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Amicus Curiae: National Strategic Projects as Part of the State’s Failure to Protect Remaining Natural Forests and Fulfill Indonesia’s Climate Commitments
National Strategic Projects (PSN) are granted legal privileges that allow them to bypass forest protection and spatial planning procedures, resulting in large-scale deforestation. For instance, approximately 800 hectares of forest have been lost on Obi Island and 4,545.33 hectares in the Merauke Food Estate, with projects even threatening land clearing in Protected Forest Areas.
The regulatory leniencies afforded to PSN have triggered serious environmental damage, including pollution and ecological degradation in Hakatutobu Village due to nickel mining activities. The implementation of these projects has also been shown to violate environmental legal procedures, including the neglect of public participation rights and the Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) process mandated by law.
PSN pose a direct threat to Indonesia’s climate commitments under its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and the FOLU Net Sink 2030 target by driving deforestation and increasing emissions. The Merauke Food Estate alone, for example, is projected to add 782.45 million tons of CO₂ emissions, while PSN are also granted exemptions for the construction of new coal-fired power plants.
