Indonesia’s Cancellation of Thousands of Plantation and Mining Permits Should Be Followed by Restitution of Land to Local Communities
WASHINGTON – The Government of Indonesia announced today that it has revoked the permits of over 2,000 mining and plantation companies “due to non-compliance or because they had been unused.”
Jeff Conant, Senior International Forest Manager at Friends of the U.S., issued the following statement in response:
The Indonesian government’s decision is a positive step in taking responsibility for reigning in corporate abuses. As critically stated by Indonesia’s largest environmental federation, WALHI/Friends of the Earth Indonesia [see below], this process must now lead to a systematic effort to address the many agrarian conflicts that such poorly regulated concessions have left in their wake. As important as it is for the government to review and revoke the licenses of irresponsible companies, it is equally important that land and the rights to manage the land be restored to local communities.
FOE Indonesia’s full press release can be accessed here.
Expert contact: Jeff Conant, [email protected]
Communications contact: Brittany Miller, (202) 222-0746, [email protected]