A partnership between Golden Agri Resources (GAR) (through Golden Veroleum, a subsidiary of the New York-based Verdant Fund LP) and the Government of Liberia was announced in August 2010. The concession is located in Sinoe County and is for 220,000 ha, with an additional 40,000 ha for small holder (out-grower) plantations. GAR is the world’s second-largest palm-oil plantation company, with a total planted area of 464,600 ha in Indonesia. The terms of the contract, which are valid for 65 years (with an option to extend an additional 33) are for palm oil plantations, out-grower schemes, and the construction of a new port, but is written in such a way that do not provide for the protection of human rights or adherence to RSPO commitments. In October 2012 Green Advocates, an NGO, filed a case against the company for non-compliance with the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) for a variety of grievances on behalf of communities in Sinoe County (including polluting water, bulldozing ancestral graves, and forced relocation). According to the Forest People’s Programme they have gathered evidence on places where crops were destroyed, shrines were desecrated, villages uprooted and burial grounds and graves sites destroyed, as well as several sites where wetlands including rivers, marshlands, swamps, streams and creeks have been dammed or diverted and polluted. The Forest Trust (TFT) conducted an assessment in January of 2013, found merit in the complaints, and halted development activity until terms that were agreed upon by the company, the auditor (TFT), and NGOs involved had reached certain benchmarks. |
Expansion of large Palm Oil Plantations in south-eastern Liberian rainforest at the expense of livelihood, sacred sites of local communities, without their previous consent.
| Name of conflict: | Golden Agri Resources/Golden Veroleum Palm Oil Plantations, Sinoe, Liberia |
| Country: | Liberia |
| State or province: | Sinoe, Grand Kru, Maryland Counties |
| Location of conflict: | Plusunnie, Pynes Town, Kilo Town, Dejila, Solo Village, Bukrah, Saklaboh, Bloh,Pluoh,Farley town, Soweh, Jaryenneh, Tuoh, Teah Town, Klay Tow,Butaw Compound, Otis Village |
| Accuracy of location | MEDIUM (Regional level) |
| Project details | The company Golden Veroleum (GVL) advertises it will produce over 1 million tons of palm oil, directly employ 40,000 people, and develop infrastructure. 220,000 ha are leased to GVL, plus an additional 40,000 ha for out-growers to cultivate oil palm, but as of April 2013 only 6,000 ha were planted. The surrounding 100 ha around the port is also the property of GVL. 5% by volume was to be sold domestically at local market rates – therefore allowing 95% of the product to be exported. |
| Project area: | 220,000 |
| Level of Investment for the conflictive project | could reach 1,600,000,000 |
| Type of population | Rural |
| Start of the conflict: | 16/08/2010 |
| Company names or state enterprises: | Golden Agri Resources (GAR) from Singapore - through Golden Veroleum, a subsidiary of the New York-based Verdant Fund LP Golden Veroleum Inc from Liberia Verdant Fund LP |
| Relevant government actors: | Government of Liberia, Minister of Agriculture, Minister of Finance, Chairman of the National Investment Commission |
| International and Finance Institutions | The Forest Trust (TFT) |
| Environmental justice organizations (and other supporters) and their websites, if available: | The Forest Trust, http://www.tft-forests.org/, Green Advocates, http://www.greenadvocates.org/, Forest People Programme, http://www.forestpeoples.org/ Global Witness, Global Forest Watch, Sustainable Development Institute, Rainforest Rescue |
| Intensity | MEDIUM (street protests, visible mobilization) |
| Reaction stage | In REACTION to the implementation (during construction or operation) |
| Groups mobilizing: | Farmers Indigenous groups or traditional communities International ejos Local ejos Neighbours/citizens/communities |
| Forms of mobilization: | Creation of alternative reports/knowledge Development of alternative proposals Involvement of national and international NGOs Media based activism/alternative media Official complaint letters and petitions Appeals/recourse to economic valuation of the environment Economic valuation: "in 2015 Global Witness commissioned a study to provide the Government of Liberia and affected communities much-needed data about who might win and who might lose as a result of a plantation. This study was undertaken by Sync Consult Limited, a Ghanaian economic consultancy, and focused on the Golden Veroleum Liberia (GVL) oil palm plantation in South-East Liberia".[1] |
| Environmental Impacts | Visible: Biodiversity loss (wildlife, agro-diversity), Food insecurity (crop damage), Deforestation and loss of vegetation cover |
| Socio-economical Impacts | Visible: Displacement, Loss of livelihood, Violations of human rights, Land dispossession, Other socio-economic impacts, Loss of traditional knowledge/practices/cultures Potential: Loss of landscape/sense of place |
| Other socio-economic impacts | Destruction of sacred sites. "Palm oil giant Golden Veroleum (GVL) has bulldozed religious sites in southeast Liberia and has paid police armed with assault rifles to protect its plantations, a new Global Witness exposé has revealed. "(Oct. 2016) |
| Project Status | In operation |
| Conflict outcome / response: | Criminalization of activists Migration/displacement Repression Under negotiation Application of existing regulations The Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) found merit in the complaints of the NGOs, especially those which detailed the violation of RSPOs New Planting Procedure, and halted development until reparations were implemented. |
| Proposal and development of alternatives: | Free Prior and Informed consent: Abide by Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) New Planting Procedures and RSPO Principles and Criteria as pledged |
| Do you consider this an environmental justice success? Was environmental justice served?: | Not Sure |
| Briefly explain: | Although grievances were lodged and the company seems to be addressing them, it is evident communities have already suffered irreparable damage and the political atmosphere will allow future developments to continue. |
| References to published books, academic articles, movies or published documentaries |
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| Other comments: | Flamengo International, the holding for the Widjaja Family of Indonesia, owns 50% of GAR. Forest People’s Programme Complaint Letter: “We have gathered evidence and are prepared to show you places where crops were destroyed, shrines were desecrated, villages uprooted and burial grounds and graves sites denigrated… In addition to the above, there are several sites where wetlands including rivers, marshlands, swamps, streams and creeks have been dammed or diverted and polluted.' |
| Contributor: | Aliza Tuttle and Camila Rolando |
| Last update | 18/08/2019 |
| Conflict ID: | 109 |