Green activists
celebrated a win last year when the Indonesian Supreme Court
ruled it illegal for any and all plantation companies to operate within the country's beautiful, biodiverse forests. But well into 2020, there has yet to be any actual change. Plantations continue to lay waste to the forests' flora and fauna, while the government does nothing to enforce the Supreme Court's ruling.
Please sign the petition - the Indonesian government must finally crack down on illegal plantation farming in the country's forests!The decision was in direct response to a 2015 provision brought to life by President Joko Widodo, that granted a grace period to plantation companies with the proper permits. The destructive farming could continue to operate via these permits until the end of the crop cycle.
While "proper permits" sound all well and good, the reality is that these permits are most often acquired through
bribery and back-channel dealings. The legal requirements of such licenses are hardly ever fulfilled. And perhaps allowing plantation owners to finish the current crop cycle before shutting down sounds fair. But the average life cycle of a palm oil tree, the main crop found on these plantations, averages around 30 years.
We are in the fight for our lives as global temperatures rise. There is no time to allow another crop cycle to pass just so these companies can turn a profit.The slow pace of bureaucracy can no longer be allowed to put Indonesia's forests, and the rest of the world, at risk of decimation.
The Supreme Court made its ruling, and that ruling must be enforced immediately. Please tell the Indonesian government just that by signing the petition today!