News of Note 3/28/25: Forced Evictions from Indonesian Development, Sovereignty Concerns at Line 5 Talks, ‘Green Grabs’ in India
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Indigenous communities in Indonesia demand halt to land-grabbing government projects (Mongabay)
More than 250 members of Indigenous and local communities gathered in Indonesia’s Merauke district to demand an end to government-backed projects of strategic national importance, or PSN, which they say have displaced them, fueled violence, and stripped them of their rights. PSN projects, including food estates, plantations and industrial developments, have triggered land conflicts affecting 103,000 families and 1 million hectares (2.5 million acres) of land, with Indigenous communities reporting forced evictions, violence and deforestation, particularly in the Papua region. In Merauke itself, the government plans to clear 3 million hectares (7.4 million acres) for rice and sugarcane plantations, despite Indigenous protests; some community members, like Vincen Kwipalo, face threats and violence for refusing to sell their ancestral land, as clan divisions deepen.
Tribes Blow Whistle on Line 5 Tunnel Federal Fast-Tracking (Earthjustice)
“Six Michigan Tribes withdrew from Line 5 federal discussions after learning that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will likely fast-track its approval for Enbridge’s massive oil tunnel project, in accordance with President Trump’s Executive Order declaring an ‘energy emergency.’ [...] ‘We participated in the process, we followed the rules, we provided the case law, we submitted the evidence, and we trusted that our voices and our treaty rights would be respected. Yet, once again, the federal government has cast us aside and failed us,’ said Bay Mills Indian Community President Whitney Gravelle. ‘Instead of protecting our waters, lands, and sacred sites, the government is forcing this dangerous project forward, ignoring the harm it will bring to the Tribal Nations and the people of Michigan. We will not stand by while our sovereignty is disregarded for the sake of foreign profits. Michigan’s leaders must act now to defend our shared waters before it’s too late.’”
Is ADB-funded Assam solar park ‘green grabbing’ indigenous land? (Down to Earth)
“Assam government’s plans to divert 18,000 bighas (2,396.5 ha) of tribal land to a solar power project supported by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). [...] In July 2024, the ADB prepared a rehabilitation and resettlement plan which states that over 2,396.5 hectares or around 18,000 bighas will be used to generate 1000 MW of electricity which has been valued at $672.68 million or Rs 4,000 crores under the Assam government’s flagship scheme, Mukhya Mantri Sauro Shakti Prokolpo (Chief Minister’s Solar Power Project).”
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Willfully violating Tribal easements should impact the bottom line (Native American Rights Fund)
SEC clears investor nuns to file Indigenous rights resolution against Citigroup (Religious News Service)
‘Justice has prevailed’: Seminole Tribe wins $832M verdict against Wells Fargo Bank (ICT News)
The Gran Chaco: Pathways Towards a Sustainable Future (World Economic Forum)
Indigenous lands to be put on the map in Australia (Australian Associated Press)
Addressing Cultural Appropriation and Repairing Harm (Stanford Social Innovation Review)
As federal environmental priorities shift, sovereign Native American nations have their own plans (The Conversation)