PEKANBARU, Sumatra - 9 February 2022 – Eyes on the Forest coalition warmly hailed Minister of Environment and Forestry Siti Nurbaya Bakar for her policy rejecting idea to register oil palm commodity as forest plant. ''The [Indonesian] Government’s Rule is strict, that oil palm is not included in forest plant and there is no plan to do so [revise regulation],” said the Minister in her twitter update, Monday (07/02/2022).

PEKANBARU, 30 NOVEMBER 2021 – Sudah bukan rahasia lagi banyak nama pemain industri sawit, mulai dari pabrik kelapa sawit, perusahaan perkebunan hingga pemasok crude palm oil (minyak sawit mentah) terlibat dalam skandal rantai pasokan produk sawit tercemar, dari lokasi penanaman hingga konsumen minyak sawit di dunia.

On 26 August 2020, Jikalahari reported that PT Nusa Prima Manunggal (PT NPM), a wood supplier of Asia Pacific Resources International Holdings Ltd (APRIL), plans to clear-cut natural forest in a 1,565 hectares Communal Forest area of Koto Intuok Cooperative in Pulau Padang Village, Singingi District, Kuantan Singingi Regency, Riau.

Ten years ago, in 14 July 2010, Eyes on the Forest published a report focusing large-scale deforestation by Asia Pulp & Paper and Asia Pacific Resources International Limited against their own published sustainability policies and commitments to buyers, investors and the general public to protect High Conservation Value Forests, critical species habitats and the climate.

Eyes on the Forest updated that more pulpwood plantation and palm oil companies were caught having fire hotspots on 28-30 July in Riau Province. Meanwhile, fewer fire hotspots detected by NASA satellite in Tesso Nilo National Park compared to 26 and 27 July analysis.

Eyes on the Forest coalition conducted last week series of ground checking on burned areas and found a concession of industrial timber supplier in Rokan Hilir district and peat restoration priority areas in Bengkalis razed by fires. The restoration areas were also situated on land of indicative map on new permit issuance suspension (dubbed as PIPPIB).

Several green organizations criticized Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) for lack of progress in some areas which made the company has yet to be on sustainable track, while its Forest Conservation Policy (FCP) is entering the fifth year this week.

Three non-governmental organizations consisting of WWF-Indonesia, the Indonesian Working Group on Forest Finance (IWGFF) and Transparency International Indonesia say they are ready to monitor and help eradicate corruption and money laundering in the forestry sector.