In November 2018, Mongabay, in collaboration with The Gecko Project, Tempo, and Malaysiakini, published The secret deal to destroy paradise, the third installment in the Indonesia for Sale series. Based on 22 months of cross-border reporting, the investigation uncovered a secretive and convoluted scheme to acquire rights to 2,800 square kilometers of pristine rainforest in Papua, Indonesia, a forest larger than London, and one of the largest remaining tracts of primary rainforest in Asia.
At the heart of the investigation was the Tanah Merah project, a plan to create Indonesia’s single biggest palm oil plantation. The project threatened to destroy the intact rainforest that is home to rich biodiversity and Indigenous peoples, including the Auyu community.
An Auyu man named Charles and his family pass through the forest on the way to their farm in Boven DIgoel. Image by Nanang Sujana for The Gecko Project.
We are nonprofit.
Help us tell stories of biodiversity loss, climate change & socio-environmental injustice.
The story revealed how land rights were obtained through shell companies registered with fictitious shareholders, including janitors and market vendors, whose names were used without their knowledge. The permits were issued by a local official, Yusak Yaluwo, who was later convicted and imprisoned for embezzling public funds, though not for his role in the land deals.
Despite Indonesia’s 2015 moratorium on new palm oil permits, the companies behind the Tanah Merah project had already secured approvals. The companies and their true owners remained hidden behind layers of corporate secrecy, with ownership changing hands and millions of dollars flowing through offshore tax havens. The story uncovered links to politically connected actors, including a former Indonesian police chief, a Yemeni business family, and companies implicated in corruption scandals.
Impact
Following publication, Mongabay and its partners continued reporting on the project and its fallout, and government sources told Mongabay they put pressure on companies involved in it. In 2019, a follow-up report revealed that provincial officials alleged the permits had been falsified. Officials from the Indonesian Anti-Corruption Commission (KPK) said the allegations of illegality raised in the report merited investigation. As a direct result of follow-up inquiries, auditors revoked the timber legality permits of a sawmill in Tanah Merah.
However, in 2021 forest clearing resumed under a politically connected Indonesian family backed by a New Zealand investor, which were not linked to the original permits. In early 2022, Indonesia’s forest and environment minister announced the cancellation of 192 forest release permits, including the ones enabling Tanah Merah. With this decision, though forest loss in the area had already begun, the cancellation effectively halted the Tanah Merah megaproject at the time.
By revealing the questionable political and business interests behind the project as well as documenting its environmental and human costs, Mongabay’s reporting spurred official scrutiny, led to legal and regulatory action, and showcased the vital role of collaborative investigative journalism to protect critical ecosystems and support transparency and accountability.
Support independent environmental journalism
If you are interested in helping shed light on conservation issues such as this, there are two excellent ways you can do so with Mongabay. First, consider making a donation, which directly helps us continue to produce high-impact journalism from nature’s frontline. Second, subscribe to Mongabay’s newsletter to get the latest environmental news delivered right to your inbox, and share whatever articles move you with friends and family.
About Mongabay
Mongabay is a nonprofit environmental science and conservation news platform focused on providing original, reliable, and independent journalism from nature’s frontline. We pride ourselves on producing reporting that has substantial and tangible impacts around the world.
Banner image: The rainforest of Boven Digoel. Image by Nanang Sujana for The Gecko Project.
Stay updated
Delivering news and inspiration from nature’s frontline.
