The Gecko Project

The Gecko Project in collaboration with Bloomberg shed light on Royal Golden Eagle (RGE), one of the world’s largest pulp and paper producers, which committed to protecting rainforests but is allegedly evading its sustainability promises. These investigations suggest that the Tanoto family, owners of RGE, are using “shadow companies” to bypass their sustainability goals, and a connection to a network of secretive companies clearing orangutan habitats in Borneo. Key Findings: Royal Golden Eagle (RGE), despite their pledges, is allegedly linked to rainforest destruction in Borneo. Shadow Companies: Evidence suggests that the Tanoto family operates hidden firms to clear land while appearing to maintain sustainability. Environmental Monitoring: Industrial Forest Plantation (IFP) has consistently topped Indonesia's deforestation charts over the last five years. Since 2019, IFP has cleared forest equivalent to one-third the size of New York City, according to satellite analysis by The TreeMap. The Importance of Environmental Monitoring: Advanced satellite imagery and data from platforms like TheTreeMap play a crucial role in identifying illegal deforestation activities. Such tools help track forest loss in real-time, providing transparent, evidence-based information that holds corporations accountable for their environmental impact. Sources: The Gecko Project - https://lnkd.in/e-_E6Hav Bloomberg - https://lnkd.in/eGsJ7JJ9 #Deforestation #Sustainability #CorporateAccountability #Greenwashing #EnvironmentalImpact

Investigation by The Gecko Project finds evidence suggesting that “sustainable” conglomerate Royal Golden Eagle has controlled a string of companies destroying rainforests in Indonesia *** For years, subsidiaries of Borneo Hijau Lestari (BHL) have ranked among Indonesia’s top deforesters for pulp and paper. But the identity of BHL’s owners has remained a mystery, hidden behind companies registered in Samoa and the British Virgin Islands. In our latest investigation, published in collaboration with Bloomberg News, The Gecko Project interviewed former employees of BHL, who said it was common knowledge internally that the BHL companies were part of Royal Golden Eagle (RGE). RGE describes itself as an industry leader in sustainability, and has made a high-profile commitment to eliminate deforestation from its supply chain. But multiple BHL employees told us they prepared for visits by RGE’s managing director Anderson Tanoto to oversee their plantations, during a period in which BHL companies were cutting down large areas of rainforest. RGE denies that BHL or any of its subsidiaries are owned by, or under the control of, RGE or its shareholders. RGE said that it upholds sustainability commitments, particularly its “no deforestation” pledge, across all companies in its group. It said that independent audits showed there had been no deforestation anywhere in the supply chain of RGE group member APRIL since 2015, and highlighted that APRIL currently manages 360,000 hectares of conservation forest across Indonesia. RGE declined to comment on the accounts of the former employees, on the grounds that “it would clearly be inappropriate for us to comment on allegations about the plantation activities or actions of other companies we have no ownership or control over or business association with.” Last year, The Gecko Project released an investigation that found another major plantation company - First Resources - appeared to have controlled a network of companies destroying rainforest in Borneo. In that case it was to produce palm oil. And like RGE, First Resources has a very clear “zero deforestation” policy. In recent years, some of the “shadow companies” allegedly linked to RGE and First Resources have been responsible for the most deforestation in Indonesia for two different commodities: palm oil and timber. Taken together, the two investigations make a compelling case that anonymously owned companies and secrecy jurisdictions are being used to circumvent sustainability policies at a scale that is devastating rainforests in Indonesia. In response to the findings, nonprofits have called for major brands and sustainability certification bodies to investigate allegations that RGE is linked to “shadow companies”. Read the full investigation: https://lnkd.in/e-_E6Hav

**New investigation probes the business interests of Indonesia’s new president** Prabowo Subianto claims to be a successful businessman who’s worth over $130 million and controls almost half a million hectares of land. But how accurate is this picture? In our latest investigation, produced in partnership with the Pulitzer Center’s Rainforest Investigations Network, we took a closer look. Our research began because we suspected that Prabowo’s companies might be having a significant impact on forests, climate and indigenous people. They were apparently operating in the coal, forestry and plantation sectors, after all. We started to dig into these companies using public reports, corporate profiles, government permit records, satellite imagery, interviews with former employees, and visits to his forestry and coal concessions. And the picture we found was a little more complicated than some accounts of his business empire would suggest. Many of the companies in which Prabowo owns shares appear to be inactive. Other businesses with which he has been publicly associated are owned by other people. One company linked to Prabowo - a timber firm that presides over a vast land bank in Borneo - is not owned on paper by him, but by a coterie of close political allies. What does this all mean? Well, Prabowo enters office with private interests in coal and timber — two sectors that play an outsized role in Indonesia’s contribution to climate change. The lack of transparency over the ownership of some of these companies — and their connection (if any) to Prabowo — generates the potential for unseen conflicts of interest. According to Indonesian activists we spoke to, Prabowo shouldn’t be in this position. The inactive mining concessions should have been revoked, they argue. There’s also a “beneficial ownership” regulation that should impose greater transparency over the ownership of companies. But, as one activist told us, the system relies on submissions from companies that are not verified. Other sources we spoke to called for Prabowo and other members of Indonesia’s incoming government to publicly declare their business interests, to allow the public to determine whether decisions are being made in the public interest. Read the full investigation: https://lnkd.in/eJ_vWCSt

In July, Arbaini was stabbed to death. He'd been a leading figure in a movement against a coal mine in Borneo. Police said his activism had nothing to do with his death. But across Indonesia, threats to environmental defenders like him are growing. One expert told us that conflicts over land—and attacks on environmental defenders—are likely to increase further as the Indonesian government and companies push for more investment in mining and agriculture. NGOs say that the police and courts aren't doing enough to protect environmental activists. Global Witness https://lnkd.in/e8tZiHUa

In 2017-18, 75 people died in a major health crisis in the Asmat region of Papua, Indonesia. In collaboration with BBC Indonesia, we investigated how malnutrition is still affecting Asmat - and what has been done to tackle the problem. Five years on, the BBC's on-the-ground reporting found that many of the problems that caused the crisis persist today. According to Ministry of Health data, as of 2022 the prevalence of stunted toddlers in Asmat was the highest in Papua. President Joko Widodo said the 2021 national games, held in Papua, would be a platform for "equality and justice". But The Gecko Project uncovered allegations that a government anti-malnutrition programme was cancelled because its budget had been redirected to the games. At the launch of the programme, known as Bangga Papua, Asmat's district head said he hoped it would help reduce poverty. But a local government official admitted to?BBC Indonesia that funding for the programme was diverted to spend on infrastructure for the event. A consultant on the programme, which is known as Bangga Papua, described the decision as "hasty". He, along with a nutrition expert and a government official, said that they regretted the decision to cancel Bangga Papua. There are no plans to revive it. For more, read BBC Indonesia's in-depth, four-part report (https://lnkd.in/eBYNDkXV) and watch their full-length documentary (https://lnkd.in/egybZzNP)

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“Any responsible company that is serious about supplying deforestation-free palm oil should immediately suspend First Resources, regardless of how long the RSPO dithers in addressing the complaint” said Amanda Hurowitz, senior director for Asia at the nonprofit Mighty Earth, which has been monitoring deforestation since 2016. "Failure to act is inexcusable.” ???? Bravo The Gecko Project

Eight companies in the US and Europe have suspended the palm oil producer First Resources from their supply chains following an investigation by The Gecko Project. The investigation found evidence suggesting that First Resources, which brands itself as sustainable, has secretly controlled a network of "shadow" companies that have destroyed thousands of hectares of Indonesian rainforest. “It is critical that we see immediate action in cases where shadow companies are involved in deforestation, so the investigation is setting an important precedent for the palm oil sector,” said Gemma Tillack, forest policy director at Rainforest Action Network. The investigation was part of a collaboration with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and media across Europe and Asia. Other consumer goods companies said that First Resources only supplied them indirectly, and that they were "engaging" their direct suppliers and waiting for the results of an investigation by the RSPO, a certification body. Meanwhile, according to experts, forthcoming legislation - including the #csddd - may soon require companies to take a more active role in investigating allegations of deforestation committed by their indirect suppliers. Read more, with comments from Annabell Brüggemann of European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights e.V. (ECCHR), Amandine Van Den Berghe of ClientEarth, Mathieu Vervynckt of Swedwatch and Amanda Hurowitz of Mighty Earth, among others.