Deforestation inside the Sorong Global Lestari oil palm concession in Southwest Papua

As the gateway to Tanah Papua, Sorong Induk, which – following administrative division, now consists of Sorong, South Sorong, Raja Ampat, Maybrat  and Tambrauw regencies and Sorong City – has become a target for investment and infrastructure development. An absence of adequate safeguards has resulted in unrestrained deforestation in the region.

One example of such deforestation is inside the PT Sorong Global Lestari oil palm concession in Sorong Regency, as indicated through ground truthing by Auriga Nusantara in April 2026.

PT Sorong Global Lestari (SGL) may be a new name in Indonesia’s oil palm industry, but the same cannot be said for Ciliandry Anky Abadi (CAA), the business group under which it operates. Based on an admission by the company’s lawyer, as recorded by Pusaka, the area now managed by SGL was previously the licensed concession area of oil palm company PT Inti Kebun Lestari (IKL).

IKL’s Plantation Business License (IUP) was first issued in 2008 through IUP No. 525.2/1068/2008. Four years later, the Minister of Forestry released 14,377 hectares inside this company’s licensed concession area from the forest estate through Minister of Forestry Decree No. 262/Menhut-II/2012.

In 2021, following an evaluation by the West Papua Provincial Government in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Corruption Eradication Commission, the Sorong Regent revoked IKL’s license. The company subsequently filed a lawsuit appealing against the decision. On 12 January 2022, the Jayapura State Administrative Court rejected the lawsuit, but on 5 April 2022, the Makassar Administrative High Court ruled in favour of the appeal. On 19 August 2022, the Supreme Court annulled the high court ruling, thereby making the decision to revoke the license legally binding. 

Based on an admission relayed by the Head of the Sorong Regency Investment and One-Stop Integrated Services Office (DPMPTSP), as reported by Radar Sorong on 19 January 2024, the Sorong Regency DPMPTSP had issued a license to PT Sorong Global Lestari replacing the one granted to PT Izin Kebun Lestari. The licensed area of Inti Kebun Lestari covers an area of 14,300 hectares.

Massive deforestation has been ongoing inside SGL’s licensed concession area since 2025, with 2,677 hectares recorded that year.

The 1,056 hectares of deforestation recorded inside the Sorong Global Lestari oil palm concession during the first four months of 2026 indicates an ongoing upward trend.