Indonesia’s Constitutional Court has invalidated the Indonesian government’s claim to millions of hectares of forest land, potentially giving indigenous and local communities the right to manage their customary forests. While the decision – if properly implemented – will primarily affect the country’s massive logging and plantation schemes, it could also have a major impact on mining projects.
Among the London-listed mining companies operating in Indonesia are BHP Billiton, Bumi and Churchill. Rio Tinto also profits from Freeport’s operations in Indonesian-occupied West Papua.
See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=12325&l=1.