From an oped piece titled Annual floods.

Adi Ahdiat, Jakarta – The Mining Advocacy Network (Jatam) says that there are some 94 open pits on former mining sites which have yet to be restored or rehabilitated in East Kalimantan – the area earmarked for the construction of the country’s new capital city.

Adi Ahdiat, Jakarta – According to a report by the Mining Advocacy Network (Jatam), regions which have a large number of mining concessions were hit by some of the worst flooding in 2019.

Jakarta – Scores of students from the University and High-School Student Action Alliance (Ampera) arrived at the Arjuna Wiwaha Monument or Horse Statue in Central Jakarta on the afternoon of October 28 to hold a protest action.

Jakarta – The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) says that the state has set a bad example which has encouraged companies to set fire to forests and land.

Andhika Prasetia, Pekanbaru -- A state of emergency has been declared in Riau province due to the haze from forest and land fires (karhutla). Hoping for rain to get rid of the haze, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has held a salat istisqa -- a prayer for rain from Allah during drought.

Jakarta – The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) says that the deployment of the TNI (Indonesian military) and Polri (Indonesian police) personnel to help extinguish forest and land fires (Karhutla) fails to address the root cause of the problem.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) says that eighty percent of the land destroyed by forest fires in Indonesia this year will be converted into plantations, pointing the blame for the fires at unsustainable practices in the country’s agriculture industry.

Jakarta – The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) says that 2,087 out of 4,258 hotspots recroded between January and July were located on concession land. Concession land is land for which the government has given land use rights or permits to companies or other agencies.

Danu Damarjati, Jakarta – TNI (Indonesian military) commander Air Martial Hadi Tjahjanto conveyed his hope for closer military ties with Australia at the annual 2019 Australia-Indonesia High Level Committee (Ausindo HLC) forum in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta.

Jakarta – The Jakarta provincial government plans to plant and establish mother-in-law tongue (lidah mertua) gardens at the mayor’s office and local administrative offices to reduce pollution in Jakarta.

Siti Sadida Hafsyah, Jakarta – Indonesian Institute of Science (LIPI) researcher Cahyo Pamungkas says that the Trans Papua Highway has yet to bring any benefits to the Papuan people.

Rustam Agus, Palu (Bisnis) – The Central Sulawesi branch of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) has declared that pushing for the formation of an alternative political party, namely the Indonesia Green Party, is a move that arose out of an idea and an effort to maximise the protection of the environment and the country’s natural res

Jakarta – The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) plans to form a political party, the Indonesian Green Party, and make the issue of the environment its main political agenda.

Jakarta – The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) says that the narrative of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s Vision Indonesia speech in which he sated he would pursue those obstructing investment in Indonesia has the potential to increase the number of people being criminalised for fighting to protect the environment.

Surabaya – Two school girls from East Java, Aeshnina Azzahra alias Nina (12) and Zahira Zade (11), have sent hand-written protest letters to US President Donald Trump. The letters were sent through the US Consulate General in the East Java provincial capital of Surabaya.

Surabaya – A group of people from the Brantas River Coalition to Stop Imported Plastic Trash (Bracsip) held a protest action not far from the US Consulate General in Citra Raya Niaga, Surabaya, on Friday July 12.

They were protesting imported plastic waste which is alleged to have been illegally smuggled into Indonesia from the US.

Adi Ahdiat, Jakarta – Indonesia has tens of thousands of hectares conservation areas, both maritime as well as land. But the government’s budget for conservation and bio-diversity is limited.

The government must review regional regulations on zonal planning for coastal areas and small islands in various parts of the country which have resulted in the forced eviction of local communities.

These regional regulations have detached fisherpeople, salt farmers and other community groups from their source of livelihood.

Jakarta – The Save Jakarta Bay Coalition, which was established by activists, students and fisherpeople, held an action in front of the Jakarta City Hall on Monday June 24 opposing the issuance of building permits (IMB) for land on reclamation project islets in North Jakarta.