License to Clear: The Dark Side of Permitting in West Papua
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Recommendations
The preceding sections of this report demonstrate that there is still a major disconnect between the reality on the ground in West Papua, and the actions that the Indonesian Government claims to be taking to improve forest governance (including preventing deforestation and safeguarding peatland). Rights of Indigenous Papuans are also not being genuinely protected. One key contributing factor to this which has been identified is the strong relationships and overlapping interests which exist between influential players in the natural resources sector and those in government. It is feared that these dynamics may contribute to a culture where corruption and collusion become endemic, legislation and policy making are distorted, and law enforcement is weakened. Such a culture benefits elite and oligarchic interests at the expense of environmental protection and the rights of Indigenous peoples. The reform agenda and progressive measures such as the One Map Policy, the Forest Moratorium and the Oil Palm Moratorium will also fail. Addressing this challenging situation requires systematic efforts using policy and legal instruments to control improper relationships between political actors, businesspeople and public officials. It also requires concrete action from all levels of government to review and if necessary revoke problematic concessions, and enforce sanctions where laws have been broken.
