A study on the right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent in PT REA Kaltim Plantations, East Kalimantan

Sophie Chao, Emil Kleden, Agustinus Karlo Lumban Raja, Isal Wardhana and Intan Cinditiara

22 November, 2012

Pre-Publication Text for Public Release November 2012


The province of East Kalimantan is the second largest Indonesian province and is located on the east of Borneo island. It is composed of four administrative cities, nine districts (kapubaten), 1,347 villages (kampong) and 122 sub-districts (kecamatan). In 2005, the population of East Kalimantan was 2.8 million with a population density of 11.22 per square kilometre, relatively evenly distributed between coastal areas and the interior. Six ecosystems are to be found in the region: karst landscapes, peat marsh, mangrove, natural re-growth forest (hutan kerangas), flatland dipterocarp forest and humid forest. 162 rivers run through the province, covering an area of 241,000 square kilometres and a distance of 12,060 kilometres, interlinking the seventeen lakes in the province and taking source in the mountainous ranges at the borders of Kalimantan, Sarawak and Sabah. The province of East Kalimantan is also home to a remarkable wealth of biodiversity, with over 3,000 types of trees, 1,000 types of fern, 133 mammal species and eleven primate species identified. 60% of Kalimantan’s mammals are found in East Kalimantan.



East Kalimantan has, and continues to attract significant domestic and national investment due to the lucrative potential of its natural resources. In the forestry sector, 8.1 million hectares of forest have been acquired by timber companies (93 HPH and 25 HTI). In the mining sector, over 67 coal mining agreements (PKP2B) have been signed and just under 500 mining issues have been issued across the province to various companies, covering a total area of 3.08 million hectares. In Kutai Kartanegara district alone (where PT REA Kaltim Plantations is located), oil, natural gas and coal mining represent over 77% of the local economy, with a foreign investment total of over $68,000,000 in 2010.

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Source : WALHI Kaltim  forest peoples

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