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Illegal Logging, Mining Ravages Kalimantan, Costs Indonesia $36.4b

Jakarta Globe: The Ministry of Forestry says illegal logging, land clearance, forest fires and mining has devastated Indonesian Borneo and cost the country an estimated Rp 311.4 trillion ($36.4 billion). Raffles Panjaitan, director for forest investigation and protection at the ministry, said an estimated 1,236 mining firms and 537 oil palm plantation companies were operating illegally in Central, East and West Kalimantan on the Indonesian half of Borneo. The companies had caused losses put at Rp158.5 trillion...

Indonesia ‘Hot Spot’ of Climate Change, President Says

Jakarta Globe: Indonesia sits at the epicenter of global climate change and as such is central to the solutions that will determine the future, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said on Thursday. In his keynote address on the opening day of the Business for the Environment (B4E) Global Summit 2011 in Jakarta, Yudhoyono challenged participants to come up with solutions that could propel the country and the global community toward a green economy. “Indonesia is a hot spot for climate diplomacy,” he said. ...

The Threat of Indonesia’s Palm Oil Rush

Jakarta Globe: For those not familiar with images of a tropical forest being depleted, it is difficult to imagine the level of desperation faced by indigenous populations who have retained their customary rights to live and depend on the forest’s environment according to their traditional ways. Many of these people of the forest live by traditional hunting and gathering, relying on their environmental knowledge to secure food resources. Yet among these ancient tropical forests, many do not resemble what they...

Indonesia’s Largest Palm Oil Producer Sees Profits Double on Rising Prices

Jakarta Globe: Golden Agri-Resources, the world’s second-largest palm oil producer, said fourth-quarter profits more than doubled as prices for its main product jumped to record highs and its assets gained in value. Net income increased to $1.17 billion for the quarter ending on Dec. 31, compared with $473 million a year earlier, the Singapore-listed Indonesian company said on Monday. Profit, excluding gains from asset value upgrades and currency exchange gains, jumped 124 percent to $146 million. Sales rose...

Palm Oil Firms Demand Clarity Over Land Use

Jakarta Globe: Rising commodity prices are driving palm oil producers to find more land to boost output, but doing so in Indonesia may be too difficult, some producers claim. Sime Darby, the world’s largest listed palm oil producer, wants to acquire more land, including in Indonesia, the world’s top producing nation. However, it may turn to Africa if obstacles such as a ban on forest clearing and conflicting zoning regulations prove too much of a headache. “Sime Darby is always open to any proposition to...

Indonesia Makes Startling Admission on Forests

Jakarta Globe: Orangutans captured in Kalimantan province. The primates, searching for food, were captured in Sungai Pinyuh village and beaten, resulting in the death of one orangutan late last year. Indonesia admitted on Tuesday that hundreds of mine and plantation companies are operating illegally in Central Kalimantan, and promised to beef up law enforcement to protect forests and threatened species. (Reuters Photo/Ferry Latif) Related articles Officials Said to Lack Climate Awareness 12:18pm Feb 2, 2011...

Yudhoyono Talks Tough on Forest Destroyers

Jakarta Globe: Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Monday ordered provincial governors to act more firmly against mining and plantation firms which continue to destroy forests in the country. "A number of mining and plantations operations remained destructive to the environment. I urged governors to carry out firmer actions against them," he told a national forum attended by high-ranking officials in the capital. Indonesia is considered the world's third biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, due...