A farmer from the Sakai indigenous tribe is sentenced to one year in prison with a fine of 200 million rupiah ($13,800) for cutting down 20 acacia and eucalyptus trees planted by PT Arara Abadi (AA), a subsidiary of Asia Pulp & Paper (APP), near his home to plant sweet potatoes for his family.
This case is part of a long-standing land conflict between the Sakai indigenous community and AA. Activists have condemned the verdict as the Sakai tribe settled in the land decades before AA obtained its concession.
News
Collected news links from external sources related to topics concerning the Book Chain Project.
Indonesian court jails indigenous farmer in conflict with paper giant APP
As a Timber Plantation Flourishes, Village Dissent Takes Root
Around 150 Yong’an residents are suing the local government and its partner forest management company, Guangxi Lee & Man Forestry Technology Ltd, for violating a clause in contract law where a business must not damage public interests. Villagers claim the eucalyptus, a thirsty plantation species, is draining the local water supply from three mountain springs, leaving very little for farming and domestic use in the village. This is the first case of this kind in China.
APP acknowledges historic land-grabbing in China, pledges reform
A report published by Landesa and Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI) looks at Asia Pulp and Paper’s acquisitions of forest lands from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s in Guangxi and Yunnan provinces where it leased large blocks of collectively-owned forests for conversion to industrial eucalyptus plantations. The report finds that the principle of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) by local peoples was not applied in some areas, and that both APP and local regulators failed to abide by all laws governing land acquisition. The report acknowledged that APP "cooperated fully" with the researchers and is currently reviewing the problems.
Brazil’s Forest Code: more about Dilma’s ‘partial veto’ – and why it’s bad news for forests
WWF highlighting their concerns around Brazil’s Forest Code Bill. These include pardoning of previous deforestation around springs, headwaters and wetlands; reduced protection riverbank forest; and allowing restoration of areas to be done through plantations of eucalyptus and other non-native species. WWF also points out that President Rousseff’s amendments won’t be approved until after the Rio 20+ Summit.