26 March 2019
A state-owned plantation company, PTPN XIV, is evicting farmers to make room for an oil palm estate on the eastern Indonesian island of Sulawesi.
In 1973, the company got a permit to raise cattle and farm tapioca on the now-disputed land, but it expired in 2003. After a long hiatus, the company has
13 March 2019
Getting to the bottom of illegal plantations on Indonesia’s state owned forests
In an ideal world, palm oil production would cause no deforestation, and have a transparent and fair supply chain. In reality, the impacts of the sector have been the cause of ethical concerns worldwide.
27 February 2019
Sarawak: The Sarawak government’s strategy for economic growth through commercial development of agricultural land has resulted in vast areas of land being opened for large-scale plantations, including oil palm. In some places this has affected lands subject to ‘native customary land rights’.
7 February 2019
Death of Jakelin Caal in US custody highlights how land conflicts and displacement fuel flight from indigenous villages.
San Antonio Secortez & Guatemala City - The plantations' outer edges begin fewer than 20km from where seven-year-old Jakelin Caal is buried. The deep green rows of oil palm
29 January 2019
On 17 December 2018, the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly voted in favour of the ‘Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other Persons Working in Rural Areas’. The declaration is a major step forward for rural communities around the world, and especially in the Global South, as it
13 November 2018
"All around us, we have seen forest land taken for mining and for palm oil plantations that are not good for the environment or for the people"
GAJAH BERTALUT, Indonesia, Nov 13 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - In a community hall, a group of men sit cross-legged on mats, poring over documents and
14 September 2018
Knowing where deforestation is happening is critical for efforts aimed at stopping or slowing it. Major breakthroughs toward this goal have been made over the previous few years, with NGOs harnessing the power of satellites to monitor and identify canopy loss in forests around the world. Now, a new
27 August 2018
After series of failed appeals, communities impacted by the business activities of Wilmar PZ, a multinational company involved in agro palm cultivation in Cross River State have taken Wilmar to the State House of Assembly for alleged pollution and land grabbing.
17 August 2018
Growing demand for palm oil is depleting forests as the Orang Asli tribe fights for its rights.
Dendi Johari is an Orang Asli fighting for his tribe's rights in Malaysia's eastern state of Kelantan.
As an indigenous activist, Dendi makes trips from his village in the deep forest of Gua Musang
11 June 2018
Natives of Akamkpa community in Cross River, hosting the Singaporean multinational company, Wilmar International, have accused the company of destroying their sources of livelihood by channeling chemical infested erosion water into their streams and farmlands.
According to the community, the
1 June 2018
In recent years, Peru's sprawling jungle has been cleared for palm oil and cocoa plantations. Conservationists say the land is controlled by private companies who acquired it through corrupt means.
4 May 2018
By Mary Hodgett (TIMBY)
In Liberia, two small communities are fighting to protect their homes, and land rights against a powerful wave of environmentally destructive industries.