Social Conflicts Due to Forest Clearance
Forest clearance causing persisting social conflicts
- Clearance of deep peat swamp has caused widely covered social conflicts between APRIL wood suppliers (incl. RAPP and PT SRL), local communities and NGOs
- Issues have been similar throughout – loss of control over traditionally owned forests and land degradation
APRIL: Positive relationships with local communities are essential to APRIL’s long-term success.
APRIL works actively to establish and maintain ongoing relationships with local people who live in proximity to our plantation estates. APRIL’s management systems ensure that plantation development processes foster full respect for the dignity, culture, human rights, aspirations and natural resource-based livelihoods of indigenous peoples and other local people.
That said, rights to land in Indonesia can be complex to determine and, under Indonesian law, the State owns forest estates not otherwise evidenced by legal title. Traditional or indigenous ownership of land is not necessarily recognized and is often difficult to determine given significant transmigration of people under Government-backed programmes. Nonetheless, we work hard to ensure that land disputes are avoided or resolved before we commence operations in our concessions
APRIL also provides opportunities for development benefits in culturally appropriate ways. We do this in a manner that acknowledges the aspirations of local people.
