Earth Science News
WOOD PILE
'All Eyes on Papua' campaign generates interest in deforestation cases
'All Eyes on Papua' campaign generates interest in deforestation cases
by AFP Staff Writers
Jakarta (AFP) June 5, 2024

A campaign seeking to drive support for Indigenous tribes fighting palm oil plantations in eastern Indonesia is spreading widely online after taking inspiration from an AI-generated image of Gaza.

Mimicking the 'All Eyes on Rafah' graphic that splashed across social media last month, the 'All Eyes on Papua' image has been shared nearly three million times on Instagram since last week.

The campaign comes as Papua's Awyu and Moi Indigenous communities battle palm oil companies in court over massive tracts of land.

The Awyu tribe -- reportedly made up of 20,000 members who rely on the land for their subsistence -- is appealing an Indonesian court's decision to allow palm oil firm PT Indo Asiana Lestari (PT IAL) to clear large swathes of forest for plantations.

The company has been issued a 36,000-hectare (89,000-acre) government concession, more than half the size of the Indonesian capital Jakarta.

In southwest Papua, the Moi tribe has filed a lawsuit against the PT Sorong Agro Sawitindo (SAS) company, which plans to clear 18,160 hectares of forest for palm oil plantations.

"I believe the support we're seeing reflects a shared concern with the Awyu and Moi tribes in their resistance," Tigor Hutapea, a lawyer for the tribes, told AFP about the online campaign.

"This is a call to action, to save ourselves. As the forests continue to diminish, we are already feeling the consequences."

Both tribes are fighting their ongoing legal cases in the country's Supreme Court and members of both staged a protest in Jakarta last month.

"We are fighting for our land... where will we go? We are protecting this for our future generations," Awyu tribe plaintiff Hendrikus Woro told AFP.

Papua lost 2.5 percent of its tree cover between 2001 and 2023, according to Global Forest Watch.

In November, a Papuan court ruled that PT IAL's permit was valid, rejecting the Awyu tribe's argument that the concession had been granted based on a flawed environmental impact assessment.

The tribe and environmental NGOs also claim opponents of the palm oil firm's plans have faced intimidation.

PT IAL did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Palm oil is a billion-dollar industry in Indonesia, which is the world's largest producer and exporter of the commodity used in everything from chocolate spreads to cosmetics.

The European Union agreed in 2022 to ban palm oil imports linked to deforestation.

Related Links
Forestry News - Global and Local News, Science and Application

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
WOOD PILE
DR Congo capital hosts forest forum
Kinshasa (AFP) May 31, 2024
The DR Congo capital Kinshasa on Friday launched a youth forum seeking innovative ideas to help save the Congo Basin, the world's second biggest tropical forest after the Amazon. The basin spans 220 million hectares (850,000 square miles) across several countries including the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Congo-Brazzaville and Gabon. "Current and future generations" must be able to profit "from ecosystems and and resources from the Congo River Basin forests," Environment Minister Eve Baza ... read more

WOOD PILE
Indonesia ready to send peacekeepers, medical staff to Gaza

Foreign legion 'proud' to provide security at Paris Olympics

Aid reaches Papua New Guinea landslide site

Egypt's Sisi calls to ensure Gazans not 'forcibly displaced'

WOOD PILE
European Team Validates Flow Models in Zero Gravity

What is the European sovereign cloud?

Australian rare earths firm says data leaked day after Chinese investors blocked

First metal 3D printing performed on ISS

WOOD PILE
Strategies to Sustain the Aral Sea: Adapting to Anthropogenic Landscapes

Chile's lithium dreams raise water concerns in the desert

Vulnerable island states adopt 10-year development plan

BAE Systems chosen to develop ocean color instrument for NOAA's GeoXO constellation

WOOD PILE
Norway vows to strengthen control over Arctic Svalbard

Successful satellite launch will let NASA measure polar heat loss

For sale: unique piece of land in strategic Arctic archipelago

Climate change key driver of record-low Antarctic sea ice: study

WOOD PILE
Greenhouse cultivation rapidly expanding in low- and middle-income countries

Hunting for edible plants with London's urban foragers

Bezos Earth Fund awards $30M to N.C. State to research sustainable proteins

Revived reservoir a lifeline for Syria farmers

WOOD PILE
South African floods kill at least 22 people

Hundreds in emergency shelters after Philippine volcano erupts

Strong earthquake hits central Japan

12 dead in South African flooding

WOOD PILE
African tech startups cater to continent's needs

Mali opens probe into killing of nine would-be soldiers

Jailed Burkina army officer abducted day after release

Nigeria jihadists kill around 30 in reprisal attacks

WOOD PILE
JK Rowling says regrets not speaking out sooner on trans issues

Record low level of Hong Kong's young adults want children: survey

Can we rid artificial intelligence of bias?

Amazonian chief at UN to combat traditional knowledge piracy

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.