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Forty million people live in and near Indonesia’s carbon-rich forests and peatlands, and while their lives are tied to the land, they often have little say in what happens to it. In Teluk Kabung, Riau province, decisions made in the capital Jakarta have helped wipe out the natural forest surrounding the village, destroying its coconut-based economy, and pushing the endangered Sumatran tiger closer to people.
The plantations spreading over Sumatra aren’t spreading onto empty land; poor rural villages often get swept up in big decisions made in Jakarta for Indonesia’s forests. Mitra Taj reports from Teluk Kabung, where the arrival of the pulpwood industry has devastated the cash crop of coconuts and left villagers with little hope for the future.