Tanah Papua’s Forests: A Turning Point
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in 2018
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the governors of tana papua’s two
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provinces committed to a sustainable
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development path
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that would strengthen the prosperity and
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well-being of indigenous peoples and
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protect at least 70 percent of its
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forests
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tana papua’s forests are more than just
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tree-covered landscapes they’re complex
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networks of living and non-living
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elements that support plants
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animals and cultures found nowhere else
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they provide life-sustaining services
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like food security and water
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availability
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while protecting people from natural
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disasters and climate change
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through these forests a massive road
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network is being built
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at nearly 4 000 kilometers long
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the trans-papua highway is part of a
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national plan to connect and serve the
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people of tana papua
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however the highway also increases the
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risk that papaw’s forests will be
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converted from intact to degraded
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ecosystems with negative impacts on
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local communities biodiversity and
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carbon emissions
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studies show that the development that
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follows road expansion can lead to hot
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spots of deforestation
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for example the expansion of roads in
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sumatra and borneo over the last 20
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years supported the loss of as much as
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25 of forest habitat with most
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permanently converted to commercial
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agriculture like oil palm
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in tana papua only two percent of
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forests were cleared during that same
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time period
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but with the highway nearing completion
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that rate is likely to change
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the trans-papua highway passes through
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some of indonesia’s most rugged
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landscapes from coasts
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to forests
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to its highest mountains
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in 2009
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kenya was a roadless village surrounded
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by forest along the pomats river
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satellite records show that road
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construction first reached the village
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from the south
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by 2013
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it had crossed the river into lorenz
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national park
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a protected unesco world heritage site
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the road cut through the park’s fragile
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alpine ecosystems on its way to connect
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with towns in the north
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by 2020 another segment arriving from
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the east was nearly complete
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as the highway continues to expand so
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does the urban footprint of kenya and
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other villages along the route
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since 2000 in tana papua new roads and
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growing towns accounted for 15 of forest
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loss a total of more than 115 000
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hectares
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during the same time period 120 000
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hectares were cleared for industrial
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logging
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in the bomberai peninsula alone
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a dense logging network led to the loss
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of over 52 000 hectares
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while many of these networks are
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temporary their scale is extensive
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and the vast uncut forests that remain
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within lands already slated for logging
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are at a high risk of degradation or
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loss
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but the single greatest driver of
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permanent forest conversion during this
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20-year period with industrial
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agriculture
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especially oil palm
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as seen in sumatra and borneo there is a
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clear correlation between road
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construction and the expansion of
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plantations
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today
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all of tana papua’s palm oil industry is
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located within 35 kilometers of the
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highway
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palm plantations account for 27
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of total forest conversion
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in 2010 roads built near the town of
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tamika paved the way for the
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construction of new plantations
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by 2014
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plantations near the road were already
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extensive
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but without a bridge to improve access
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forest along the western front remained
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intact
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two years later with a bridge in place
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previously forested land had been almost
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completely converted to oil palm
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elsewhere the scale of conversion into
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industrial plantations is even larger
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southeastern papua is home to over 100
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000 hectares of plantations including
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some of the biggest oil palm projects in
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indonesia with over a million hectares
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of forest licensed for future conversion
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to oil palm or pulpwood
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tana papua’s forests and the future of
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its sustainable economy
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are at a turning point
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as of 2021
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forest loss over the last 20 years has
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been limited
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but as seen in other parts of indonesia
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deforestation driven by unmanaged road
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development could be extensive
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if tana papua follows a similar path
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then it could experience a six-fold
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increase in forest loss over the next 15
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years
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data-driven models accounting for
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factors like topography roads and
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existing concessions have identified
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areas at the highest risk of future loss
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together
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these deforestation hot spots are
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predicted to exceed 4.5 million hectares
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an area larger than switzerland
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this loss would undermine the commitment
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to protect tana papua’s unique
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biological and cultural heritage
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and it would come at a time when rates
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of tropical deforestation must not only
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be slowed worldwide but reversed to
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avert the worst impact of climate change
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infrastructure initiatives like the
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trans-papua highway can benefit local
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communities by providing access to new
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development opportunities
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but the current path is rapidly opening
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tana papua to large-scale industrial
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projects at odds with international and
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local commitments to sustainable
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development and reversing forest laws
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with careful coordination and planning
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roads and infrastructure can bring
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economic growth
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while advancing sustainability goals and
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increasing the well-being of the forests
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and the people of tana papua
End of Transcript
New Guinea is home to one of the most biodiverse tropical forest systems remaining on Earth. Yet it is under threat from industrial-scale infrastructure development, commercial timber extraction and permanent conversion for pulpwood and palm oil. To protect its intact forests and the Indigenous communities that depend on them, the Government of West Papua in Indonesian New Guinea (Tanah Papua) has committed to protecting 70% of its forests through the landmark Manokwari Declaration.
This piece uses research and data from the Nusantara Atlas to show deforestation over the last 20 years and predict future risks to remaining forests, especially risks posed by roads. A “business-as-usual” scenario would result in a sixfold increase in forest loss over the next 15 years. While roads can provide access to sustainable development, they must be planned in coordination with sustainability goals to increase the wellbeing of the forests and the people of Tanah Papua.