In Riau, Indonesia, Women Organize for Environmental Justice

In Riau, Indonesia, women from villages such as Sungai Berbari and Pungkat are utilizing the Global Forest Watch (GFW) platform and training from the Women Research Institute to combat the negative impacts of large-scale agricultural operations. These operations have caused water pollution, respiratory diseases due to dust and peatland burning, and limited access to healthcare. By overlaying village maps with GFW datasets on tree cover loss and fire alerts, women have gained the evidence needed to link company activities to local environmental issues. This data-driven approach, combined with public speaking and policy training, has enabled them to pressure the government for haze emergency supplies and convince companies to fund reproductive healthcare. Future initiatives include developing a community-based early warning system for forest fires using GFW Fires to improve response times and corporate accountability.

• Large-scale agricultural operations in Riau cause significant environmental and health issues, including water pollution and acute respiratory disease caused by dust from haul trucks and the burning of carbon-rich peatland.
• Women are disproportionately affected by poor land use planning because they manage domestic duties, childcare, and household finances, yet they are systematically excluded from formal land use decisions due to cultural norms.
• The use of the Global Forest Watch platform allows women to link specific company operations to environmental damage by overlaying village maps with data on fire alerts, tree cover loss, and palm oil production suitability.
• Advocacy training and data access have led to tangible community improvements, such as the provision of face masks during haze emergencies and the hiring of a midwife in Pungkat to address reproductive healthcare gaps.
• The Women Research Institute plans to create a community-based early warning system for forest fires using GFW Fires to enable near real-time monitoring and hold responsible companies accountable.

APA

World Resources Institute (2017). In Riau, Indonesia, Women Organize for Environmental Justice. https://www.wri.org/insights/riau-indonesia-women-organize-environmental-justice

Chicago

World Resources Institute. In Riau, Indonesia, Women Organize for Environmental Justice. 2017. https://www.wri.org/insights/riau-indonesia-women-organize-environmental-justice.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=In Riau, Indonesia, Women Organize for Environmental Justice |date=13 September 2017 |url=https://www.wri.org/insights/riau-indonesia-women-organize-environmental-justice |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitute2017riau, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{In Riau, Indonesia, Women Organize for Environmental Justice}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2017}, month = sep, url = {https://www.wri.org/insights/riau-indonesia-women-organize-environmental-justice}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }