Indonesia, West Papua – On 16 December 2025, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto announced plans to expand palm oil plantations across West Papua as part of a broader strategy to achieve energy self-sufficiency within five years.
Speaking at a joint briefing with regional heads from across West Papua at the State Palace in Jakarta, Prabowo declared that palm oil, along with sugar cane and cassava, would be cultivated to produce biofuels and ethanol, potentially saving Indonesia hundreds of trillions of rupiah in fuel imports.
Environmental and human rights groups have strongly criticised the plan, warning that indigenous Papuans will bear the brunt of its consequences. According to Indonesian NGO Sawit Watch, palm oil plantations in West Papua had already reached the environmental carrying capacity threshold of 290,837 hectares by 2022, with 75,308 hectares located in primary forests and conservation areas.
Greenpeace Indonesia described Prabowo's approach as reflecting "colonial logic," considering West Papua as empty land to be filled by state projects while ignoring the sovereignty of indigenous communities over their ancestral lands. Following the announcement of Prabowo's plans, Greenpeace Indonesia released a documentary that elaborates on the potential environmental threats the project poses to primary rainforests and indigenous communities.
Research conducted by academics at Gadjah Mada University has documented how existing palm oil operations have already disrupted indigenous livelihoods, creating what researchers term "a system of structural poverty." In areas such as Boven Digoel and Merauke, communities have lost access to traditional sago hamlets and hunting grounds, forcing them to purchase food they once gathered freely. Indigenous workers employed on plantations face precarious labour conditions. They have been promised monthly salaries of around Rp 4 million (about 200) but required to meet demanding daily targets of 60-120 kilograms, with no formal contracts or workplace protections.
The Pusaka Foundation has identified 94 palm oil companies operating in West Papua, with concessions covering a total of 1.3 million hectares. In Merauke, an existing food self-sufficiency project has already destroyed over 22,680 hectares of natural forest and triggered social conflicts and flooding. Critics note that approval processes frequently bypass the principle of free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC), reducing indigenous consultation to a mere formality and positioning Papuan communities as obstacles rather than rights-holders.
Military-backed deforestation in Merauke regency
The situation in Merauke has become particularly alarming, with Indonesia deploying military forces to accelerate land clearing for a massive state-backed agricultural project. According to a Financial Times investigation, five battalions have been stationed in West Papua to support food security initiatives, with soldiers directly involved in forest clearing, operating heavy equipment, and overseeing the eviction of residents from their traditional lands. Between May 2024 and November 2025, more than 40,000 hectares were cleared at a rapid pace, with soldiers posting videos on TikTok posing with excavators and conducting regular patrols. Affected indigenous community members report that the military has been actively involved since the forest clearing began, disregarding the principle of Free, Prior, Informed Consent (FPIC) enshrined in international human rights treaties and national law.
The scale of planned development is staggering. The government intends to cultivate rice and sugar cane on three million hectares (see photo on top, source: Pusaka). This area equals five times the size of London, encompassing primary forests, grasslands, woodlands, and wetlands. A Greenpeace report released in December 2025 revealed that 560,000 hectares have been designated for sugar cane plantations alone, of which 419,000 hectares consist of natural forest. A government-sanctioned feasibility study acknowledged that development would overlap with protected forests, wildlife sanctuaries, and nature reserves, resulting in increased temperatures, disruption to water systems, and soil degradation, while generating an estimated 315 million tonnes of carbon emissions. Independent groups forecast emissions could be more than double that figure. The project is being led by coal miner and palm oil producer, Jhonlin Group, and the Merauke Sugar Group. US chocolate maker Hershey has since suspended both companies from its supplier list due to their involvement.
Indigenous communities in Merauke are facing the immediate consequences. Flooding has already struck areas around the concessions in Jagebob, Tanah Miring, Muting, and Eligobel Districts, submerging agricultural land and residential areas. On 18 December 2025, Greenpeace Indonesia and young Papuan activists held a protest outside the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs in Jakarta, erecting an installation reading "STOP PSN" and carrying banners declaring "Papua is not an empty land." Among the protesters was Vincen Kwipalo from the Yei indigenous community, who had recently been summoned for police questioning after reporting alleged plantation crimes and the theft of his clan's traditional territory.
A coalition of civil society organisations has called on President Prabowo to withdraw his statement and halt extractive projects destroying West Papua's forests. Critics call on the government to focus on intensifying existing plantations and investing in genuinely sustainable energy sources such as micro-hydro and solar power. The Indonesian Biology Consortium urged, the recent ecological disaster in Sumatra, where deforestation contributed to flooding that killed over 1,000 people, should serve as a stark warning against repeating such policies in West Papua.