Indonesia: Protect the habitat of Tripa’s orangutans!

To: Directorate General for the Enforcement of Environmental and Forestry Laws in the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Chief of Aceh Police, Head of the Aceh Provincial Environment and Forestry Office

“Keep oil palm plantations out of the protected Tripa peat swamp forest!”

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Our partner APEL Green Aceh is dedicated to protecting and restoring the Tripa peat swamp forests. The organization monitors the entire peat swamp area and collects data on a regular basis. Their monitoring has shown that although the peat bogs are strictly protected, deforestation continues in Tripa: Excavators are digging canals to provide the drainage needed to establish plantations in the swampy area. Oil palm seedlings are being planted. Logs are stacked at the edge of the forest.

The coalition published its findings and alerted the authorities, but the law enforcement agencies have not taken action against the destruction.

Monitoring results from our partners in the protected Tripa peat swamp forests in a nutshell:

> Deforestation from 2022 to April 2024

• Size of protected peatland in Nagan Raya district: 11,380.71 hectares.
• Of this, 6,874.37 hectares is intact peat swamp forest in 2022 according to analysis of satellite data.
• By 2022, 4,506.34 hectares of Tripa peat swamp forest in Nagan Raya regency had already been deforested, drained, planted with oil palm, or degraded.
• The analysis in April 2024 shows a forest cover of 6,265.56 hectares.
• From 2022 to April 2024, 608.81 hectares of protected Tripa peat swamp forest were destroyed.
• The consequences are massive destruction of peat layers and a critical ecological situation.

> Palm oil

Analysis of satellite data and maps of palm oil concessions shows that 8,086.04 hectares (out of 11,380.71 hectares of peatland in Nagan Raya) are in the hands of two palm oil companies. A substantial part of their concession areas remains virgin forest, but it is in imminent danger of being cut down or dried out by drainage canals. This forest can and must still be saved!

• Surya Panen Subur 2 = 7,565.26 hectares
• Kallista Alam = 520.78 hectares.

The palm oil from both companies reaches the world market through intermediaries.

The Tripa peat swamp forests

The three large peat swamp forests on the west coast of Sumatra – Tripa, Kluet and Singkil – cover a total area of 61,803 hectares. They are part of the Leuser Ecosystem. By law, peatlands with peat layers thicker than three meters are protected.

The Tripa peat swamp forest plays an important role in regulating the water cycle and is a natural barrier against floods and tsunamis. Thanks to the buffering effect of the peat swamp forest, the tsunami of December 26, 2004, caused little damage in Tripa and the surrounding area. Peat swamp forests also stabilize the local climate, rainfall and air temperature.

There are several villages in Tripa, in the districts of Darul Makmur and Babahrot. They are inhabited by Acehnese, former transmigrants from the island of Java and the neighboring province of Batak. The people engage in some agriculture and traditional fishing. Freshwater fish such as swamp catfish, eel and pangasius, as well as shellfish, are in high demand. The people also use honey and medicinal plants from the peat swamp. 

Carbon storage

Massive peat domes more than five meters deep store vast amounts of carbon. According to scientific studies, one hectare of peat in Tripa stores up to 2,240 tons. Including carbon stored above ground in trees, scientists estimate Tripa’s total capacity to be up to 100 million tons. This makes the Tripa peat swamp forest the largest carbon store in the Leuser Ecosystem, but it lacks effective protection. 

Biodiversity

Protecting the Tripa peat swamp forest is a high priority for the Great Apes Survival Partnership (GRASP) because of its importance as a habitat for Sumatran orangutans. If effectively protected, GRASP estimates that the area could support around 1,000 orangutans.

In addition to these large primates, Tripa is also home to many other wildlife species, including gibbons. Tripa is also home to endangered species such as the Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatraensis), the sun bear (Helarctos malayanus), the marsh crocodile (Crocodylus porosus), the python (Simalia amethistina) and numerous waterbirds such as the black-backed stork (Ciconia stormi) and the white-winged teal (Cairina scutulata).

To: Directorate General for the Enforcement of Environmental and Forestry Laws in the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Chief of Aceh Police, Head of the Aceh Provincial Environment and Forestry Office

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am shocked to learn that the Tripa peat swamp forests are being cleared again, despite Indonesia’s commitment to protect wetlands, the climate and biodiversity. The world still remembers the 2012 forest and peat fires in Tripa set by palm oil companies that burned 1,000 hectares of carbon-rich peatland.

Thousands of wild animals, including orangutans, were burned to death. Because of these environmental crimes, some international food companies have stopped buying palm oil from Tripa’s peat swamp forests.

Why are you allowing the destruction of Tripa to continue?

Investigations by APEL Green Aceh environmental activists from the Save Aceh Soils and Forests Coalition (KSLHA) have revealed that illegal activities such as logging, canal dredging and the planting of oil palms have resumed in the protected Tripa peat swamp forest. Logs are stacked at the edge of the forest, waiting to be picked up.

The results of KSLHA’s monitoring in detail:

> The forest cover in the protected peat swamp has decreased by 608.81 hectares.

> The destruction of the peat swamp forest is dramatic and ecologically critical.

> Palm oil concessions overlap the last remaining intact peat swamp forests.

> The overlay of concession maps in Nagan Raya district shows that 8,086.04 hectares of plantation concessions are located in protected peatland:

1. Surya Panen Subur (SPS) 7,565.26 hectares.

2. Kallista Alam = 520.78 hectares.

> The forest is in danger of drying out due to the establishment of oil palm plantations.

> Illegal logging extends into the area of the “Indicative Map for Postponing the Granting of New Permits” (PIPPIB) that cannot be used for oil palm plantations.

> Stolen timber is stacked and transported in public.

> Illegal logging is a criminal offense under the Forestry Law (Law No. 41, Section 50 para. 3 e, Section 78 Para. 78).

> The law enforcement agency (APH) is not taking decisive action against rampant illegal logging in the protected area, as per the Nagan Raya District Land Use Planning Ordinance. 

I support the environmentalists of the Save Aceh Soils and Forests Coalition (KSLHA) in their efforts to save the Leuser Ecosystem, especially the wetlands, peat bogs and peat forests.

Stop the encroachment into the 11,380.71 hectare peatland conservation area.

Revoke the permits of PT Surya Panen Subur (SPS 2) and PT Kallista Alam for 8,086.04 hectares in the Tripa conservation area.

Improve the legal status of the 11,380.71 hectares of peat swamp forest conservation area.

I urge law enforcement agencies, including the police, forest rangers and other stakeholders, not to turn a blind eye to the ongoing destruction. This illegal deforestation must be addressed and severely punished.

Yours faithfully,

The issue – rainforest on our dinner tables and in our fuel tanks

At 66 million tons annually, palm oil is the most commonly produced vegetable oil. Its low world market price and properties that lend themselves to processed foods have led the food industry to use it in half of all supermarket products. Palm oil can be found in frozen pizzas, biscuits and margarine, as well as body creams, soaps, makeup, candles and detergents.

Few people realize that almost half of the palm oil imported into the EU is used as biofuel. Since 2009, the mandatory blending of biofuels into motor vehicle fuels has been a major cause of deforestation.

Oil palm plantations currently cover more than 27 million hectares of the Earth’s surface. Forests and human settlements have been destroyed and replaced by “green deserts” containing virtually no biodiversity on an area the size of New Zealand.

The impact – suffering and death in producer countries, climate havoc

The warm, humid climate of the tropics offers perfect growth conditions for oil palms. Day after day, huge tracts of rainforest in Southeast Asia, Latin America and Africa are being bulldozed or torched to make room for more plantations, releasing vast amounts of carbon into the atmosphere. As a consequence, Indonesia – the world’s largest producer of palm oil – temporarily surpassed the United States in terms of greenhouse gas emissions in 2015. With their CO₂ and methane emissions, palm oil-based biofuels actually have three times the climate impact of traditional fossil fuels.

Palm oil is not only bad for the climate: As their forest habitat is cleared, endangered species such as the orangutan, Borneo elephant and Sumatran tiger are being pushed closer to extinction. Smallholders and indigenous people who have inhabited and protected the forest for generations are often brutally driven from their land. In Indonesia, more than 700 land conflicts are related to the palm oil industry. Human rights violations are everyday occurrences, even on supposedly “sustainable” and “organic” plantations.

As consumers, we are largely unaware of these broader issues, yet our daily palm oil consumption also impacts our health: refined palm oil contains large amounts of harmful fatty acid esters that are known to damage DNA and cause cancer.

The solution – a revolution on our dinner tables and in our fuel tanks

Only 70,000 orangutans still roam the forests of Southeast Asia, yet the EU’s biofuels policy is pushing them to the brink of extinction. Every new plantation on Borneo is destroying a further piece of their habitat. Stepping up the pressure on policymakers is a must if we want to save our tree-dwelling kin. Apart from that, however, there is still a lot we can do in day-to-day life.

Follow these simple tips to recognize, avoid and combat palm oil:

1. Enjoy a home-cooked meal: Use your imagination: why not try almond-coconut-pear biscuits? Or pizza with potato and rosemary? A meal cooked from fresh ingredients beats processed foods containing palm oil every time. Oils such as sunflower, olive, rapeseed or flaxseed are ideal for cooking and baking.
2. Read labels: As of December 2014, labeling regulations in the EU require food products to clearly indicate that they contain palm oil. However, in the case of non-food items such as cosmetics and cleaning products, a wide range of chemical names may still be used to hide the use of palm oil. A quick check of your favorite search engine will turn up palm oil-free alternatives, however.
3. Remember that the customer is king: Ask your retailers for palm oil-free products. Write product manufacturers and ask them why they aren’t using domestic oils. Companies can be quite sensitive to issues that give their products a bad name, so inquiring with sales staff and contacting manufacturers can make a real difference. Public pressure and increased awareness of the problem have already prompted some producers to stop using palm oil.
4. Sign petitions and write your elected representatives: Online campaigns put pressure on policymakers responsible for biofuels and palm oil imports. Have you already signed all of Rainforest Rescue’s petitions?
5. Speak out: Protest marches and creative action on the street raise public and media awareness of the issue, which in turn steps up the pressure on policymakers.
6. Leave your car at home: Whenever you can, walk, ride a bicycle or use public transport.
7. Be informed and inform others: Big Business and governments would like us to believe that biofuels are good for the climate and that oil palm plantations are sustainable. Spread the word – share this information with your family and friends and encourage them to rethink their consumption habits. It’s in our hands!