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https://en.jubi.co.id/the-trans-papua-highway-threatens-west-papuas-biodiversity/
1) THE TRANS-PAPUA HIGHWAY THREATENS WEST PAPUA’S BIODIVERSITY
By Dyna Rochmyaningsih
Seventeen years ago, botanist Miriam van Heist of Wageningen University and a team of local collaborators set out to explore plant diversity in the Foja Mountains in Western New Guinea. It was an uncharted realm: Of the 487 species they found, nearly one-third had never been described anywhere. “The results illustrate how much remains unknown about New Guinea’s vegetation,” the authors wrote in a 2010 paper. More such studies were needed, they concluded, “so that conservation can be planned in advance of impending threats—otherwise we may lose species and never know what we have lost.”
Those threats have now arrived, according to a study based on satellite imagery and maps from local governments that was published last month in Biological Conservation. Between 2001 and 2019, it found, 2% of Western New Guinea’s old-growth forests were cleared to make room for palm oil plantations, roads, mines, and towns and cities. And the pace of development is set to accelerate, the researchers concluded. The Trans-Papua Highway, a road system under construction that connects major urban areas, could speed up development dramatically.
Western New Guinea, also known as Indonesian New Guinea or Tanah Papua, is still largely untouched, with a bewildering variety of landscapes—from mangroves, savannas, and lowland forests to alpine grassland and tropical glaciers—and a welter of endemic species, including 29 bird of paradise species. But now, “These forests are at a critical turning point for the future because Papua is the new El Dorado for investors in land development and in extractive industries,” says landscape ecologist David Gaveau, the study’s lead author. Gaveau, who was deported from Indonesia in 2020 after publishing estimates of the damage from Indonesia’s 2019 wildfires that far exceeded the Indonesian government’s numbers, now runs the Tree Map, a France-based company that analyzes the loss of rainforests.
Indonesia’s government incorporated Western New Guinea, formerly known as Irian Jaya, in 1969, 8 years after the Papuans formally declared independence from the Dutch. (The eastern half of the island is part of a separate country, Papua New Guinea.) About the size of Iraq, it has a huge ethnic diversity, with an estimated 200 Indigenous tribes and as least as many languages.
It is also by far Indonesia’s poorest region. Its two provinces, Papua and West Papua, have poverty rates of 27% and 22%, respectively, according to the country’s statistical agency. The Indonesian government promises the Trans-Papua Highway will help alleviate that poverty and distribute infrastructure development more fairly. Snaking almost 4000 kilometers across the island, the highway connects the coastal cities of Sorong, Jayapura, and Merauke (see map, below).
On the road to development
The Trans-Papua Highway, which connects three coastal centers in Western New Guinea, has attracted plantations and mining and spurred growth of towns and cities. A 190-kilometer segment cuts through Lorentz National Park.
But it is driving conflict as well as development. The mining and palm oil companies it attracts have cleared the land of Indigenous Papuans, often without their consent, which has sparked anger, protests, and violent attacks. Two people were killed and machinery was set on fire during the most recent one, on 8 September in Yahukimo regency. A similar attack in 2018 killed 20 people. The West Papua National Liberation Army—the military arm of the Free Papua Movement, a separatist group—has claimed responsibility for the actions. The attacks have delayed construction; so far only about half of the route has been paved.
The road’s most controversial stretch, 190 kilometers long, cuts right through Lorentz National Park, a World Heritage Site and one of the largest protected areas in Southeast Asia. In August, UNESCO called on Indonesia to close this section to traffic while the government draws up a plan to mitigate the road’s impact, as it is obliged to do under UNESCO rules.
But the highway will have important impacts elsewhere as well. The study by Gaveau and his colleagues showed a clear correlation between road construction and the massive expansion of industrial plantations in Merauke and Boven Digoel and rapid growth of Kenyam and Dekai, two towns in the heart of Papua. The highway has also attracted artisanal gold miners, who often extract gold by dissolving it in mercury, which they then release into the environment.
The two semiautonomous provinces have pledged to preserve their natural riches. In the 2018 Manokwari Declaration, they aimed to set aside at least 70% of their lands for protection while improving the livelihoods of Indigenous communities. “That is an ambitious target,” says Yubelince Runtuboi, a forest policy researcher at the University of Papua New Guinea. Many plantation concessions were granted before the declaration was made, and they may be difficult to revoke. And local governments are keen to develop new villages and towns in their quest for economic development, Runtuboi says. As a result, she wrote in a 2018 paper, Papua’s lowland forests “are likely to come under immense pressure.”
The rapid deforestation elsewhere in Indonesia, the world’s largest producer of palm oil, does not bode well. A model developed by Gaveau and his co-authors showed that under the worst-case scenario, Western New Guinea would lose about 4.5 million hectares of forest, an area the size of Denmark, by 2036. “Given the large amounts of flat lowland forests, and the suitable climate for palm oil, Papua could easily become the next agricultural frontier for years to come,” Gaveau says.
To what extent the Trans-Papua Highway will alleviate poverty, meanwhile, is unclear. A study by Cahyo Pamungkas, a sociologist at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences, showed it has primarily helped migrants from elsewhere in Indonesia distribute commodities to rural areas, sometimes outcompeting local goods. Ordinary pigs raised by migrants are replacing Wamena pigs, a type of wild boar bred locally, for example. The better the surface of the road, the more logging takes place nearby, Pamungkas found. The highway “benefits the capitalists more,” he says.
Papua’s mineral riches—including Grasberg, the world’s largest gold mining pit—have barely benefited the local population either, critics argue. The development of a new gold mine close to the Trans-Papua Highway, called the Wabu Block, is now the topic of heated debate and protests. (Activists recently alleged that Luhut Pandjaitan, a retired general and Indonesia’s coordinating minister for maritime affairs and investment, has business interests in the mine, a charge Pandjaitan denies.)
Still, the picture is not black and white, says Sophie Chao, an anthropologist at the University of Sydney who spent 2 years living with the Marind people in Merauke. The new road has led to the destruction of forests to make room for oil palm plantations, including sacred places that were cleared without the Marind’s consent, she says. But the road also “brings new people, new ideas, new commodities to the villages,” Chao says, as well as humanitarian aid and jobs. “It’s a mix of hope and anxiety,” she says.
Balancing the positive and negative impacts requires more dialogue with Indigenous people than there has been so far, Gaveau and his colleagues say in their new paper. Theo Hesegem, who heads the Advocacy Network for Upholding Law and Human Rights of Papua Central Highlands, agrees. “It’s no use if they build the infrastructure without listening to us,” Hesegem says. “The Trans-Papua Highway will not be finished.” (*)
Dyna Rochmyaningsih is a journalist based in Deli Serdang, Indonesia.
A VERSION OF THIS STORY APPEARED IN SCIENCE, VOL 374, ISSUE 6565.
Jayapura, Jubi – Lawmaker of the Papua’s Legislative Council’s Politics, Law, and Human Rights Commission Laurenzus Kadepa reveals that 8,300 former employees of mining giant PT Freeport Indonesia, who were arbitrarily laid off some years ago as part of the company’s efficiency drive, is still fighting for their rights.
Kadepa said that both the Indonesian government and Freeport had been ignoring these people. On the other hand, Freeport is building a copper smelter in Gresik Regency, East Java, and soon will recruit new employees to work at the smelter.
According to Kadepa, Freeport laid off these workers because they went on strike. The strike itself was in response to the company’s plan to lay off workers for efficiency.
“Since 2017, I’ve been accompanying these workers to seek justice and fulfill their rights. We have evidence that there have been many laid-off workers and their families who died while fighting for their rights. But they are still ignored to date,” Kadepa told Jubi on Thursday, October 14, 2021.
Kadepa said that the Gresik smelter was said to require 40,000 employees. “This seems unfair and will hurt the feelings of the laid-off workers. The government and PT Freeport Indonesia must not turn a blind eye to the 8,300 laid-off workers,” he said, urging the company to rehire them to work at the smelter.
“Please don’t ignore these people, they have contributed to the company for decades, as well as for the state by paying taxes,” said Kadepa.
Previously on Tuesday, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has just kicked off the construction of Freeport’s new smelter. The smelter will be built on an area of 100 hectares, dubbed the largest single line smelter in the world with a capacity of 1.7 million tons of copper concentrate annually, with a project investment value of Rp 42 trillion (US$ 2.94 billion).
In his remark during the groundbreaking ceremony, Jokowi said the smelter would strengthen the development of the downstream mining industry. He hoped that the establishment of a smelting site in the country would attract more investment, especially from the copper derivative industry.
Meanwhile, PT Freeport Indonesia president director Tony Wenas said that the obligation to build a smelter was stated in Freeport’s Special Mining Business Permit. “This is an integral part of our license to continue operations until 2041,” said Wenas. (*)
Reporter: Arjuna Pademme
Editor: Edho Sinaga
Governor Enembe said PON XX Papua ended with a closing event and the next PON will be held in 2024 in Aceh-North Sumatra.
"We will separate from the eastern horizon where the sun rises, the land of Papua. We will meet again in the twenty-first PON on the western horizon, where the sun sets, Aceh and North Sumatra," he announced.
Enembe also congratulated the general champions of Papua PON— West Java province.
He said he hoped that the success of West Java will be an inspiration for other provinces to achieve many wins in the next PON.
"Congratulations to the province that won the general champion at the 2021 PON XX Papua; hopefully, the achievement can move other provinces on the next PON," Enembe said.
Related news: West Java retains title of champion of XX Papua PON
At this year's PON at Papua, the West Java contingent managed to hold on to its general champion title with a collection of 133 gold medals, 105 silver medals, and 115 bronzes.
The Jakarta contingent came second with 110 gold medals, 91 silver medals, and 100 bronzes. Meanwhile, third place was claimed by the East Java team, which collected 110 golds, 89 silvers, and 88 bronzes.
Meanwhile, Papua, the home team, collected 93 gold medals, 66 silver medals, and 102 bronzes to rank fourth.
The closing ceremony featured performances such as Aceh and North Sumatra traditional dances and famous Indonesian band, NOAH. Vice President Ma'ruf Amin officially closed the biggest sports event in the country.
More than seven thousand athletes competed in 37 sports and 56 disciplines at the PON.
The next PON will be held in Aceh and North Sumatra in 2024.
Related news: VP Amin attends XX Papua PON closing ceremony
Related news: XX Papua PON most difficult PON till date: Vice President Amin
"I want to express my gratitude for the welcoming. I want to appreciate the inter-religious harmony in West Papua which is very excellent," he said in Manokwari city, West Papua, according to a statement issued by the Press, Media, and Information Bureau of the Vice President's Secretariat on Friday.
Furthermore, he then asked all parties to maintain tolerance between religious communities to ensure public harmony can be realized in the province.
"It is the main capital in developing our nation and state. If national harmony is disturbed, as in various countries, then the nation cannot develop to prosper because there will always be conflicts," Amin explained.
Hence, national harmony must be pursued well by all parties, he added.
"Indonesian harmony and unity are the main pillars for our life as a nation and a state. We have to continue to maintain them," he emphasized.
During his working visit to the province, Amin held a dialogue with a number of religious community organizations at West Papua Provincial Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) Office.
He also disbursed assistance to the church for the establishment of schools and worship places for the local community.
Several ministers accompanied him on the visit, including Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Mahfud MD, Minister of Home Affairs Tito Karnavian, Minister of Manpower Ida Fauziyah, as well as Minister of Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises Teten Masduki.
After fulfilling his agenda in West Papua province, Vice President Amin and his entourage will leave for Papua province to continue the working visit until Saturday.
Related news: Vice President dispatches assistance to church in West Papua
Related news: VP Amin visits XVIII Kasuari Regional Military Command Complex
Related news: Amin expects indigenous people to benefit from Papua's development
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