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Indonesia’s move to legalise illicit palm plantations in forest zones sparks controversy
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Companies operate 10.4 million hectares of Indonesia’s plantations, and the rest are run by smallholders.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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JAKARTA - As oil palm plantation operators begin to “self-report” the licences they have this week, Indonesia’s move to legitimise plantations in areas zoned as forest land has received fresh rounds of criticism for being overly lenient and undermining efforts to curb deforestation.
A 2021 government audit found that a fifth of the 16.8 million hectares of oil palm plantations in the vast archipelago – about 3.3 million hectares – are in forest areas.
