Search Climate Insights Directory

The document investigates how decentralization in Indonesia has interacted with existing social power structures and histories of violence to create new conflicts over resource control. It argues that decentralization is not a neutral administrative shift but a process that can normalize violence, empower new ethnic elites, and facilitate illegal resource extraction when not accompanied by effective law enforcement and reinvestment guidelines. The author highlights the role of 'preman' (thugs) and the continued involvement of the military in illegal logging, suggesting that the shift from a centralized 'preman state' to a decentralized system has often merely replaced one set of elites with another.

The report finds that over 60% of global coral reefs are threatened by local human activities, rising to 75% when heat stress is included. In the Coral Triangle, this figure exceeds 85%. The document highlights that while 28% of global reefs are in marine protected areas (MPAs), only 6% are effectively managed. It predicts that by 2050, nearly all reefs in the Coral Triangle will be threatened, with over 90% facing high to critical risks due to the combined effects of local pressures, ocean warming, and acidification.

Ecological connectivity allows animals to move freely to find food and breed, sustaining natural processes that provide clean air, soil, and water. Human activities—including infrastructure development, deforestation, and overfishing—fragment these habitats, leading to human-wildlife conflict and ecosystem breakdown. Climate change further necessitates connectivity as species must move to adapt to shifting environments. WWF implements restoration strategies such as wildlife corridors and sustainable land-use planning, exemplified by projects in Borneo, Southern Africa, the Mekong region, and the Terai Arc. To scale these efforts, WWF co-created the Wildlife Connect initiative with the Center for Large Landscape Conservation and the IUCN WCPA.