For decades, the Pargamanan-Bintang Maria Batak Peoples in Humbang Hasundutan have lived side by side with the forest. Forests are a source of water, livelihoods, sources of medicinal plants and benzoin forests.But everything changed, when PT. TPL started to plant industrial pulp on the community’s land. Now the ecosystem is damaged, floods have come and the Batak people have lost their land. In fact, for the Batak people, land is an identity. And President Joko Widodo himself said that the involvement of indigenous peoples is important in overcoming climate change in his speech at COP21 Paris. That’s why Rajes Sitanggang and the Indigenous Peoples of Pargamanan-Bintang Maria made a petition to the Minister of KLHK Siti Nurbaya Bakar to recognize the Pargamanan-Bintang Maria forest as customary forest, so that forest areas can be returned to indigenous peoples.You can help support it by signing the petition at change.org/selamatkanhutanpargamanan
#SelamatkanHutanPargamanan
#SaveTombakHaminjon
#SaveBenzoinForests
#SaveHutanKemenyan
#SaveTanoBatak
