Greenpeace says Indonesia mustn’t encroach on Papua forests in oil palm push

A very important warning from Arief Wicaksono of Greenpeace

Posted at 08:12 on 22 May, 2008 UTC in RNZI

Greenpeace says that without good governance, Indonesia’s plans to utilise millions more hectares in its Papua region are unlikely to be sustainably managed.

Indonesia’s agriculture ministry says that since Sumatra and Kalimantan have become too dense for new palm oil plantations, the only land available is in Papua.

Indonesia, which is the world’s largest palm oil producer, has three to four million hectares of land suitable for palm oil plantations in the Papua region.

However Indonesia’s already the third largest carbon emitter in the world and Greenpeace Southeast Asia Political Advisor, Arief Wicaksono, says oil palm plantation expansion will only increase the rate.

He says such plans usually mean more deforestation and ongoing hunger for land.

“The government should have stronger and stricter controls on how the plantations not encroaching the forests. If you look back to early 2007, the Agriculture Minister said that to become number one palm oil producer [in the world], we don’t have to encroach natural forests.”

Arief Wicaksono of Greenpeace

U.S. firm to invest $4 bln in Indonesian pulp factory

Related to the logging industry pressure to loosen Papua Log Export Ban, an international pulp factory plans to invest and to destroy our forest. Do we need investment that only for the benefit of business elites? Forest is our mother, please help her to be green and protect our soul from greediness.

Source of Information: Xinhua and  Pulp.Inc

Papua log export ban

Papua log export ban is very serious, and all Papuan should support the Papua Log Export Ban. Log export ban is under pressure now. It seems that both Papua local government and central government of Indonesia are showing a tendency to loosen the regulation. We should questioned the purpose of cutting trees and deforestation in Papua.

STOP DEFORESTATION  !!!

SAVE PAPUA TROPICAL FOREST !!!

Tropical deforestation accounts for approximately 20 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. Indonesia is the world’s third largest emitter largely due to deforestation. If Indonesia’s government is serious about saving its forests and tackling climate change, it should fully support the Papua log export ban.

BP Shattered illusions

I am sure that well educated Papuan either activist or government employee should read the article on BP business in Papua.  As I mentioned earlier in my writing on Multinational Projects that Papuan should watch closely all multinational projects in the land of Papua. The importance of this is not only watching but also push BP to take serious attention on the survival of the Papuans. We should prevent BP from doing a continuously destructive project on our forests and our trees. We also should fight againts BP projects that pollute the rivers and seas.

The article by John Vidal is must reading for all Papuan Watcher and Papuan Environment activist.

Papuan Should Watch Sustainable Multinational Projects

Confrontation will only worsening conflict in Papua. We should start to think and act wisely in mature manner. Some separatist pomps speak out against development in Papua, for example by spreading negative issues on investment and development project in Papua. Other Papuan support the development with condition that the development is not intentionally to destroy the beautiful land of papua. 

Lorentz National Park, Indonesia

Lorentz National Park (Source: The Ministry of Forestry, Republic of Indonesia)

Yesterday, when I browsed the internet I have found a very interesting link on Lorentz National Park. Located at 04º00′-5º15’S, 137º14′-138º20’E, Lorentz National Park  is a Unesco World Heritage Site that lies within the Province of Papua, Indonesia, and the administrative districts of Jayawijaya, Paniai, Merauke (Southern Division), Fak-fak, Mimika and Enarotali. It stretches for over 150 kilometers (km), from the central cordillera mountains in the north to the Arafura Sea in the south. Access is by air from Jayapura to Wamena and Timika.

For further reading please follow the link above.

Additional links: Lorentz Park and the Greater Lorentz Lowlands

Leatherback turtle swims from Indonesia to Oregon in epic journey

Source: Canadianpress.google.com

In this photo released by the World Wildlife Fund, a leatherback turtle fitted with a satellite tracking device heads for the sea on July 25, 2003, on a remote beach in Indonesia’s Papua province. Scientists tracked a leatherback turtle that swam from Indonesia to the U.S. in an epic 20,000-kilometer (13,000-mile) journey as it searched for food, research they hope will boost international efforts to save the endangered species. (World Wildlife Fund, N.J.Tangkepayung/AP Photo)

BANGKOK, Thailand – Scientists tracked a leatherback turtle that swam from Indonesia to the United States in an epic 20,000-kilometre journey as it searched for food – research they hope will boost international efforts to save the endangered species.

The Rivers and Lakes of Papua

For all travelever around the world, a short and tempting information on wild adventure in the peaceful land of Papua can be found at Indonesia Logue.

Virtually all tourists who come to West Papua travel to the Baliem Valley in the highlands. Wamena, the main town, draws tourists who are interested in trekking and in the culture of the local Dani tribes. But there are many other interesting places such as exploring the rivers and lakes of Papua.

Papua and the Blessing of Its Natural Resources

 

Grasberg Gold Mine, West Papua

Natural resources like oil,  copper and gold in Papua is a blessing. It is true that countries with abundant natural resources are blessing, and Papua is the place in Indonesia should enjoyed the exploration of natural resources .

Avoiding deforestation will help eradicate poverty

Jakarta Post, Friday, December 7, 2007 10:49:08 AM

Many understand that deforestation contributes a lot to global warming, but few are aware that forest plundering will lead to poverty. On the sidelines of the UN climate change conference in Bali, Papua’s Governor Barnabas Suebu, one of Time’s Hero of the Environment awardees, talked to The Jakarta Post contributor I. Christianto about his efforts to combat poverty through the protection of 31-million hectares of forest remaining in the province.

True Hero of West Papua

BARNABAS SUEBU, the Governor of Papua, works for West Papuan people and peacefully channels West Papuan aspirations to the central Government of Indonesia which has legally and helpfully developed the land of WEST PAPUA, for many years.

Now the American magazine “TIME” has called him a “Hero of the Environment”. They have invited him to London for a “Heroes Awards Ceremony”. They say he is a “hero” because he wants Western countries like Britain and the USA to pay millions of dollars to Indonesia not to cut down the forests.