Grants in Asia

|

Yayasan Ekosistem Lestari (YEL)

$20,000 to support long-term conservation of the Rawa Singkil Wildlife Reserve in the Leuser Ecosystem of Sumatra, Indonesia, and its critically important orangutan population through preparing a comprehensive database of orangutan habitat, distribution, density, abundance, and habitat threats and developing and operationalizing the data to establish 2 new monitoring stations in strategic locations that will serve as bases for ongoing research and regular patrol teams. Once the monitoring stations are established, they will be staffed by small teams and will serve both as a deterrent to illegal activities and facilitate increased engagement with local communities, government agencies, and local civil society organizations working to protect and restore these peatlands.

|

Yayasan PUSAKA

$5,000 to support Papua-based organizations planning and hosting side events for the Indigenous Peoples’ Alliance of the Archipelago (AMAN) Congress, which happens every 5 years and was held in 2022 in Papua, Indonesia. Activities included a workshop for the broader AMAN network focusing on the particular circumstances the Indigenous land rights movement is facing in Papua, and a series of additional panels, workshops, and events throughout the week held in a special exhibition space organized by the Papuan partners to highlight specific land rights struggles, storytelling and documentary initiatives, successful campaign strategies and sustainable alternative economic models, and Indigenous women’s leadership, among many other topics.
|

Lembaga Pemberdayaan Ekonomi dan Sosial Masyarakat Riau (LPESM Riau)

$10,000 to support a weeklong delegation of Indigenous and traditional community representatives from Sumatra, Kalimantan, and Papua, Indonesia, along with NGO partners supporting their land rights cases, to participate and intervene in the Forest Stewardship Council General Assembly regarding the FSC certification system’s current impact on communities in Indonesia. Through participation in the 10-person delegation, community representatives have an opportunity to directly communicate with the FSC Board regarding updates to their land rights cases and to request responses on the status of their complaints and pressure for expedited resolution processes.

|

Rumoh Transparansi

$5,000 to support submitting results from a participatory mapping process for Bunin Village to keep protected from a palm oil plantation nearly 7,000 acres of community-held lands and lowland rainforest in an area known as an important habitat for critically endangered Sumatran elephants in the Leuser Ecosystem in Sumatra, Indonesia.

|

Wahana Lingkungan Hidup Indonesia Daerah Jambi (WALHI Jambi)

$7,000 to support the ongoing conflict resolution process for Lubuk Mandarsah Village, located in Jambi province on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia, which has lost 3,700 acres of previously community-managed lands to an Asia Pulp & Paper owned plantation that has also cleared natural forest and peatlands. WALHI Jambi and partner organizations are working to directly pressure APP and parent company Sinar Mas Group regarding strengthening protocols related to Free, Prior and Informed Consent and the High Carbon Stock Approach’s Social Requirements.

| |

Students for a Free Tibet

$7,500 to support the Tibet Climate Crisis campaign, including a conference and week-long direct action camp in India, as well as SFT bringing a delegation of Tibetan youth to the COP27 climate negotiations in Egypt. These activities are preparing young people to take action, offering training for trainer tracks for Tibetan youth to become direct action trainers themselves, creating healing spaces, and building community with organizers from other social justice movements and Indigenous water protectors from around the world.

|

Kelompok Studi dan Pengembangan Prakarsa Masyarakat (KSPPM)

$11,000 to support work with 23 Indigenous Tano Batak communities in the Lake Toba region in Northern Sumatra, Indonesia, impacted by Toba Pulp Lestari – a notorious company which stole their land. The communities are being supported with mobilizations, networking and advocacy work, field visits, documentation, and facilitated communications and processes with government agencies, as part of a multi-year effort to secure land rights to more than 50,000 acres for Tano Batak communities.

|

Kelompok Studi dan Pengembangan Prakarsa Masyarakat (KSPPM)

$2,500 to support a delegation of 40 Indigenous Tano Batak community members from the Lake Toba region in Northern Sumatra, Indonesia, to Jakarta to carry out sustained mobilizations to directly pressure government officials as part of their ongoing efforts to secure land rights after decades of being impacted by Toba Pulp Lestari – a notorious company which stole their land.

|

Kelompok Studi dan Pengembangan Prakarsa Masyarakat (KSPPM)

$10,000 to support work with 6 Indigenous Tano Bata communities in the Lake Toba region in Northern Sumatra, Indonesia, impacted by Toba Pulp Lestari – a notorious company which stole their land. The communities, including the Pargamanan Bintang Maria-Parlilitan community, are being supported with documentation, including mapping and aerial photos of forest cover in their customary areas, as well as through networking and advocacy work as part of a multi-year effort to secure land rights to more than 50,000 acres for Batak Toba communities.

|

Kelompok Studi dan Pengembangan Prakarsa Masyarakat (KSPPM)

$5,000 to support work with Indigenous Tano Batak families in the Lake Toba region in Northern Sumatra, Indonesia, impacted by Toba Pulp Lestari, a US$600 million pulp company, through local organizing and facilitated discussions to raise awareness regarding collective community rights to customary forests as well as using drones to have complete documentation, videos and aerial photographs of forest cover and land use for participatory mapping of customary areas.