Land Grabbing, Forests & Finance Archives

Land Grabbing, Forests & Finance

One of the fastest growing drivers of deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions, and displacement of forest-dwelling communities is the expansion of industrial agricultural plantations across the tropics for the production of palm oil, soy, cattle and pulp and paper. These ingredients appear in thousands of everyday household goods that line supermarket shelves. Monoculture plantations are responsible for widespread forest destruction, loss of endangered species’ habitat, and increasingly violent land conflicts between companies and local — often Indigenous — communities.

Deforestation driven by industrial agriculture is second only to fossil fuel combustion as a leading driver of global climate change. Year after year the world watches as some of the planet’s greatest rainforests, from the Amazon to Indonesia to the Congo Basin burn to supply the industrial demand for agricultural commodities. On average, an area of forest cover the size of the United Kingdom is lost every year.

While agribusiness and consumer companies play a central role in driving the industrial agricultural supply chains responsible for deforestation and human rights abuses, these companies are financed by powerful investors. Following the money, Friends of the Earth US advocates for financiers to use their leverage to force companies to change their practices, or shift investments away from companies and industries driving deforestation, land grabbing, and human rights abuses. 

In recent years, some money managers have come to recognize their responsibility to halt deforestation, as both a business risk and a moral imperative. But NONE of the largest US investment firms have policies on deforestation and human rights to guide their investments and ensure they are not funding deforestation. We advocate for all institutional investors, asset managers and banks to adopt policies to protect forests and the Indigenous Peoples who depend upon and care for them.

Indigenous Peoples and local communities have proven to be the best protectors of forests and lands on which the entire planet depends. Recognizing and respecting land rights therefore must be an essential part of any strategy to mitigate the worst impacts of the climate crisis. We work in close collaboration with civil society organizations, local communities, and grassroots leaders on the frontlines of the global deforestation crisis to ensure that their land rights are at the heart of any solution.

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Latest News See All
Civil society groups demand sustainable palm oil body reject Indonesian palm oil giant Astra Agro Lestari’s membership

Providing AAL with RSPO membership undermines communities’ demands for justice and further undermines the RSPO, and such greenwashing fails to protect human rights, redress land conflicts, or prevent environmental destruction.

New Report Reveals Indonesian Palm Oil Giant’s Violations More Widespread Than Initially Documented

AAL’s environmental and governance violations include illegal palm oil cultivation inside Indonesia’s forest estate; ongoing intimidation and criminalization of environmental human rights defenders; and several AAL subsidiaries operating without required permits.

Friends of the Earth groups welcome Norges Bank’s exclusion of Jardine Matheson, Astra International over environmental and biodiversity impacts

Banks and investors should follow suit and suspend financing to AAL, Astra International, and Jardine Matheson until land that was taken without consent is returned to communities.

Impact Stories See All
Holding Multinational Corporations Accountable
Holding Multinational Corporations Accountable

Getting six major multinationals to stand up and take action is no small thing, but there is still work to be done.

Protecting the Amazon from Rampant Deforestation
Protecting the Amazon from Rampant Deforestation

Studies suggest that cattle ranching and animal feed production is currently responsible for 80% of deforestation across the Latin America and Caribbean region.

Fighting for Corporate Responsibility
Fighting for Corporate Responsibility

After years of pressure from environmental activists, Proctor & Gamble shareholders took a vital step towards protecting our forests.

Latest Blog Posts See All
Indigenous Leader Faces Murder Attempt, Death Threats Amid Intensifying Land Grabbing and Deforestation in the Brazilian Cerrado
Indigenous Leader Faces Murder Attempt, Death Threats Amid Intensifying Land Grabbing and Deforestation in the Brazilian Cerrado

Agribusiness companies operating in the Brazilian Cerrado continue to drive violence, intimidation, and dispossession against Indigenous leaders, traditional communities and environmental human rights defenders

Urgent Action Needed to Prevent Escalating Conflict by Astra Agro Lestari in Sulawesi, Indonesia
Urgent Action Needed to Prevent Escalating Conflict by Astra Agro Lestari in Sulawesi, Indonesia

Rather than pursuing a peaceful resolution following these recent business suspensions, Astra Agro Lestari is fomenting further violence and intimidation.

Will consumer goods companies ensure justice for communities that have been robbed of their lands and livelihoods?
Will consumer goods companies ensure justice for communities that have been robbed of their lands and livelihoods?

If a destructive palm oil company is suspended by consumer goods giants for land grabbing and human right abuses, will we finally get our land back?

Featured Resources See All
  • Cultivating Conflict: How Astra Agro Lestari, Brands, and Big Finance Capitalize on Indonesia’s Governance Gaps
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  • Land Grabbing and Ecocide: How Bunge, TIAA, and Harvard Fuel the Destruction of the Brazilian Cerrado
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  • Doubling Down on Deforestation
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