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TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Twenty-two Indonesian civil society organizations have sent a letter to European Union Commissioners to express their concerns over the worsening condition of Papua’s rainforests. The region faces the threat of the deforestation of 2 million hectares of forest, alongside increasing risks to the Indigenous Malind and Yei communities.
The letter was addressed to Teresa Ribera, Executive Vice President for a Clean, Fair, and Competitive Transition; Kaja Kallas, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the European Commission; Jessica Roswall, Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience, and the Competitive Circular Economy; Jozef Síkela, Commissioner for International Partnerships; and Maroš Šefovi, Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, Interinstitutional Relations, and Transparency.
According to the press release received today, March 4, the civil society organizations urge the European Commission to seriously consider the deforestation crisis and threats to Indigenous rights in Papua as part of its country risk assessment within the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) benchmarking system. Under this scheme, the EU will classify countries or regions as low, standard, or high risk for deforestation and human rights violations, with classifications to be determined before June 30, 2025.
Article 29 of the EUDR states that the risk assessment must take into account deforestation rates and agricultural land expansion. Furthermore, Article 29(4)(d) requires the European Commission to consider the existence of laws protecting human rights, Indigenous rights, anti-corruption measures, and transparency in data necessary to comply with the EUDR.
“We urge the European Commission to ensure that Article 29(4)(d) is applied consistently and strictly across all countries and regions, including West Papua. Without a rigorous approach to forest and Indigenous rights protection, the EUDR framework risks failing to achieve its goal of preventing deforestation and human rights violations in global supply chains,” said Andi Muttaqien, Executive Director of Satya Bumi, in the press release.
A report previously submitted to the European Commission in 2024—supported by more than 30 Indonesian civil society organizations—clearly outlined how the expansion of large-scale plantations in Papua threatens both ecosystem sustainability and the rights of Indigenous communities who depend on the forests. Papua holds one of the largest remaining reserves of natural forests designated for plantation industries in Indonesia, covering more than 2 million hectares, 1.9 million of which are allocated solely for palm oil and timber commodities.
For this reason, the organizations urging the European Union to ensure that the risk classification under the EUDR benchmarking scheme reflects the vulnerability of Papua to deforestation, aligning with the realities on the ground.
Franky Samperante, Director of the Pusaka Bentala Rakyat Foundation, emphasized that forest clearing in Papua clearly violates the rights of Indigenous communities living within and around plantation concessions, particularly the Malind and Yei peoples.
“The European Union must consider the destruction of livelihoods, the economic dispossession, and the social fragmentation occurring in several districts in South Papua, including the intimidation by military and police forces. Europe's clean consumption should not only be free from deforestation but also free from the destruction of human dignity,” he said.
The large-scale deforestation project in Papua designates 1.5 million hectares for rice fields and 500,000 hectares for sugarcane plantations. Although these two commodities are not included in the EUDR, there is a risk that timber from forest clearing could enter the European market. Furthermore, deforestation potential should be assessed based on the total forest area cleared—not just the seven commodities covered by the EUDR.
Research conducted by Satya Bumi and others shows that the maximum sustainable plantation area for oil palm in Indonesia, based on the country’s Environmental Carrying Capacity, is 18.1 million hectares. Currently, Indonesia's oil palm plantations cover 17.7 million hectares. With President-elect Prabowo Subianto’s ambition to open 20 million hectares of land for food and energy plantations, Papua—Indonesia’s largest remaining natural forest—faces the risk of rapid deforestation.
“Papua is a distinctive region and its protection is crucial. Our modeling results indicate that the cap for oil palm development in Papua is 290,837 hectares. Currently, oil palm plantation development has reached 290,659 hectares, meaning it has already reached the cap. The EU Commission should carefully assess this situation when considering benchmarking”, said Giorgio Budi Indrarto, Deputy Director of Yayasan MADANI Berkelanjutan, in the same release.
The European Commission must maximize the use of the EUDR to halt deforestation and protect Indigenous communities. This letter specifically calls on the EU to:
Prioritize the risk of deforestation in Papua related to food and energy plantations, including the lack of community involvement, which constitutes a potential human rights violation.
Request the UN Human Rights Council and other relevant bodies to investigate whether the situation in West Papua constitutes a violation of Indonesia’s international human rights obligations.
Support Indonesia in finding sustainable ways to enhance food and energy security, including increasing agricultural productivity on existing land, reducing food waste, and prioritizing the use of degraded land for expansion.
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