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View all search resultsForest under threat as corporations, military gain power under Prabowo
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This aerial photo taken on April 14, 2025 shows a general view of a transport road of a nickel mining site, constructed after forests were cleared, next to a river residents say has been contaminated by mining operations in Central Halmahera, North Maluku. The home of the Hongana Manyawa indigenous tribe in central Halmahera was once a breathtaking kaleidoscope of nature that provided sanctuary and sustenance. But it is being eaten away by one of the world's largest nickel mining projects, as Indonesia exploits vast reserves of the metal used in everything from electric vehicles to stainless steel. (AFP/Yasuyoshi Chiba)
O
ne year into President Prabowo Subianto’s administration, environmental watchdogs warn of a deepening ecological crisis fueled by elite business interests and an expanding military role in natural resource management.
They argue that policies increasingly favor corporate and political elites, while military involvement in forest governance has legitimized repression of local and Indigenous communities defending their land.
The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (WALHI) noted that Indonesia’s ecological degradation stems not just from natural causes but also from entrenched “oligarchic control”, in which a handful of business groups dominate mining and plantation concessions, and “militaristic practices” that grant the Indonesian Military (TNI) sweeping authority over environmental enforcement.
Corporations now control roughly 10 million hectares of mining land, with nearly half held by just 55 business groups. This concentration of control intensified following the revision of the 2009 Mining Law, which allows the government to issue mining permits to mass organizations and cooperatives, entities WALHI says often disregard ecological justice and communities’ right to land.
WALHI also warned that the amended TNI Law, which expands the military’s civilian roles, has legitimized coercive measures in forest and land management.
Read also: In first year, Prabowo tightens grip, redraws political map
Earlier this year, Prabowo issued Presidential Regulation No. 5/2025 on Forest Area Management, creating a new task force headed by the defense minister, the TNI commander and the attorney general. Critics caution that the move further militarizes environmental governance and risks repressing communities defending their land.
