Indonesia

Indonesia has great natural wealth but many of its citizens live in extreme poverty. Democratic progress has been made since the resigation of former president Suharto in 1998, but many civil society organisations feel that far too little progress has been made towards sustainable management of the country's resources, and ensuring that Indonesia's diverse communities have a real say in decisions which affect their future.

A Down to Earth Special Report, June 2002

Written by Liz Chidley, edited by Carolyn Marr
and produced with the support of
Forest Peoples Programme and
Rainforest Foundation

Down to Earth No 52, February 2002


As M. Prakosa settles into his job as Indonesia's fourth forestry minister in four years, the direction of forest policy is becoming clearer.

Forestry minister Prakosa made it clear from the start that he did not intend any immediate radical changes. In the hand-over ceremony from Marzuki Usman, he pledged to build on the foundations laid down by his predecessors rather than introduce new programmes.

Down to Earth No 51 November 2001


The Nias tragedy - a grim reminder of the consequences of continued forest destruction - came at a time of intense public debate about how to reform forest management in Indonesia as a whole. From September 11th-13th, a high profile international meeting on illegal logging, organised by the World Bank, the UK and US aid agencies, was held in Bali.

DOWN TO EARTH 6 November 2001

As an international NGO which focuses on the social and human aspects of environmental issues in Indonesia, Down to Earth supports the call by Indonesian civil society groups that the CGI should adopt stronger measures to stop the destruction of Indonesia's forests and the livelihoods of the tens of millions of people who depend on them. Their demands include:

Down to Earth No 50 August 2001


Please note: this editorial was prepared before the change of president. To see our statement on this change please click here.

Indonesia today faces an uncertain future. President Wahid is expected to be forced out of power any day and, under a future President Megawati Soekarnoputri, democratic reform could be stopped in its tracks.

Down to Earth No 50 August 2001

Violations of community rights are still continuing as companies and regional governments try to maximise income from the country's mineral resources. At the same time, mining companies are complaining about the "legal vacuum" hampering their operations in Indonesia.

Large-scale mining in Indonesia is in 'legal limbo', as the protesting companies see it, because their contracts, signed during the Suharto era, are being nibbled away by the demands of local governments newly empowered by regional autonomy.

a report prepared for

Down To Earth

By M.Adriana Sri Adhiati

and Armin Bobsien (ed.)

July 2001