Native people are affected by mining projects and palm oil plantations – Europe's hunger for palm oil stirs up the conflicts

More and more land is being taken from the native peoples in Indonesia in order to set up new palm oil plantations and to start new mining projects. According to the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP), the island's National Human Rights Commission has published alarming figures: A total of 399 land disputes was registered in Indonesia in 2012. "Europe's hunger for palm oil is one of the causes for deforestation and land grabs", said the STP's expert on questions regarding Asia, Ulrich Delius, in Göttingen on Tuesday. Almost every company in the palm oil business has already been involved in land disputes in the multi-ethnic state, the world's most important producer of palm oil.

"If the EU Commission declares palm oil from certified organic plantations to be environmentally friendly, this is a slap in the face for Indonesia's indigenous peoples, because the palm oil boom is one of the biggest threats to their existence," says Delius. On November 27, 2012, the EU Commission had declared palm oil production to be eligible for funding, as long as it is organically produced. "But this certificate does not indicate whether native peoples were displaced to clear the plantation areas. This is also caused by the widespread corruption and abuse of power in Indonesia."

According to the Society for Threatened Peoples, the number of land disputes is a clear sign that the 45 million indigenous people in Indonesia are under pressure to give up their traditional way of life and commerce in the rainforests. Most of the hundreds of indigenous peoples live in the forest as hunters/gatherers or have small fields where they grow their basic foods – but since they have no formal titles of possession, they are often forced to abandon their homeland to make way for new plantations and mining projects.

Indonesia is planning to increased palm oil production rates by another 60 percent until 2020. Together with Malaysia, the country already covers 85 percent of the global palm oil production. According to the Indonesian government, there are at least 7.32 million hectares being used for oil palm plantations. The example of the province of Central Sulawesi shows how mining companies are able to override any restrictions even in protected areas: The Indonesian nickel mining company PT Gemah Ripah Pratama had cleared 18 square kilometers of mangrove forest in the nature reserve Morowali, so that the 3000 Wana-natives in the conservation area – who live off hunting, collecting pine resin and farming – are now seriously affected by the deforestation. Meanwhile, the mining company made use of the cleared land to build a harbor in order to ship the minerals.