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Brian Rudman – We ban trawling off wide stretches of the coast to save rare dolphins.

Rizal Harahap and Suherdjoko, Pekanbaru, Semarang – Forest fires have broken out in several places in Riau and Central Java provinces over the past few weeks, as this year's dry season

The Papua NGOs Forum is calling on Indonesia's government to stop issuing permits for oil palm plantation in Papua province.

Jakarta – Greenomics Indonesia, an NGO conducting studies on the environment, says 60.42 percent of forestry companies in Papua and West Papua perform poorly on local community empowerm

Firman Hidayat, Samarinda – The elephants also entered villages and destroyed paddy fields.

Jakarta – Papuans have demanded a halt to all new forestry and plantations deals until the region's Special Autonomy Law protects indigenous rights with dedicated implementing regulatio

Jakarta – An Indonesian plan to build a highway through the forests of Papua risks opening the door to massive deforestation in the jungle-clad half-island, environment groups said Wedn

Singapore – Regional officials on Monday praised Indonesia's efforts to reduce a haze caused by forest fires which regularly choke Southeast Asia.

Syaipul Bakhori, Jambi – The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) is predicting that forests in Sumatra will be gone within five years as a result of being exploited and changed

Jakarta – PT Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper (RAPP) paid at least Rp 6.4 billion (US$684,800) to exploit forests using illegal permits issued by Pelalawan Regent Tengku Azmun Jaafar, a cour

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Jakarta – Papua, a region called Dutch New Guinea in the colonial era, has been 'controlled' by 10 big plantation companies in the last two years.

Greenpeace says that without good governance, Indonesia's plans to utilise millions more hectares in its Papua region are unlikely to be sustainably managed.

Apriadi Gunawan and Rizal Harahap, Medan/Pekanbaru – Choking haze from forest fires in Riau and Jambi has blanketed North Sumatra for several days and threatens to spread to neighboring

Jakarta – The government of Indonesia, the world's largest palm oil producer, is now looking at its vast easternmost provinces in Papua to expand its palm oil plantations, a senior offi

Adianto P. Simamora, Jakarta – The government called on developed nations to buy carbon credits from Indonesia, rather than push for a moratorium on forestry activities.

Rizal Harahap, Pekanbaru – The Indonesian Environmental Forum's (Walhi) Riau branch urged the government Tuesday to revise numerous controversial industrial forest concessions issued co

Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) questioned lawmakers Wowo Ibrahim of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and Syarfi Hutauruk of the Golkar Party on

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Rizal Harahap, Pekanbaru – The sudden reshuffle of Riau Police Chief Sutjiptadi, known for his anti-illegal logging stance, raises questions about the motives behind the replacement, an

Extract: Official complicity

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Gunanto E.S./Ezther Lastania, Jakarta – The government will give fiscal incentive to 20 Industrial Timber Estate (HTI) companies.

Ashleigh Wilson – Inadequate international laws are allowing an illegal timber trade worth more than $2 billion a year to flourish across the Asia-Pacific region, with 9 per cent of all

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Jakarta – Illegal logging is causing more than the destruction of forests – it is destroying human lives through trafficking of girls to logging camps.

Nabiha Shahab, Kuala Cenaku – Marto Wijoyo and his family left the overcrowded Indonesian island of Java 27 years ago in search of a better life on neighbouring Sumatra.

Jakarta – The international environmental activist group Greenpeace called for Jakarta to strongly support the maintenance of Papua's log export ban despite recent logging industry pres

Lilian Budianto, Jakarta – The House unanimously refused on Thursday to endorse a bill that would see Indonesia ratify an ASEAN agreement to eradicate transboudary fire haze and smoke p

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – Most forest and land rehabilitation programs launched by the central government have failed to reduce deforestation because locals refuse to become involved, off

Rendi Akhmad Witular, Jakarta – The "only" courageous move taken by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono during his 3.5 years in office was his recent policy to broadly accommodate corpor

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Ika Krismantari, Jakarta – Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro told hundreds of mining investors on Friday they would soon be able to apply to operate in productiv

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Dessy Nurhayati and Adianto P.

Rizal Harahap, Pekanbaru – Members of the Indonesian Forest Protection Committee and the Riau chapter of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) rallied Thursday at Riau Police

Adianto P. Simamora, Jakarta – The government said Thursday it would not license new mining companies to operate open-pit mining systems in protected forests.

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Khairul Saleh, Palembang – The Palembang Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has said that tropical forests in Sumatra are under extreme threat from illegal logging.

Adianto P Simamora, Jakarta – Green activists strongly criticized the ongoing forest conversion work at Bukit Tigapuluh, saying it would speed up the loss of Sumatra's endangered specie

Neles Tebay, Abepura, Papua – Papua holds one of the largest areas of forest in the Asia Pacific region.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – Despite the imposition of a moratorium on logging in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam, illegal logging has been rampant, causing the state about Rp 123.7 billion (

Ary Hermawan and Stevie Emilia, Denpasar/Bali – Forest-rich countries' plan to push for incentives to conserve their forests as carbon sinks is considered crucial in the global effort t

Nurni Sulaiman, Balikpapan – At least 14 soldiers stationed at Tanjungpura military command in East Kalimantan have been convicted of involvement in illegal logging and sentenced to con

Jakarta – The government is very optimistic that its effort to present a gift to the world by planting 79 million trees next week will make a significant contribution toward curbing glo

Jakarta – Bewildering Indonesian forestry regulations and chaotic inter-departmental coordination have contributed to the government's inability to handle illegal logging cases, experts

Desy Nurhayati, Jakarta – Environmental groups urged the government Tuesday to stop issuing concessions for mining companies at protected forests, to avoid further forest conversions.

Alfian and Apriadi Gunawan, Jakarta/Medan – Forestry minister M.S.

The Jakarta Post, Pelalawan, Riau – Forestry companies are generally still reluctant to adopt sustainable management practices because most do not see the benefits for their businesses.