Agriculture
Deforestation in Papua Harms Local Population as Rainforest Gives Way to Palm Oil
Indonesia continues large-scale deforestation in Papua, where the world's largest project is clearing rainforest for palm oil and sugarcane plantages despite upcoming EU regulations. In Merauke, an area three-quarters the size of the Netherlands is being cleared, impacting approximately 40,000 local Papuans who rely on the forest for their livelihoods. Activists report intimidation by the military and local authorities, who use divide-and-rule tactics to force land handovers. Although Indonesia claims this is a strategic national project for food security, locals face high costs and corruption allegations, while EU importers struggle to verify if palm oil originates from deforested areas.
Ozetta summarises; the reporting is the newsroom's