The burning scar: Inside the destruction of Asia’s last rainforests
Petrus Kinggo walks through the thick lowland rainforest in the Boven Digoel Regency. “This is our mini market,” he says, smiling. “But unlike in the city, here food and medicine are free.” Mr Kinggo is an elder in the Mandobo tribe. His ancestors have lived off these forests in Papua, Indonesia for centuries. Along with […]
Indonesian police charge indigenous men in dispute over nutmeg plantation
Police in Indonesia have charged two indigenous men with vandalizing heavy equipment after a confrontation with a company accused of illegally logging their ancestral land. The company, CV Sumber Berkat Makmur, has a concession to cultivate nutmeg trees in East Seram district, Maluku province, but it’s unclear whether the ancestral land of the Sabuai indigenous […]
Pacific leaders, Australia agree to disagree about action on climate change
BY FOREIGN AFFAIRS REPORTER MELISSA CLARKE IN TUVALUUPDATED FRI AT 1:36PM Australia has stymied efforts by small island states to get Pacific-wide consensus on their declaration for stronger action on climate change. Key points: Australia expressed reservations about emissions reduction, coal use and the Green Climate Fund Scott Morrison said he understood sensitivities in the Pacific region but […]