Leaked data received by Tempo revealed at least 152 companies that have applied for new forestry concessions. The companies are targeting 4.82 million hectares of Indonesian forest area, equivalent to more than a third of Java Island. The permit queue is spread across 26 provinces, from Aceh to South Papua.
Through a secretive process, the government began approving a backlog of permit applications. Most of the companies intended to organize carbon offsets. Both applicants and new permit holders were affiliated with tycoons, business giants who control land for timber plantations, palm oil, and mining industries.
Tempo traced the company's deed documents and analyzed the shapefile map of the area proposed by the permit applicant.
This project also highlights the government's plan to roll out the first carbon market in the forestry and other land use (FOLU) sector, which is also crowded with conglomerate companies. Who are they? Who will be threatened?
Image caption: The village affected by a new forestry concession in Madara Village, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, on May 8, 2025. Image by Tony Hartawan/Tempo.
