Debunking the ‘Ecocide’ Narrative in West Papua — A Balanced Look at Deforestation, Palm Oil, and Indigenous Rights

By West Papua Online

Introduction

The phrase “West Papua Ecocide” has gained currency in activist circles, particularly in relation to issues like deforestation, palm oil plantations, and alleged violations of indigenous rights. While environmental protection and indigenous welfare are legitimate global concerns, the claim that Indonesia is systematically committing ecocide in West Papua is misleading, exaggerated, and unsupported by the broader body of evidence. This article offers a more balanced perspective — one that recognizes both the real environmental challenges and the complex socio-economic context of sustainable development in the Papua region.

Understanding ‘Ecocide’: Misused and Misleading

“Ecocide” refers to the deliberate and widespread destruction of the natural environment, often on a scale that threatens the survival of ecosystems or communities. While the term has legal and academic significance in contexts like war crimes or industrial disasters, its application to West Papua is inappropriate and lacks evidentiary support from credible environmental bodies or courts.

Labeling West Papua’s environmental challenges as ecocide oversimplifies complex policy decisions, community agency, and legal frameworks, and it ignores the environmental progress and indigenous-led conservation efforts taking place within the region.

Deforestation: Data and Context

It is true that deforestation has occurred in parts of West Papua, often due to logging, road-building, and limited-scale plantation agriculture. However, according to data from Global Forest Watch (2023) and Indonesia’s Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Papua and West Papua provinces retain the highest percentage of forest cover in Indonesia — over 80%.

The government has:

• Declared Papua as a strategic conservation zone.
• Placed moratoriums on new logging concessions and palm oil expansion in key forest areas.
• Increased funding for reforestation and sustainable land use planning.

Thus, while environmental management must be improved, claims of large-scale forest destruction or intentional ecocide are factually inaccurate and politically motivated.

Palm Oil in Papua: Reality vs. Rhetoric

Critics often cite palm oil expansion as evidence of environmental and social exploitation. However, the reality is far more nuanced. Unlike in Sumatra and Kalimantan, palm oil plantations in Papua cover a small fraction of the land and are increasingly regulated.

Recent government actions include:

• Reviewing and cancelling over 100 palm oil permits that violated land-use regulations.
• Introducing stricter environmental impact assessments (AMDAL) and community consent procedures.
• Promoting agroforestry and smallholder farming as sustainable alternatives.

Moreover, some indigenous communities themselves have chosen to participate in controlled palm oil cultivation as a means of economic empowerment, contradicting the narrative that all indigenous Papuans are victims of imposed development.

Indigenous Rights: Legal Protections and Local Agency

Indonesia has a legal framework that protects indigenous rights, including:

• The 2001 Special Autonomy Law, which guarantees cultural preservation, land rights, and local political leadership.
• The Constitutional Court Decision No. 35/2012, which recognizes customary forest (hutan adat) as belonging to indigenous peoples.
• Active participation of Majelis Rakyat Papua (MRP) in safeguarding indigenous identity and customary land.

While implementation varies by region, many Papuan communities have successfully defended their land rights through these mechanisms. There is no state-sponsored policy of land dispossession — and in fact, increasing numbers of communities are formally registering their customary forests under Indonesia’s agrarian reform initiatives.

Conservation and Development: Not a Zero-Sum Game

The portrayal of all development as anti-indigenous and anti-environmental is problematic. West Papua’s human development index (HDI) remains among the lowest in Indonesia. Many indigenous Papuans seek greater access to education, clean water, healthcare, and income — which require balanced, sustainable development, not total isolation.

Government and NGO-led programs have promoted:

• Community-based forest management.
• Eco-tourism initiatives in regions like Raja Ampat.
• Integrated spatial planning that incorporates traditional land-use systems.

Papuan-led conservation groups, such as Bentara Papua and Yayasan Kalabia, have also played vital roles in marine and forest protection — showing that indigenous agency and ecological stewardship can coexist with development.

Debunking Foreign-Fueled Narratives

Much of the “ecocide” narrative is propagated by foreign NGOs and online activists, many of whom have little connection to the daily lives of Papuans. These narratives often:

• Ignore progress in local governance and environmental regulation.
• Silence indigenous voices that favor development through cooperation.
• Paint Indonesia as an inherently extractive state, without acknowledging the legal reforms or public accountability mechanisms in place.

Such campaigns, while often well-intentioned, risk imposing external ideological frameworks that may not reflect local realities or aspirations.

Conclusion

The claim that Indonesia is committing ecocide in West Papua is not supported by credible evidence or environmental trends. It misrepresents a multifaceted situation where legitimate environmental concerns coexist with responsible development, legal safeguards, and indigenous participation.

A more productive approach lies in strengthening environmental governance, empowering local communities, and encouraging sustainable practices — not in exaggerating the facts for political gain. Papuans deserve dignity, not victimhood; agency, not alarmism. The real path forward is not through slogans about ecocide, but through inclusive development and ecological stewardship that respects both nature and human dignity.