Posted on July, 22 2011

On 6 July 2011, Ben Knapen, Minister for Development Cooperation in the Netherlands, visited West Kalimantan to meet with local NGOs, and learn about the challenges and opportunities for environmental management, sustainable production and trade. WWF hosted a public discussion in its West Kalimantan office, between civil society groups and the Minister.

The NGOs conveyed a joint statement during the meeting. Considerable pressures on the remaining forests and community lands in West Kalimantan were higlighted, where large scale plantations are occupying over 40 percent of the land area in the province, mostly for  oil palm and tree plantations. The NGOs called upon the Dutch government, industry and financial sector to stop investing in the further expansion of plantations and to help sort out land conflicts on existing estates.

The visit was not just loaded with pleas for help. In an open letter to the Minister, the NGOs shared their successes, including:

•    the development of marketing approaches for certified forest honey produced by local communities in Kapuas Hulu District in the Heart of Borneo,
•    the World Bank review on oil palm investments, triggered by land conflicts in Sambas District, and
•    the network of Credit Unions, which unites over 430,000 people throughout Kalimantan.

Knapen thanked the NGOs for their input. With regards to its bilateral cooperation with Indonesia, the Dutch government stated they will continue to facilitate necessary processes such as capacity building in law and policy to address NGO concerns.

As part of his trip, the Minister took a tour by plane over the areas concerned. What he saw confirmed what the NGOs had stated – deforestation and burning,oil palm plantations,  new infrastructure including roads, factories and mining operations were apparent. The challenges to sustainability are many-fold in West Kalimantan.

Knapen suggested that Indonesia continues to switch over to sustainable production practices. Sustainable forestry is a good way to finance the Indonesian economy, helping both forests and people. This is supported by the blocking of imports of non-sustainable oil palm and timber products by European entities. WWF took the opportunity to explain the work in the Heart of Borneo, including the Green Business Network, to the Minister.

Knapen visited Indonesia from 4-7 July 2011 in an effort to discuss bilateral partnerships in the development sector, in line with current Dutch government policies.