.