Papua tribe moves to block clearing of its ancestral forest for palm oil
Members of the Auyu tribe of Papua, Indonesia, are demanding a halt to the operations of palm oil company PT Indo Asiana Lestari (IAL), which appears to be gearing up to clear their ancestral forests.
They say that the company failed to obtain the community’s consent for the project, and that it’s not clear whether it even has the requisite permits to begin operations.
IAL’s concession is part of the Tanah Merah megaproject that is already dogged by allegations that key operating permits have been falsified.