InfoSAWIT, BOGOR — Environmental watchdog Sawit Watch has issued a strong warning against large-scale palm oil expansion in Papua, calling the policy a “dangerous shortcut” that could trigger ecological disasters, agrarian conflicts, and food insecurity.

The proposed expansion aligns with Indonesia’s plan to extend palm oil plantations by up to 600,000 hectares by 2026 and support the mandatory B50 biodiesel policy. However, Sawit Watch Executive Director Achmad Surambo said Papua should not be viewed as an energy solution.

“This plan threatens the last remaining tropical rainforests in Indonesia and ignores the environmental crises already unfolding in Sumatra,” Surambo said.

Sawit Watch’s environmental carrying capacity analysis indicates that suitable land for palm oil in Papua is limited to around 290,837 hectares. Existing plantations had already reached 290,659 hectares by 2022, pushing ecosystems close to their limits.

The organization also highlighted social risks, citing at least 1,126 agrarian conflicts nationwide involving palm oil plantations. Indigenous communities in Papua, Surambo warned, would face heightened risks of land dispossession and criminalization.

Economically, Sawit Watch estimates unchecked expansion could reduce Indonesia’s GDP by Rp30.4 trillion by 2045 due to rising social and environmental costs. In contrast, a permanent moratorium combined with replanting programs could generate positive GDP impacts of Rp30.5 trillion and create more than 800,000 jobs. (T2)