On December 4, staff and security agents from AAL – Indonesia’s second largest palm oil company – visited two women in Rio Mukti village in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, insisting they sign a letter stating there was no land conflict between AAL-subsidiary PT Lestari Tani Teladan (PT LTT) and local communities. 

The visit came two days after WALHI (Friends of the Earth Indonesia) shared a video featuring the two women speaking about the adverse impacts of AAL’s operations and calling for the return of communities’ lands. FOE groups are calling on all concerned parties, including Indonesian authorities, to intervene and de-escalate the situation immediately. 

“Every single institution with a connection to AAL must prevent the company from retaliating against communities that are struggling for their lands and livelihoods,” said Uli Arta Siagian, Forest and Plantation Campaign Manager at WALHI National. “The intimidation carried out by AAL against women who called on the company to return their land once again demonstrates AAL’s repressive tactics. AAL is responsible for several cases of criminalization over the past few years alone. Community leaders and environmental human rights defenders have been thrown in jail multiple times due to AAL’s forceful tactics. Indonesian authorities, including the National Human Rights Commission, should ensure this does not escalate into a new campaign of intimidation by AAL.”

Evidence of environmental and human rights violations by AAL and its subsidiaries PT LTT, PT Mamuang, and PT Agro Nusa Abadi was publicly documented in a March 2022 report published by WALHI and Friends of the Earth US. Since the publication of the report, ten consumer goods companies have suspended sourcing from AAL in some capacity. Many companies with ties to AAL have committed on paper to protect and support human rights and human rights defenders. Notably, in September 2023, consumer goods giant Unilever released a policy in support of human rights defenders which explicitly stated intolerance for intimidation, attacks, or reprisals against environmental human rights defenders.

“This is a textbook case of intimidation and coercion by a powerful company against villagers struggling for their lands and livelihoods,” said Gaurav Madan, Senior Forest and Land Rights Campaigner at Friends of the Earth US. “Violence against defenders is a global epidemic. Actions speak louder than empty words, fruitless investigations, and paper policies. Now is the time for companies and investors that enable AAL to publicly demand it return land back to communities it has taken without consent. Companies and investors should cut ties with this unrepentant company, ensure remedy for the harm it’s done, and prepare for a just transition away from industrial agribusiness operations which are predicated on violence and land theft.”

Last week, AAL released a flawed report that attempted to address long standing allegations of abuse by the company. Friends of the Earth groups rejected the report for failing to examine multiple cases of criminalization, whether AAL subsidiaries ever received the free, prior, informed consent (FPIC) of communities, or the extent of environmental degradation due to palm oil operations. The report was the result of a unilaterally-dictated investigation by the company which demanded communities show documentation for their land claims, while not requiring the same level of proof from AAL.

Communities continue to call on AAL to return land back that it has taken without consent; provide compensation to farmers for loss of lands and livelihoods; conduct environmental restoration to damaged and degraded rivers; clear the names of environmental human rights defenders who have been criminalized; and issue a public apology for harm done. Notably, the amount of land back being requested by communities impacted by AAL subsidiaries PT LTT, PT Mamuang, and PT Nusa Agro Abadi is less than .1% of AAL’s entire land bank. 

Communications contact(s): 

Brittany Miller, Friends of the Earth U.S., bmiller@foe.org, (202) 222-0746
Uli Arta Siagian, WAHLI, ulisiagian@walhi.or.id, +628 2182 61 9212

The post Friends of the Earth groups denounce recent case of intimidation by Astra Agro Lestari, call for immediate de-escalation appeared first on Friends of the Earth.

“Banking on Biodiversity Collapse: Tracking the banks and investors driving tropical deforestation,” maps commercial financial flows to the forest-sector operations of 300 companies within six forest-risk commodity sectors -– beef, palm oil, pulp and paper, rubber, soy, and timber –- which collectively cause most tropical deforestation globally. The report identifies which banks and investors play the biggest roles in the provision of credit, underwriting, bondholding, and shareholding. Among the largest 30 forest-risk bankers were major banks from tropical forest countries including Brazil and Indonesia, as well as those from significant import and financial jurisdictions such as the US, EU, Japan, and China.

The report further assesses the quality of bank policies governing investments in high impact sectors. The policies of banks and investors were scored on a set of 38 criteria. Discouragingly, the average policy score was just 17%, with only 20 banks and investors scoring 30% or above. Only two banks score over 50% for a policy score – revealing a massive disconnect between the amount of money being pumped into these sectors and the safeguards in place to prevent mass deforestation and rights abuses. 

The report finds that the biggest bank financiers, Banco do Brasil and Bradesco, which predominantly finance beef and soy sectors in Brazil, have minimal policies to prevent deforestation and rights abuses. Wall street giants JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Citigroup play a major role in pulp and paper, and palm oil but are failing to safeguard forests, biodiversity, or human rights in their policies. They received woefully deficient scores, with Bank of America at 22%, Citigroup at 37% and JPMorgan Chase trailing behind with just 15%.

The report findings highlight the urgent need for robust regulations that cover financial institutions to be implemented in key jurisdictions. The report emphasizes that governments and financial institutions have a responsibility under Article 2.1c of the Paris Agreement and Targets 14 and 15 of the Global Biodiversity Framework to align their financial flows to achieve public climate and biodiversity goals. While the data shows some fluctuations in annual credit and investment totals from 2016 to 2023, there does not appear to be any downward trend in capital facilitating the continued expansion of forest-risk commodity production.

“Many people may be shocked to know that in many, if not most, jurisdictions it is perfectly legal for a financial institution to finance a company engaged in environmental crime,” said Merel van der Mark, Forests & Finance Coordinator. “This data shows the blatant hypocrisy of financial institutions who are members of sustainability initiatives like the Principles for Responsible Investment or Principles for Responsible Banking, or that have Net Zero commitments but are continuing to finance companies that make these goals impossible to meet. Leaving financial institutions to set their own ESG standards will not be enough to shift financial flows towards sustainable practices. Ultimately, governments must establish the policies and penalties necessary to safeguard society and the ecosystems on which we all depend.”

In addition to recording financial flows and analysing sector policies, the report also presents several cases illustrating the impacts that this finance has on forests and communities in Indonesia and the Brazilian Amazon. The research exposes four forest destroyers that continue to rake in billions of dollars in financing even though they have been linked to extensive and well documented harmful social and environmental impacts, often spanning many years demonstrating long-term patterns of rogue behaviour: JBS, Cargill, Royal Golden Eagle, and Sinar Mas Group.

The report concludes that financial regulators and financial institutions must take urgent steps to align their financial flows to foster a just transition necessary to safeguard society and the ecosystems on which we all depend, consistent with international public policy goals. To achieve this, the Forest and Finance Coalition calls on the financial sector to adopt 5 basic principles, which include halting and reversing biodiversity loss, respecting and prioritizing the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, fostering a Just Transition, ensuring ecosystem integrity, and aligning institutional objectives across sectors, issues, and instruments.

Forests & Finance is a coalition of campaign, grassroots and research organizations including Rainforest Action Network, TuK Indonesia, Profundo, Amazon Watch, Repórter Brasil, BankTrack, Sahabat Alam Malaysia and Friends of the Earth US.

Communications contact: Laurel Sutherlin (Rainforest Action Network), laurel@ran.org, +1 415.246.0161
Brittany Miller (Friends of the Earth), bmiller@foe.org, (202) 222-0746

The post Major bank and investor policies accelerating forest destruction, biodiversity loss, climate chaos and rights violations appeared first on Friends of the Earth.

“This one-sided investigation chose to only investigate communities and failed to investigate AAL,” said Uli Arta Siagian, Forest and Plantation Campaign Manager at WALHI National. “Despite international condemnation and consumer goods companies suspending sourcing from AAL over abuses in Sulawesi, the investigation did not bother to look at how AAL subsidiaries acquired lands from communities or whether these companies are operating legally. The investigation demanded communities show documentation for their land claims, while not requiring the same level of proof from AAL. This completely ignores the power asymmetries between rural communities and powerful companies, as well as ignores the complicated reality of land rights recognition in Indonesia.”

AAL’s latest verification report notably does not look at whether its subsidiaries attempted to receive Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) from impacted communities, a critical allegation documented by WALHI and FOE US in its March 2022 report, No Consent: Astra Agro Lestari’s land grab in Central and West Sulawesi, Indonesia. AAL’s new report also fails to investigate many other allegations from the March 2022 report, including whether AAL subsidiaries hold each of the required permits to operate, multiple cases of criminalization of environmental human rights defenders, and environmental degradation caused to rivers. 

“What AAL’s report doesn’t say speaks as loudly as what it attempts to justify,” says Gaurav Madan, Senior Forest and Land Rights Campaigner at Friends of the Earth US. “Let’s remember that the focus of the investigation was entirely decided by AAL – and it failed to address many of the concerns of buyers, shareholders, and civil society. How long must communities wait to have justice delivered? How many investigations must they suffer before they receive their land back? How many reports need to be published for companies to act? It’s time AAL’s buyers use their platforms and leverage to push the company to remedy the harm it’s done.” 

In March 2023, AAL announced that it had hired consultant group Eco Nusantara to conduct an investigation into the allegations of environmental and human rights violations by its subsidiaries in Sulawesi, Indonesia. Neither AAL nor its consultants consulted with impacted communities or civil society on what should be included in the TOR prior to its finalization. In June, WALHI and FOE US shared an in-depth analysis of the TOR, which included suggestions on how the focus of investigation should shift onto AAL. Despite assurances from AAL’s consultants that they would address civil society feedback and design the investigation in an inclusive way, the investigation proceeded based on the flawed TOR without taking into account any suggestions or recommendations provided by civil society. 

“AAL’s new verification report conspicuously does not mention  FPIC even once,” said Jeff Conant, Senior International Forests Program Manager at Friends of the Earth US. “Yet, FPIC is the critical factor for distinguishing between legitimate land acquisition and land grabbing. Shareholders, buyers, and consumer goods companies with supply chain links to AAL, which have all committed to respect FPIC in their sustainability policies, must take notice and suspend all sourcing from this rogue company. Paper policies are only as good as their implementation.”

Since the publication of the March 2022 report, ten consumer goods companies have suspended sourcing from AAL in some capacity. BlackRock – the world’s largest asset manager – voted against directors at both AAL and parent company Astra International’s shareholder meetings over the past two years due to this case. 

Communities continue to demand AAL return land back that it has taken without consent; provide compensation to farmers for loss of lands and livelihoods; conduct environmental restoration to damaged and degraded rivers; clear the names of environmental human rights defenders who have been criminalized; and issue a public apology for harm done. Notably, the amount of land back being requested by communities is less than .1% of the AAL’s entire land bank. 

Communications contact(s): 

Brittany Miller, Friends of the Earth U.S., bmiller@foe.org, +1 202 222-0746
Uli Arta Siagian, WALHI, ulisiagian@walhi.or.id, +628 2182 61 9212

The post Friends of the Earth groups reject inadequate, inaccurate Astra Agro Lestari report on environmental and human rights violations in Indonesia appeared first on Friends of the Earth.

The post Land Grabbing and Ecocide: How Bunge, TIAA, and Harvard Fuel the Destruction of the Brazilian Cerrado appeared first on Friends of the Earth.

The press conference was held in conjunction with the release of a written investor briefing, which was endorsed by sixteen NGOs and distributed to known JBS investors, financiers, and other major financial institutions.

The investor briefing highlights how JBS has been repeatedly implicated in climate change, deforestation, biodiversity loss, human rights abuses, and corruption scandals, whether as a parent company or through its network of subsidiaries and suppliers. 

Industrial livestock production is one of the largest sources of emissions fueling climate change. Leading experts have repeatedly pointed out that we must urgently address emissions from livestock by dramatically scaling back consumption and production of animal foods and shifting to ecological agriculture practices in order to avoid climate catastrophe. 

Financial institutions provide capital for industrial livestock and meat production companies, such as JBS, Tyson, and Cargill, to continue expanding their production. Bank of America and Citigroup are some of the latest financiers to underwrite JBS bonds, issued this month. BlackRock and Vanguard are some of the top investors in JBS.

“JBS has been exposed for environmental and climate destruction for years,” said Chelsea Matthews, senior campaigner for Friends Of The Earth. “U.S. commercial banks like Bank of America and Citigroup can’t credibly implement their climate commitments if they continue to provide financial support to meat giants like JBS.”

“We are here to say JBS is enabling land grabbing and attacks on Indigenous people but also the destruction of the planet,” said Ana Paula Vargas, Brazil program director at Amazon Watch. “So we need to tell Wall Street and Citigroup and Bank of America that this company is enabling and being complicit in the destruction. We have to stop financing JBS if you don’t want to be a part of the problem.”

“Too often we see US-based banks and corporations implicated in rainforest destruction,” said Ashley Thomson, senior policy advisor for Global Witness. “JBS poses a risk to the world’s tropical forests and to human rights. With no real government action to stem the flow of deforestation, we are appealing directly to investors to urge them to consider the full scope of risks by investing in JBS.”  

“Wall Street is enabling a company that relies on stolen land, forced labor, bribery and environmental destruction to turn a profit,” said Steph Dowlen, forests and finance campaigner for Rainforest Action Network. “To avoid locking in another decade of climate chaos, forest destruction and human rights abuses, Citigroup and Bank of America must put their money where their mouth is by steering clear of JBS.” 

“Investing in the health of our planet and all animals who share it is no longer niche or optional, it is an imperative,” said Annette Manusevich, farming campaign manager for World Animal Protection.  “JBS cannot be allowed to continue misleading the public and investors.” 

Photos and video from the event available HERE. 

Background information:

Earlier this year, JBS announced a plan to restart its decade-long attempt to list shares on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) via a dual listing under a new Dutch parent company (“JBS N.V.”). JBS’s last attempt to execute an initial public offering (IPO) in the US in 2017 was undermined by the company’s role in “the largest corruption inquiry in history,” which resulted in a record-breaking $3.2 billion fine to settle five separate investigations into JBS’s business practices. 

JBS company leadership has said it expects the dual listing to be complete by December 2023; however, the transaction must be approved by the SEC, Brazilian regulators, and shareholders. 

Last month, Rainforest Action Network petitioned the SEC to open an investigation into JBS and urged it to scrutinize the dual listing. Last year, an audit by Brazilian prosecutors found significant “irregularities” in JBS’s beef sourcing – indicating concerns that JBS is contributing to illegal deforestation in the Amazon rainforest. Earlier this summer, the U.S. Senate Finance Committee hosted a hearing investigating cattle supply chains and deforestation in the Amazon, with Senators zeroing in on JBS’s practice of “cattle laundering.” 

Communications contacts:
TJ Helmstetter, tjhelmstetter@foe.org
Brittany Miller, bmiller@foe.org

The post NGOs Warn Financiers of Risks Ahead of Meatpacker JBS’ NYSE Listing: “Wall Street: Steer Clear of JBS” appeared first on Friends of the Earth.

The new report, “Land Grabbing and Ecocide,” examines how the investment models and business operations of Harvard, TIAA and Bunge are fueling staggering rates of deforestation, alarming violence and ongoing violations of Indigenous Peoples’ land rights in the Brazilian Cerrado. Known as the birthplace of waters, the Cerrado is the world’s most biodiverse savannah, home to Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and other traditional communities and 5% of the world’s plant and animal species. The report was jointly produced by Friends of the Earth U.S., the Brazilian Network for Social Justice and Human Rights, and ActionAid USA.  

The increasing destruction of the Cerrado comes at a time of renewed global efforts to protect the Amazon Rainforest, most recently marked by a summit of Amazon nations last month hosted by Brazil. 

“While governments must work to protect the Amazon, they cannot allow unscrupulous companies to swallow up the neighboring Cerrado for soybeans,” said Gaurav Madan, senior forest and land rights campaigner at Friends of the Earth U.S. “The end of the Bolsonaro presidency may have slowed deforestation in the Amazon, but the destruction of the Cerrado continues at an alarming rate. US institutions that claim to follow sustainability principles are fueling deforestation, ecocide and land grabbing in the Cerrado and must be held to account.” 

The report details how Harvard acquired nearly 300,000 hectares of land in the Cerrado — an area one and a half times larger than the urban area of Rio de Janeiro — between 2008 and 2016. Harvard subsidiary Insolo Agroindustrial then deforested at least 53,000 hectares over the past decade after receiving at least US$138.7 million from the prestigious university. Harvard is one of the largest foreign landowners in Brazil. 

“While Harvard University is globally renowned, its investments in Brazil are triggering widespread dispossession and deforestation,” said Maria Luisa Mendonça, co-director of the Brazilian Network for Social Justice and Human Rights. “Harvard’s massive endowment is also accelerating climate change by eviscerating the Brazilian Cerrado. Instead of buying up and destroying land, it’s time Harvard respects the rights of Indigenous communities that have protected the Cerrado for generations.”  

A US pension fund is driving climate disaster through illegal land acquisition  

Notably, TIAA — the pension fund for most academics and faculty in the US — is linked to land grabbing, corruption and deforestation through its joint ventures and land investments in Brazil. The new report notes that several of TIAA’s land acquisitions were acquired from known land grabbers, associated with illegal practices and deemed illegal by Brazilian courts and government agencies. As with Harvard, TIAA disguises its financial interest in its land deals by deploying shell companies. Initially reported by the Harvard Crimson, TIAA and Harvard illegally acquired more than 200,000 hectares of public land in the Cerrado.  

“TIAA’s land acquisitions in Brazil fly in the face of the values it claims to embrace,” said Doug Hertzler, senior policy analyst at ActionAid USA. “Grabbing the land of Indigenous and peasant communities, destroying the landscape, and hiding involvement through shell companies is the very opposite of ‘leading with integrity.’ Yet this misanthropic land speculation continues unabated.” 

US agribusiness giant linked to staggering rates of deforestation and land conversion  

US-based Bunge Limited, the largest soybean processor in the world, incentivizes the expansion of soy plantations — and related environmental and human rights violations — as seen with its near-monopoly on financing for soy producers in the state of Piauí in the Cerrado. The agribusiness giant recently announced higher earnings based on a record soybean crop in Brazil, in large part due to expanding operations on lands cleared of native vegetation over the past decade. Despite claiming that its sustainability commitments are the best in the industry, the company refuses to adhere to industry best practice by adopting a 2020 cutoff for deforestation. Notably, the company makes no mention of Indigenous Peoples’ land rights or the internationally recognized right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent in its policies, while its supply chains and operations rob communities of their lands and livelihoods.  

“While deforestation increases in the Cerrado as a whole, it is skyrocketing in Bunge’s own backyard,” said Jeff Conant, senior international forests program manager at Friends of the Earth U.S. “In 2022, Santa Filomena saw a staggering 293% increase in deforestation and destruction of native vegetation. At minimum, Bunge should align its operations with industry best practice and halt all soy expansion in the Cerrado for the sake of human rights and the planet’s future.”  

According to the report, seven of Bunge’s top ten shareholders and eight of the company’s top ten bank financiers are members of the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ), a voluntary initiative launched at UN COP26 in Glasgow in 2021 aimed at “transitioning the global economy to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.” The top seven GFANZ shareholders increased their holdings in Bunge since GFANZ was launched — despite the company’s ongoing destruction. In total, GFANZ investors increased their shares in Bunge by $1.8 billion dollars since the launch of the initiative, raising concerns that GFANZ is contributing more to greenwashing than to a reduction in greenhouse gases.  

Media Contacts:
Wanda Bautista, wbautista@burness.com, +1 302-233-5438
Brittany Miller, Friends of the Earth U.S., bmiller@foe.org, (202) 222-0746

The post New Report: Land Acquisition by Harvard University, Pension Fund TIAA and Soy Production by Agribusiness Giant Bunge Drive Deforestation and Land Grabs in the Brazilian Cerrado appeared first on Friends of the Earth.

Despite continued suspensions from consumer brands and international condemnation, AAL has failed to conduct environmental restoration and remediate harm done to Indigenous and local communities in Sulawesi impacted by its palm oil operations. 

“We echo the calls of communities impacted by AAL’s destructive operations for AAL to return land taken without consent,” said Uli Arta Siagian, Campaigner Manager, Forest and Plantation, at WALHI National. “Companies that violate human rights, operate outside of Indonesian law, and pollute our precious environment must right their wrongs.”

Kellogg’s announcement to cut ties with AAL follows a March 2022 report by WALHI (Friends of the Earth Indonesia) and Friends of the Earth US documenting the company’s extensive environmental and human rights abuses. These violations were confirmed by an independent investigation conducted last year by EcoNusantara. 

Despite mounting evidence of AAL’s violations, the company announced another investigation into abuses by its subsidiaries PT Agro Nusa Abadi, PT Lestari Tana Teladan, and PT Mamuang. Friends of the Earth groups rejected the investigation’s flawed terms of reference and published an analysis criticizing AAL for not taking concrete steps toward redressing grievances and remedying harm, while failing to seek inputs from impacted communities and civil society groups.

“The onus of proof is on AAL,” said Gaurav Madan, Senior Forests and Lands Campaigner at Friends of the Earth US. “The company should show evidence that it received communities’ free prior informed consent to operate on their lands and impact their livelihoods. AAL’s subsidiaries should present each one of the permits required to operate by Indonesian law. Why aren’t consumer brands asking to see this documentation? It’s their responsibility to conduct this type of independent due diligence, especially when violations have been brought to their attention.” 

“Consumer goods companies continue to claim their business models are ‘sustainable’ while continuing to source from conflict palm oil companies like AAL,” said Danielle van Oijen, Forest Programme Coordinator at Milieudefensie. “Instead of greenwashing, these multi-billion dollar companies should use their public platforms to ensure AAL remedies the harm it has done to impacted communities and the environment.” 

In addition to consumer brands’ suspensions, BlackRock – the world’s largest asset manager – voted against the election of AAL’s board of directors in April at the company’s annual shareholder meeting over the ongoing violations. BlackRock also voted against directors at AAL’s parent company Astra International in 2022. Earlier this year, Dutch pension fund PFZW sold off its investments in AAL.

Importantly, companies selling products on the European market will have to eliminate deforestation and human rights abuses from their supply chains by the end of next year to comply with new European regulation on deforestation. AAL’s violations, including land grabbing, environmental destruction, and permitting irregularities, pose risks to consumer brands’ ability to comply with the new regulation. For AAL, these risks may translate into further loss of business and greater reputational damage. 

Communications contacts:
Brittany Miller, Friends of the Earth U.S., bmiller@foe.org, (202) 222-0746
Uli Arta Siagian, WAHLI, ulisiagian@walhi.or.id (+628 2182 61 9212)
Maaike Baan, Milieudefensie, Friends of the Earth Netherlands, maaike.baan@milieudefensie.nl, +31651079960

The post Kellogg Suspends Palm Oil Sourcing from Astra Agro Lestari as Company Fails to Remediate Human Rights Abuses, Environmental Destruction appeared first on Friends of the Earth.

JAKARTA/WASHINGTON – Today, Indonesia’s second largest palm oil company Astra Agro Lestari (AAL) and Eco Nusantara planned to host a kick off meeting for their flawed investigation into the company’s environmental and human rights violations in Central and West Sulawesi, Indonesia, despite repeated concerns from environmental groups and impacted communities. WALHI (Friends of the Earth Indonesia) refused to attend the kick-off meeting, which was subsequently canceled.

The scheduled meeting comes after AAL published a “progress update” on its website stating that it is in communication with Friends of the Earth US and received buy-in from WAHLI on its investigation. In actuality, Friends of the Earth US has consistently stated that the substance and process of the investigation – unilaterally dictated by AAL and its consultants – is insufficient and problematic, while WALHI has not agreed to the investigation’s terms or framing.

AAL and Eco Nusantara also incorrectly claimed that WALHI was participating in the investigation’s kick-off meeting on May 25. WALHI rejects this characterization and the current investigation, reiterating that AAL must return land back to communities taken without their consent, issue a public apology, provide compensation for loss of lands and livelihoods, and conduct environmental restoration based on facts of the case that have emerged over the past year.

“We continue to call on AAL to act on the evidence in the public domain to provide remedy to those that have lost their lands and livelihoods due to the company’s operations,” said Aulia Hakim, Lead Campaigner at WALHI Central Sulawesi.

“Communities have made it clear that they are not interested in endless, one-sided investigations,” said Uli Arta, Forest and Plantation Campaigner at WALHI. “AAL must commit to returning land back to farmers and communities that has been taken without their consent. This is a necessary starting point to end protracted conflicts that have plagued the company’s operations in Sulawesi for decades.”

AAL first announced its new investigation in March 2023, after nine consumer goods companies suspended palm oil sourcing in some capacity from AAL and its subsidiaries due to mounting evidence of land grabbing, pollution of community water sources, and criminalization of community leaders and environmental human rights defenders. Friends of the Earth groups, the original complainants in the case against AAL, were not consulted in the development of terms of reference for the investigation and publicly responded to the announcement.

The cascade of suspensions from consumer goods companies followed a March 2022 report detailing environmental and human rights violations by AAL and its subsidiaries and an August 2022 verification report by Eco Nusantara following its own investigation into the documented allegations.

“If companies insist on further investigation, it should focus on AAL providing proof that it obtained the free, prior, informed consent of communities to operate on their lands,” said Jeff Conant, Senior International Forests Program Manager at Friends of the Earth US. “We have yet to see documentation that AAL conducted proper environmental and social impact assessments or evidence that its subsidiaries acquired proper permits in compliance with Indonesian law. Investigations should examine AAL’s role in the intimidation and criminalization of community leaders. Rights holders on the frontlines of AAL’s destructive operations are tired of fruitless investigations, especially when they’re not given the opportunity to inform the process, or agree to its terms.”

WALHI and allied Friends of the Earth groups are currently reviewing the terms of investigation provided and will share their analysis of shortcomings and gaps in the near future.

Communications contacts:
Brittany Miller, Friends of the Earth US, (202) 222-0746, bmiller@foe.org
Agus Dwi Hastutik, WALHI, +62 855-4663-6057, agusdwihastutik@walhi.or.id

The post Friends of the Earth groups reject investigation into environmental and human rights violations by Indonesian palm oil company appeared first on Friends of the Earth.

“Communities impacted by AAL’s destructive operations have made it clear that they are not looking for further investigation,” said Uli Arta Siagian, Forest and Plantation Campaigner at WALHI/Friends of the Earth Indonesia. “Every day justice is delayed is another day justice is denied. The evidence that has emerged over the past year is sufficient for AAL to take responsibility for its actions. Yet, the company instead chooses to intimidate communities whose land has been forcibly taken from them. The Ministry of Agrarian Affairs and National Land Agency should ensure that AAL is held accountable for its abuses and that farmers receive their land back.”

In March 2022, WALHI and Friends of the Earth US published a report detailing how AAL subsidiaries PT Agro Nusa Abadi (ANA), PT Lestari Tani Teladan, and PT Mamuang were engaged in land grabbing, environmental degradation and the criminalization of environmental human rights defenders. Nine consumer brands, including PepsiCo, Hershey’s and Mondelez, have since suspended palm oil sourcing from AAL. 

Despite the increased scrutiny, AAL has chosen to escalate conflicts with impacted communities. Last month, fully armed Indonesian paramilitary police threatened farmers on lands contested between communities and AAL subsidiary PT ANA. Notably, PT ANA has been operating for over a decade without a HGU –  the required legal permit to cultivate land. 

In August 2022, Eco Nusantara conducted an initial investigation into AAL and released a verification report that broadly affirmed many violations. 

“We expect Eco Nusantara’s new investigation to affirm what has already been revealed: that AAL is operating on communities’ lands without their consent,” said Gaurav Madan, Senior Forests and Lands Campaigner at Friends of the Earth U.S. “AAL should be held accountable for environmental degradation and human rights abuses and accordingly be required to remedy the harm it’s done. The terms of reference for this new investigation should be made public in the interest of full transparency. The world is watching.” 

Impacted communities, Friends of the Earth groups, and international civil society organizations are calling on AAL to return land back to communities taken without their consent, including lands for which farmers have legal certificates; provide compensation to communities for the loss of lands and livelihoods; clear the names of individuals who have been criminalized; and issue a public apology for environmental and human rights violations committed.

In AAL’s statement announcing the new investigation, the company conveyed a ‘sincere apology to any parties for the inconvenience arising from this case.’ 

“For farmers who have lost their livelihoods, for defenders who have been thrown in jail, for community leaders that have faced death threats, these are not mere inconveniences,” said Aulia Hakim, Campaigner at WALHI Central Sulawesi. “Instead of treating communities that are the rightful owners of the land with contempt, AAL should show more humility for its role in sowing conflict.”

Communications contact: Brittany Miller, bmiller@foe.org, (202) 222-0746

The post Friends of the Earth groups respond to new investigation into environmental and human rights violations by Indonesian palm oil company Astra Agro Lestari appeared first on Friends of the Earth.

On March 4, Akroá Gamella Adaildo José Alves da Silva, an Indigenous leader from Morro D’Água community, faced a murder attempt and repeated death threats by land grabbers. “Dealing with threats is not easy,” Adaildo said. “I will never sell this area because I was born on this land, and to this land I will return. I don’t want any of this territory to be given to agribusiness because it is destructive: they destroy our trees and our waters, then they leave and we are left here, worse off than before.”

Akroá Gamella is recognized by the Brazilian government as an Indigenous community with special legal protections. The territory where Adaildo lives with his family is in the process of receiving a collective land title. Brazil remains one of the most dangerous places in the world for environmental human rights defenders. Over the past decade agribusiness was the second deadliest sector in the world for defenders.

Last year, Friends of the Earth and the Brazilian Network for Social Justice and Human Rights documented how local land grabbers and gunmen threaten, intimidate and violently dispossess Indigenous and other traditional communities to illegally acquire and deforest land in preparation for industrial soy production. Many of these lands end up in the supply chains of large soy companies, including U.S.-based Cargill and Bunge Limited. Bunge has repeatedly enabled and incentivized land grabbing and deforestation through its control of the soy trade in Piauí state.

In December 2022, the Collective of Traditional Peoples and Communities of Southern Piauí, the Pastoral Land Commission (CPT-PI) and the Brazilian Network for Social Justice and Human Rights issued a statement denouncing deforestation by land grabbers in the area. They warned that the state’s slow response could result in greater damage to communities and the environment. In addition to the murder attempt against Adaildo, three people from the Melancias community in the south Piauí were threatened.

Below is a statement issued by the Brazilian Network for Social Justice and Human Rights (translated from Portuguese) regarding the recent violent incidents. Ultimately, the Brazilian government is responsible for ensuring the recognition and protection of the legal land rights of Indigenous, Quilombola and other rural communities, and should therefore halt all soy expansion in the Cerrado.

Companies operating in the Brazilian Cerrado should commit to halting soy expansion in the region. They must immediately condemn violence, intimidation and land grabbing and adopt zero tolerance policies and practices for such actions across their supply chains.

Communities denounce homicide attempts, death threats, and deforestation in the Brazilian Cerrado 
(Original statement here in Portuguese is here)

Murder attempts, death threats, harassment, deforestation, and land grabbing attempts: that is what the beginning of 2023 was like in the territories of rural communities in the Cerrado of the state of Piauí.

In December 2022, the Coletivo de Povos e Comunidades Tradicionais do Sul do Piauí (Collective of Traditional Peoples and Communities of the South of Piauí), the Pastoral Land Commission (CPT-PI), and the Network for Social Justice and Human Rights (Rede Social) issued a statement denouncing deforestation on the land of eight communities by land grabbers and warning that delays in state intervention could result in even greater harm to the communities and the environment.

Even though the Secretaria do Meio Ambiente e Recursos Hídricos do Piauí (SEMAR, Secretariat of the Environment and Water Sources of Piauí) fined two people R$2 million for deforestation of Indigenous and riverine communities’ land in February 2023, agribusiness continues to threaten the Akroá Gamella and riverine-wetland communities with violence.

Attempted murder and threats 
 
Akroá Gamella Indigenous leader Adaildo da Silva, from the Morro D’Água territory, has suffered attempts on his life and repeated death threats from land grabbers.

“Dealing with threats is not easy”, the leader stated. “I will never sell this area because I was born on this land, and to this land I will return. I don’t want any of this territory to be given to agribusiness because it is destructive: they destroy our trees and our waters, then they leave and we are left here, worse off than before. Adaildo filed police reports at the Gilbués police station for each crime against him, but so far, no effective measures have been taken to protect his life.

Large landowners and land grabbers in the region are believed to be behind the gunmen’s actions. The process of granting a collective land title for the territory where Adaildo and his family live is currently underway, and the Akroá Gamella have been officially recognized as an Indigenous people by the FUNAI.

Three other people from the Melancias Territory also received threats in the first few months of 2023 in southern Piauí. Workers from the Alvorada farm, in the municipality of Gilbués, verbally threatened Nilton and Cézar de Sousa, two brothers living in the Riacho dos Cavalos community, and their friend Jonathan Cunha. Two residents of the Barra da Lagoa territory were also approached by a stranger who claimed to have the title for the land they have lived on for over 30 years. He offered them compensation, which they turned down.

Deforestation in the Kajubar farm

The communities have been denouncing deforestation on the Kajubar farm since February 2023. According to satellite images, which can be seen in the maps prepared by AidEnvironment, 2,590 hectares of land have been deforested. In May 2022, Rede Social had already denounced deforestation on other parts of this farm in the report entitled Desmatamento, Grilagem de Terras e Financeirização (Deforestation, Land Grabbing, and Financialization).

This farm’s area overlaps with the area of rural communities. Deforestation is causing sediment to accumulate in the rivers that originate in the plateaus and flow into the lowlands, which inhibits the collective use of this water by local communities and kills the fish. To make matters worse, aerial spraying of farm chemicals by soy companies pollutes the rivers and contaminates the communities’ crops and food production. 
 
The granting of collective land titles

The Collective of Traditional Peoples and Communities of the South of Piauí demands an end to the violation of their rights and that they be granted the collective titles to their territories as soon as possible in order to guarantee the preservation of the environment and their ways of life.

“The communities can barely breathe. There are a lot of threats, land grabbing, and deforestation. The state, which should guarantee our rights, is the first to forget about us. We continue to fight for our collective land title because we have the right to our territory”, affirms Mara Alves Pessoa, one of the leaders of the Collective of Traditional Peoples and Communities of the South of Piauí.

State officials must guarantee the physical integrity and the collective land titles of traditional peoples and communities. Public offices must act immediately to protect land rights of local communities and to prevent further threats and deforestation in the region.

The post Indigenous Leader Faces Murder Attempt, Death Threats Amid Intensifying Land Grabbing and Deforestation in the Brazilian Cerrado appeared first on Friends of the Earth.