One of the biggest challenges for the conservation area of West Papua is in the planting of Palm Oil which has even taken hundreds of thousands of hectares from the conservation area of this province. However, this has not received more serious attention.
You all may think that oil palm forests are still the same as other forest plantings. Both can be a place to live for many wild animals to maintain an ecosystem system. But in reality, this is destroying wildlife.
Palm Oil is very bad for the environment even though it is important for human life. We will need it for cooking and many more good impacts for humans. But the bad impact of all that is channeled to the planet we currently live on.
At the beginning of planting oil palm forests alone will consume thousands of hectares of forest which is actually the habitat of many living things. And the presence of palm oil is also one of the causes of extinction so there is no doubt that this is a problem.
Why is Palm Oil Such a Problem for West Papua?
Yes, palm oil plantation is such a problem for this province. Basically, it’s a vegetable oil tree that makes cooking easier. And as another fact, Indonesia and Malaysia are the two countries that introduced this palm oil.
Palm Oil was chosen because it is a vegetable oil that is inexpensive and can be used more easily. But what will be the victims are forests and conservation areas. And we also have a list of what problems are felt because of Palm Oil:
- Harming Biodiversity
Indonesia and Malaysia are the two countries that produce the most palm oil. And as a result of this planting are also endangered animal and plant species. Including those in West Papua, where 1/3 of the animals are threatened with extinction.
- The Orangutan Population Dropped Drastically
Of all the animals in wildlife, it can be said that orangutans are the biggest victims. The orangutan population has fallen by 90% since 20 years ago and around 3000 orangutans are killed every year to grow palm oil there.
- Local Communities Difficult to Obtain Natural Wealth
The planting of oil palm forests is mostly done on the outskirts of the forest, not in the middle. This is also what makes them easier to access. But because of this, the local people of West Papua have to go into the interior for natural wealth.
- Child Labor
The next real effect caused by the planting of Palm Oil Forest is that there are more and more underage workers. As they want to get faster access, they take Papuan children and work there.
- Potentially Gets Worse
In the future, no one knows what this copious amount of Palm Oil can cause. Currently, all forests may be cut down to plant palm oil to meet the needs of today’s society. But in the future, will it be used?
West Papua Has Lost 270 Thousand Hectares of Land Because of Palm Oil
Now, the need for more and more palm oil has become a threat to life throughout Indonesia. All provinces feel the same about the expansion of palm oil plantations. But currently, there is no sensible policy from the administration.
Recently, there was a consensus involving 12 companies that want to rebuild oil palm forests in 5 districts of West Papua. They will build another 270 thousand hectares of oil palm plantations and 150 hectares of which are still forests that are the habitat of animals.
Meanwhile, 2/5 of them are areas that they have damaged for oil palm planting activities. But what’s worse is that this permit request was actually approved and is a long-term project. Projects that only benefit the individual.
Then, this became an inducement for the community to conduct a demonstration and say “Where would we live”, “We don’t allow them to come here” or the essence of the demonstration was to ask the government to cancel the agreement.
What Should be Done for West Papua Environment?
So, based on the points above, what should the government do, especially to make the speeches from local people that make more sense come true? According to many experts, the government must respect for local people on their traditional lands.
Not only because of the interests of certain individuals, West Papua, which became the first “Conservation province” in the world, lost its title. This will be a boomerang for the good record that has been done by the local community since 2015.
Even the previous government had committed to making 70% of the total area of this province a protected area. This 70% territory is for wildlife, while the rest is for local people, not investors who are free to enter to destroy the wildlife.
If it is true that there will be a massive scale development of oil palm forests in this province which is located in the eastern of Indonesia, it will become a danger. Because West Papua has been named the World’s First Conservation Province, with 70% are protected.
