New report damns South Korean company for deforesting Indonesia to make way for palm oil

In Indonesia, a report commissioned by Mighty, the Korea Federation for Environmental Movements, SKP-KAMe Merauke and PUSAKA, Rainforest Foundation Norway and Transport & Environment, undertaken by Aidenvironment, reveals new satellite, photographic, and video evidence of massive deforestation and illegal burning of pristine rainforest by the Korean-Indonesian corporation Korindo, to support establishment of its palm oil plantations on the Indonesian provinces of Papua and North Maluku.

The investigation is being released just as the fires from deforestation have sent haze back into Southeast Asia’s air. While the report focuses on Korindo’s palm oil business, its sizeable timber operations are having a similar impact, including on the habitat rare tree kangaroos and birds of paradise endemic to Papua.