GPS: 2°51’22.3″N, 97°53’52.2″E – Rogue palm oil producer PT. Indo Sawit Perkasa has been found actively clearing lowland rainforests in Singkil-Bengkung. This destruction was uncovered by a new Rainforest Action Network field investigation and is in violation of Indonesia’s moratorium on palm oil expansion and the policies of major palm oil buyers and brands. Singkil-Bengkung covers nearly 285,946 hectares in the southwest corner of the Leuser Ecosystem, straddling the districts of Aceh Selatan and Aceh Singkil. It is comprised of the critically important Singkil and Kluet peatlands and connecting lowland rainforests.
Wilmar, Musim Mas and Golden Agri-Resources must immediately investigate this breach of their no deforestation policies and the government’s moratorium on land clearing for new palm oil development. As a matter of urgency, each company must issue a No Buy policy to all supplying mills to ensure palm oil produced by PT. Indo Sawit Perkasa is not entering their supply chains and products being sold to consumers across the globe.
RAN’s last report on the Leuser Ecosystem profiled PT. Samudera Sawit Nabati, PT. Ensem Lestari, PT. Nafasindo, PT. Global Sawit Semesta, PT. Bangun Sempurna Lestari and PT. Perkebunan Lembah Bakti (a subsidiary of PT. Astra Agro Lestari owned by Jardine Matheson Holdings Ltd) as high risk palm oil mills that may be driving the destruction of the Singkil-Bengkung forests and peatlands.
You can help end this destruction by calling on major brands like PepsiCo to take action today.
Satellite image from February 2017 shows recent land clearing inside PT. ISP concession (the palm oil concession boundaries are shown in black).
