Military Plantations: Jokowi and Prabowo’s Ecocide Project in Papua
By: Julian Haganah Howay*
PAPUA, as one of the world’s most biodiverse regions and one of the richest islands in natural resources, has long attracted international attention. With vast territory inhabited by few indigenous tribes, Papua is better described as a region of colonization, occupation, and resource exploitation rather than simply a province of Indonesia.
Since the early days of the New Order regime under Suharto, development policies in Papua (then called Irian Jaya) were centered on natural resource exploitation. Major policies included large-scale projects like transmigration and foreign investment in mining, forestry, and plantation industries.
These policies were often implemented without involving local communities, leading to human rights violations and severe environmental degradation. In this context, Papua’s indigenous people were frequently marginalized, with their lands taken without clear consent.
In recent years, development policies under President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto (now President) have sparked controversy and criticism. This is especially true regarding plantation projects that often overlook indigenous rights and cause significant environmental harm.
Upon his election in 2014, Jokowi introduced the “Nawacita” program, prioritizing infrastructure development, including in Papua. Although intended to improve accessibility and economic opportunities, this program was often accompanied by large-scale plantation projects managed by oligarchs, business elites, and high-ranking military and police officials with close ties to the government.
One example is the Trans-Papua Highway, a project aimed not only at improving transportation but also at opening access for plantation companies to acquire land. Additionally, it has created new business opportunities for Indonesia’s security forces.
As Defense Minister and retired army general, Prabowo Subianto held significant influence over security arrangements for projects in Papua. The military’s involvement in securing plantations has added a new dimension to the social conflict in the region.
Military forces, traditionally deployed to safeguard Indonesia’s sovereignty over Papua and combat the armed Papuan separatist group (TPNPB OPM), now have the added responsibility of securing various projects. All of this is framed as development and investment efforts for the well-being of Papuan people and national economic growth, though in many cases, Indonesian security forces (military and police) have taken repressive actions against communities resisting eviction and land grabs, exacerbating tensions and perpetuating cycles of violence in Papua.
Expansion of Palm Oil Plantations and Deforestation
One of the most significant impacts of development policies in Papua is the massive expansion of palm oil plantations. According to a report by Forest Watch Indonesia, between 2000 and 2020, land for palm oil plantations in Papua increased drastically, covering over 1 million hectares (Forest Watch Indonesia, 2021).
Data from the Ministry of Agriculture’s 2019 palm oil cover statistics shows that plantation land in Papua has reached 169,152 hectares, spread across four provinces: Papua, South Papua, West Papua, and Southwest Papua. The largest plantation area is in Merauke, covering 34,282 hectares.
While palm oil cover in Papua remains at 169,152 hectares, permits for palm oil plantations have already been issued for 1,571,696 hectares. This comprises 58 plantation permits granted to 58 companies. Currently, the size of palm oil plantations in Papua is equivalent to 23 times the area of DKI Jakarta.
Researcher A. Adrianto notes that the influx of palm oil investments in Papua is due to the decline in timber economy and business, which was highly profitable in the 1980s and early 1990s. Many logging corporations have ceased operations since the 2000s.
The collapse of the New Order regime under Suharto also led to setbacks for cronies holding forest concessions (HPH) in Papua, particularly due to issues surrounding the Bank Indonesia Liquidity Assistance (BLBI). Consequently, many HPH permits were converted into palm oil permits, transforming inactive lands into palm oil estates.
Policies supporting this expansion often disregard indigenous land rights over customary lands and resources. Projects are frequently launched without adequate consultation with local communities, generating dissatisfaction and conflict.
Data from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) shows that Papua lost more than 2.5 million hectares of forest between 2000 and 2020, largely due to land conversion for large-scale agriculture and plantations (KLHK, 2020).
Currently, the Merauke Integrated Food and Energy Estate (MIFEE) project is a major contributor to forest destruction. This project has acquired 1.2 million hectares of Marind Anim indigenous lands. Although not all of this land is used in the MIFEE project, cases of land acquisition and destruction of thousands of hectares of forest have occurred.
As President Jokowi approaches the end of his second term (October 2024), his administration has planned a sugarcane plantation expansion in Merauke, covering 200,000 hectares, along with a new rice field project using 300,000 hectares. This ambitious project will cover 2 million hectares.
This project, promoted as a means to boost rice production and national food security, is supported by Prabowo as Defense Minister. The project involves several national oligarchs, major entrepreneurs, and high-ranking military and police officials. Thousands of Indonesian military (TNI) personnel are deployed to guard what is labeled a National Strategic Project (PSN).
The rapid deforestation in Papua, driven by pro-investment policies, not only threatens habitats of rare species but also contributes to global climate change. Papua’s forests serve as vital carbon sinks, and their loss exacerbates global warming.
Plantation expansion often results in the forced displacement of indigenous communities from their land. Amnesty International has reported that many communities face intimidation, violence, and eviction by military forces and plantation companies (Amnesty International, 2021).
These evictions threaten not only the survival of Papua’s indigenous people but also erase cultural heritage and local knowledge that have existed for thousands of years. This is the catastrophe that awaits indigenous Papuans in the future if the situation does not improve.
Overall, massive plantation projects like MIFEE and similar initiatives could worsen conditions for the indigenous population of Papua, particularly in the Merauke and southern regions. The influx of migrant workers from Java and other parts of Indonesia into these large-scale plantations risks further marginalizing Papua’s indigenous people, endangering their social, cultural, and economic sustainability.
Long-Term Impact
Research shows that deforestation in Papua has long-term effects on both ecosystems and indigenous communities. The loss of forests reduces carbon storage capacity, which contributes to increased greenhouse gas emissions. Greenpeace’s 2022 report highlights that deforestation threatens biodiversity but also disrupts water cycles, increasing the risk of natural disasters such as landslides, floods, droughts, and clean water crises.
The harmful impact of exploitative plantation projects also affects public health. Pollution from pesticide and chemical use in plantations and agriculture can cause long-term health problems. A study published in the Environmental Health Perspectives journal (2022) found that communities living near commercial agricultural lands experience a rise in respiratory illnesses and other health issues. Water and soil contamination also threatens water resources that local communities depend on.
Papua’s indigenous people have organized themselves to defend their rights to their lands and natural resources, fighting against forced evictions. This resistance aligns with broader demands for self-determination and independence, rooted in the legacy of over 60 years of Indonesian colonialism in Papua.
Various civil society organizations, both local and international, have led protests and advocacy movements. These movements frequently involve civil society components, students, churches, and Papuan independence activists. In more reformist movements, the focus is often on pressuring the Indonesian government to respect local rights and halt environmentally destructive projects.
This struggle often extends to the legal realm within Indonesia’s judicial system. However, these efforts usually end up disadvantaging indigenous Papuans who challenge companies backed by government officials, oligarchs, and security authorities. The recent rejection of a legal appeal by the Awyu indigenous group from southern Papua by the Supreme Court (MA) on November 1, 2024, serves as a clear example.
Previously, the Awyu people of the Woro clan had sued the Papua Provincial Government at the Jayapura and Makassar Administrative Courts over an environmental feasibility permit granted to PT. Indo Asia Lestari. However, both legal efforts were dismissed, and the Supreme Court appeal also faced rejection.
IAL, a palm oil company operating in Boven Digoel, holds a permit for more than 36,094 hectares—over half the area of Jakarta—on the customary forest lands of the Woro clan from the Awyu tribe in Boven Digoel, southern Papua. This land seizure and the bias in legal protection in Indonesia clearly illustrate that the state does not side with indigenous communities or the environment.
Previously, a report from the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) in 2021 recommended that the Indonesian government take steps to protect indigenous rights and address environmental issues arising from plantation expansion. Yet, to date, this recommendation has not influenced Indonesia’s policies concerning natural resource exploitation projects.
Plantation projects run by oligarchs and the military in Papua, under policies spearheaded by Jokowi and Prabowo, have significantly impacted both the environment and local communities. These unsustainable exploitation practices threaten biodiversity, create social tensions, and violate human rights.
For development in Papua to be sustainable and equitable within Indonesia, the government should be committed to involving local communities in decision-making. This includes ensuring transparency in business permits and protecting the environment in line with Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) principles. However, this has not yet been the case.
Instead, Papua is managed under a framework of colonialism, occupation, and massive, greedy resource extraction. Papua is still treated as if it were an empty, uninhabited land. This reflects a colonial perspective on managing occupied territories.
*The author is a freelance journalist and adventurer.
