Activist Petteri has been hard at work, blocking the drainage of carbon-rich peatland in Indonesia (read his first update - and why they are building a dam here).

Update 2

This morning we left camp with two pong pongs - local small boats - and headed for the canal we are damming. Next to the canal we have built a small shelter to protect us from the sun and occasional rain. There we fill our canteens with fresh water and have lunch breaks. I drink about 4 liters of water every day to replace fluids that I sweat out of my body. It is difficult to explain how demanding physical work is in this heat and humidity. It must be experienced - to be believed!

We have now placed 6 out of 8 horizontal beams in our dam and we have placed the first two vertical beams between them. They are hammered down to the canal bottom with our home made log rammers. Now that the base construction is finished the work can proceed faster. We just need to ensure that our material supplies are timed correctly. This can be very difficult since there are no roads where we are working and everything must be transported by pong pongs. The time and level of tide is changing daily and currently water levels are so low that our materials cant be delivered directly to the canal. We must carry them all nearly one kilometer.

The public demand for action on climate change is palpable this morning in Barcelona.

Today marks the beginning the final round of climate talks before December's UN climate summit in Copenhagen – the negotiators have one week to set the stage for the promised deal to stop climate chaos at the summit in December.

As we speak, 23 activists are taking action the Sagrada Familia, demanding world leaders to make the call and push the negotiators to act in Barcelona. While our climbers worked to deploy 3 banners at the Sagrada Familia, those of us not in harnesses joined our partners from TckTckTck to give negotiators a wake up call as they entered the conference center for beginning of the talks.

Hundreds of alarm clocks rang out simultaneously sounding the climate alarm for the negotiators - who seem to have fallen asleep at the wheel-to wake up, put their feet back on the accelerator and help get these negotiations back on track.

If negotiators are going to lay the groundwork for a fair, ambitious and legally binding deal (these are all of the things that the experts say we need for the deal to work) then they need direction from the world leaders. Stand up and make your voice heard, demand a pact to act on climate change.

Watch this space - I’ll be in Barcelona all week, following the negotiations and letting you know if world leaders are making the call for this week’s negotiations to succeed.

Read more about the action (Spanish)

UPDATE: After spending more than 10 hours at the Sagrada Familia, the 600 metre banner has been deployed! Thank you to all of the activists that made the demand “World leaders: make the climate call.” We will have pictures up soon.

More often than not - you only get to see the finished product of our heroic actions -- the brave Greenpeace activists in the photo - doing something awesome to save the planet. And what you rarely see is how they got there or how much preparation it took. In another colourful piece from Rob, the leader of our Climate Defenders Camp in Indonesia, you get to see what happens - behind the scenes - before the press arrives.

As if I don’t have enough to do, Gillo our on the ground web geezer has asked me to write a blog on the construction of the Climate Defenders Camp otherwise known as the CDC; here on the Kampar Peninsula in Sumatra.

We built a camp for the road to Bali project back in 2007, not too far from here actually, in a place called Kuala Cenaku. This time around I thought to do something a bit different. But as I got into the project it became clear that the only way to do a piece of work to the scale that we would like in the run up to Copenhagen was for us to create another static installation like a camp. We need a base for activists and volunteers - somewhere that can become a focal point for the campaign and for community involvement - a hub for communications and a launch pad for activities. Building a camp was the only way to achieve these goals.

Greenpeace activists spent the first day of the climate talks in Barcelona demanding action on climate change from world leaders. After more than 10 hours at the Sagrada Familia, activists scaled the cranes once again to unfurl a 600 metre banner with the message "World leaders, climate make the call" Our call for action continues today as a photo of the action landed on the cover of El País!

UPDATE: The walk out has ended, Kyoto Protocol negotiations will resume again tomorrow. Turns there was some drama and the walk out by the Africa Group proved to be an effective way to get developed countries to realize that business as usual will no longer be tolerated!

The climate talks in Barcelona started with high drama when all negotiations under the Kyoto Protocol (apart from industrialized country targets) were suspended. There was a walk out in the morning and long drawn out moments of silence in the afternoon. Not exactly what springs to mind when you think of successful negotiations, is it?

The suspension means that work on mechanisms, response measures and rules for land use and forestry has ground to a halt. The upside of the suspension is that the inadequate targets that industrialized countries put forward are now under the spotlight. The downside, of course is that the Kyoto architecture and rules that need to be improved are further jeopardized by the delay. For the simple version of what happened, check out the breakdown from Geoff Keeys, our campaigner from New Zealand.

In other news, Denmark was awarded first place ‘Fossil of the Day’ for promoting a ‘politically binding’ agreement as an alternative to a ‘legally binding’ agreement. This is a deliberate attempt by the hosts of the Summit in December to muddy the legal waters. What we need in Copenhagen is an agreement that is legally binding at the international level. For Denmark to suggest anything less, is just providing a way out for governments that are already downplaying or attempting to weaken their responsibility of the outcome. Take Canada for instance, they also received an award for their role in the attempt to shirk legal responsibility.

Stay tuned for more news from inside the talks, I'll be getting the low down from our campaigners and updating you as soon as I can manage to understand it.

Actress Mèlanie Laurent is witnessing deforestation - where climate change starts

From Hikmat, media officer at the Climate Defenders Camp in Indonesia

No flashlights. No red carpets. Don’t talk about fancy five-star hotel because here we don’t even have a proper toilet.

But Inglourious Basterds superstar Mélanie Laurent seems like she's really enjoying life at Greenpeace's Climate Defenders Camp, in the heart of Indonesia's tropical forest, Semenanjung Kampar, Riau Province.

“I miss my comfortable bed, though. But I really am enjoying my stay here,” said Mélanie in the middle of a sunny morning conversation.

We had just finished breakfast. Everyone was gathering in the main area of the camp. Not luxurious but we've got everything that we need: Coffee, milk, bread, fried rice, and friends.

About twenty activists were preparing their gear for the damming activity. They were willing and ready to pull another hard and tiring day of work. Mlanie had already prepared for the trip to Kerumutan Conservation Area to see the beauty of the untouched peatland forest on this beautiful Sunday morning.

The Arctic Meltdown expedition ended a month ago already, but this hasn't stopped me from still obsessing over Arctic sea ice and how it's been changing.
The news wasn't good this summer, and still isn't today.

Aerial view between land clearing and Acacia plantations owned by the two giant pulp and paper producers, Asia Pacific Resources International Holdings Ltd. (APRIL) and Asia Pulp and Paper (APP) at Pelalawan, Riau province, Indonesia
©Ardiles/Greenpeace

From Bustar -- Campaigner at the Climate Defenders Camp

“Our homes are from the forest, our transports are from the forest, our lives are from the forest... Please help us to save our home” Then Mr. Yusup wasn't able to continue his words - as he fell into tears facing US Ambassador for Indonesia and First Secretary of UK Ambassador for Indonesia on their visit to the Kampar Peninsula - invited by Greenpeace. They came to witness in person the latest condition of the Kampar Peninsula as well as to humbly encounter the Teluk Meranti communities and listening directly to their hopes and devastation.

This visit took place before the opening of Climate Defenders Camp. I had the privilege to guide the guests and became the interpreter for them and the communities - who were very enthusiastic regarding this visit.

The excursion for our guests started from Pekanbaru Airport in Riau and continued with a helicopter flight. As soon as we left the airport - there was a clear effort to disrupt our journey by people who were opposed to our work here. They used weather conditions as an excuse and the deforestation company attempted to meet the ambassador but was openly denied.

The helicopter flight to Teluk Meranti took less than one hour and on that journey the ambassador had the chance to witness the current forest destruction - and how it literally impacts climate change and the magnificent beauty of what’s left in Kampar Peninsula.

Daniel Kessler - from our office in the US, writes on the Huffington Post blog.

I'm on the ground in Sumatra at Greenpeace's Climate Defenders Camp. We're here to let world leaders know that this is ground zero for deforestation and if immediate action isn't taken to end the destruction of our rainforests, climate catastrophe is all but assured.

Southeast Asia is the region most exposed to and least prepared for the impacts of climate change, according to the Asian Development Bank. The ADB warns that the poor — and especially women — are the most vulnerable. Approximately 2.2 billion Asians are subsistence farmers; they are already experiencing falling crop yields caused by floods, droughts, erratic rainfall and other climate change impacts.

As well as supporting biodiversity and forest-dwelling communities, forests and their soils are huge carbon stores; they contain nearly 300 billion tones of carbon. That is 40 times more carbon than we currently emit to the atmosphere every year.

Oil is already a losing horse. It is a non-renewable and dwindling source of energy, and according to a study by Association For the Study of Peak Oil (ASPO-USA) we already reached peak oil - in 2005. Since we have already burned the majority of our oil resources from this point on oil only gets more expensive and difficult to find, process, and use. (Not to mention that continuing to burn whatever is left will spell climate catastrophe.) It is high time to recognize the losing nature of oil and move on - and many of us already have.

But the oil industry is having serious trouble coming to terms with its status as 'loser'. Many other losers can probably sympathize. First there is denial: the oil industry continues to ignore winning energy strategies (renewables!) and instead shows off its own unique brand of innovation by finding many new, ridiculously costly and massively destructive ways to flog its own (losing and) dead horse. A good example of this flogging? Tar sands oil.

On a Tuesday, we held a side-event on our plan to reduce emissions deforestation and degradation or REDD. The discussion featured speakers from some of the region's most affected by forest destruction—Brazil, Papau New Guinea, and Indonesia—as on the ground, intimate knowledge of local conditions are essential to designing a successful protection program.

Ending deforestation is a crucial component to tackling climate change since some 20 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions globally come from forest destruction and degradation—more than all the world’s planes, trains, ships, and automobiles.

Greenpeace has proposed a plan for REDD that strives to achieve real, verifiable emissions reductions with a system that protects the rights of indigenous peoples and maintains the irreplaceable biodiversity of tropical forests with a fund-based financing program.

Brazil has already approved a funding mechanism, the Amazon Fund, which is much touted at the climate talks. Indonesia’s support today of an Indonesian Fund is an indication that a flexible approach to a REDD fund can be a big win not only for the climate but also for the forests, their biodiversity and the peoples that depend on them.

We're all wondering what countries are going to deliver in Copenhagen and from what I'm learning this week, some countries are going to do their best to try and fool us. The climate negotiations have arrived at yet another war over words that might prove detrimental to a deal in Copenhagen this December. Check this one out - developing countries are demanding that negotiators stick to the commitment of a legally binding treaty while developed countries seem to be pleased with showboating their new idea of a politically binding agreement. Sound like just semantics to you? May sound like it but consider this: When was the last time you trusted a promise that a politician made to you before they took steps to make good on it?

When I saw this statement- made by a delegate at the negotiations- I immediately thought it was the best way I could explain the difference to my Mom. Have a read, leave a comment and let me know what you think.

“I do not know anything called a politically binding agreement. They are worth very little. Tell me of any politician that delivered on their (election) manifesto,” Lumumba Stanislaus Di-Aping, a delegate with Sudan.

OK, so maybe it sounds like a whole lot of unwarranted distrust to you, so let’s use President Obama as an example. I campaigned and voted for President Obama based on the promises he made. As someone that cares about the environment, I was inspired by his statements about leading the world in the fight against climate change. After he was elected, he talked about returning science to its rightful place and leading the world in a solution to the climate crisis. But just 32 days out, where is the leadership and return to science that my President Obama promised? How much longer do I trust in promises without any accountability?

Selamat Sore...my name is Laura, I am a German Greenpeace-activist, writing to you out of one of the last ancient forests - the Paradise forest of Sumatra (I'm in the photo above at the back on the left).

Just over two weeks ago I was given the opportunity to go, for four weeks, to the "Climate Defenders Camp" in Indonesia. I had no idea what I should expect and I had no idea what I would do there, I was just told it would be a lot of hard work. But of course - I said yes.

It was quite a strange feeling to go to a country or even a continent I'd never been to before. But without any ideas, what would happen and without knowing anybody I would meet, I had a good feeling because I knew, that I would meet people from all over the world, who have one thing in common:

The intention of saving the last parts of the Paradise Forest from destruction for palm and acacia plantations. And most importantly - to save the climate, which is changing partly as a result of deforestation.

Here's the latest from Hikmat -- at the Climate Defender's Camp

I am now on the peatland area of Semenanjung Kampar, half an hour away by boat from our camp.

As far as I can see are bushes, grasses, several trees, and bushes again. Man, this is not the rainforest. Semenanjung Kampar has more than 700, 000 hectares of forest, storing more than 2 billion carbon in it. But the latest data shows that almost half of this forest, approximately 300, 000 hectares is already destroyed for plantations.

I'm in the part that's been destroyed.

This morning as the delegates strolled into the conference for another day of business as usual, the sky darkened, lightening struck, winds began to swirl and the rain started coming down sideways.Usually sunny Barcelona saw the makings of a pretty serious mock storm (courtesy of Greenpeace activists) to give delegates here a taste of what the future could look like if a fair, ambitious and binding climate deal is not delivered as promised.

It’s the last day of the climate negotiations in Barcelona and while I sit in the Fira center waiting to see what happens next - activists are taking action and calling the US out for being history’s largest polluter and failing to act on climate change. Banners were deployed at Barcelona’s statue of Christopher Columbus (which points towards the U.S.) reading"Climate Chaos, who is to blame?".

There are a few hours left here in Barcelona for negotiators to make sure the stage is set for a fair, ambitious and legally binding deal to be struck in Copenhagen. Let’s see if they can discover the will to do it.

If you read Spanish (or can hit a translate button) you can follow the action in real time.

It’s the last day of the climate negotiations in Barcelona, I’m sitting in my hotel lobby after attending the final session at the negotiations in Barcelona and reflecting on all that has happened - and failed to happen - this week.

For all of the climate experts out there, please forgive me for oversimplifying what has happened behind closed doors between politicians but I’m just tryin’ to keep it real here.

• Industrialised countries have to stop pointing the finger and blaming developing countries. The issue of climate change is too important to be dealt with through political promises. We need a legally binding agreement that governments cannot ignore.
• The countries lowering expectations for Copenhagen are, not surprisingly, the same ones refusing to act – not to name names but… the United States, EU, Australia, Canada and Japan.
• There is enough time. All the pieces are in place. What we are actually missing is political will and leadership from developed countries.

There has been a lot of talk the last couple of days about a fair, ambitious, legally binding deal being impossible by December. But consider this - they also said we wouldn’t get the Climate Convention in 1992 - we did, they said Bush Sr. wouldn’t sign it – but he did; they said we couldn’t get Kyoto - but we did.

From Suzette, communications coordinator at the Climate Defenders Camp in Indonesia
It almost feels like a home coming. Landing back in Indonesia and then travelling into the back-blocks of Sumatra. In the last few years I’ve been lucky enough to spend some time here working for Greenpeace on climate and forest issues.

I can’t boast any command of the local language but I definitely feel a connection to this land. Coming from New Zealand, I know I have a lot to learn about the history and life in general here in Indonesia, but there’s a common understanding I share with the people I meet in Indonesia; the desire and will to save the remaining forests.

As such, I’ve been angered by some of the comments from certain think-tanks that have recently been reported in the media.

One of these was a comment pretty much accusing NGO’s – like Greenpeace – of ruining local people’s economic ‘wealth’. I wish these so called ‘concerned interests’ could be present here at the Greenpeace climate defenders camp and witness the shared passion from Greenpeace volunteers and the local community in preserving the real wealth that they own – their forest home.

Our Action-Pact virtual march on Copenhagen has been going for less than two weeks, and we already have 10,000+ 11,000 entries! These Virtual Cardboard Care Packages are being sent from all around the world with clever messages demanding polticians deliver a pact to act on climate change. Here are just a few of my favourites:

The best slogan is going to be put on a banner and displayed, Greenpeace-style (wink wink wink), at the Copenhagen summit -- you can vote for your faves in the gallery. Many of these characters are going to be marching across a jumbo video screen as well, reminding delegates that the whole world is watching. Got something to say? Don't contain yourself, tell the world’s polluters to PACK IT IN!

16 activists in four rigid-inflatable boats got to the cargo ship, the Federico II. Four of them boarded the ship holding banners asking Spanish President Zapatero to stop climate change. Two of them locked on the mast and another two tried to block the pilot ladder. Other activists stayed in the inflatables in order to block the ship.

Hi! My name is Pablo, Greenpeace activist from Spain, and I'm writing this e-mail from the Climate Defenders Camp, that Greenpeace set up in Sumatra, Indonesia.

It has been pretty depressing to see all the forest destruction here. Big areas of jungle have been burnt and other deforested areas are now full of plantations of palm, eucalyptus trees and other commercial species.

But here we are, building a dam in a canal so that the jungle doesn't dry out (companies drain the peatland by carving canals in the earth - to prepare it for plantations). We are working very hard (often in extreme weather conditions here!) to stop the deforestation - which is contributing to climate change.

We are a team of people from different nationalities joined together and fighting peacefully for the same cause and I always try to stay positive in spite of the heat, mosquitoes, police pressure and the other hardships we have to deal with. I'm completely sure this work is worth doing and we'll achieve our goal of protecting the Sumatran jungle and therefore, as everything is interlinked in this world our Mother Earth.

Warm regards from the Climate Defenders Camp in Sumatra.

Pablo, Greenpeace Spain Volunteer

>>Read more about the Climate Defenders Camp
>>Join the call for an ambitious deal at the UN Climate Summit in Copenhagen this December including a forest fund

Today our activists, from the Climate Defenders Camp in Indonesia, locked down four excavators in the carbon-rich Kampar Peninsula belonging to pulp and paper company APRIL to highlight the need to immediately halt all deforestation in Indonesia.

Carbon emission from deforestation and degradation of forest and peat land areas is the major contributor to Indonesia being the third largest emitter in the world.

At 6.15 am more than 50 activists arrived at the APRIL site. Half an hour later three excavators have been locked down and a banner deployed saying " OBAMA YOU CAN STOP THIS".

With three teams blocking excavators, other activists are holding smaller signs saying "climate crime", in reference to APRIL's huge contribution to climate change through its massive clearance of forests, with fresh evidence of illegal deforestation.

Follow the action on Twitter or the Climate Defenders page.

These are the first photos from the direct action in the Kampar Peninsula, in the heart of the Indonesian forest. Activists, from the Climate Defenders Camp in Indonesia, made their way to the site of climate criminal APRIL, one of the largest pulp and paper companies in the Kampar Peninsula. Activists then locked down four excavators and deployed a banner reading "OBAMA YOU CAN STOP THIS".

Greenpeace activists are making their way by boat to the direct action location in the Indonesian forest.

Activists carry material to the direct action site from the Climate Defenders Camp, including a banner saying "OBAMA YOU CAN STOP THIS".

Spanish activist making his way to the site of the direct action where four excavators have been locked down.

Indonesian activists carry material towards the site of climate criminal APRIL, one of the largest pulp and paper company operating in the Kampar Peninsula.

>>Read the full action story here
>>Join the call for an ambitious deal in Copenhagen including a forest fund

Images © Greenpeace/Will Rose

Activists from our Climate Defenders Camp in Indonesia have just locked down three more excavators bringing to a halt all seven of APRIL's excavators in one of the pulp and paper's concessions in the Kampar Peninsula.

Earlier this week Greenpeace released fresh evidence of APRIL conducting forest clearing and peat drainage in this area. There are strong indications that the peat is deeper than three meters - illegal to drain under Indonesian law - despite APRIL's statements that it has ceased operations in the peninsula.

Aerial view of the APRIL concession taken yesterday. (c) Greenpeace/John Novis

Greenpeace activists will keep the lockdown and direct action until APRIL issues a public statement in which it commits once and for all to stop all clearing in the Kampar Peninsula.

» Follow the action on Twitter or the Climate Defenders page.

Bustar Maitar, campaigner at our Climate Defenders Camp in Indonesia, has told pulp and paper giant APRIL that the activists will not leave the concession until the company publicly commits to halting all deforestation and peat land destruction in the Kampar Peninsula.

Heavy rain has began pouring down where the direct action is taking place, and Greenpeace activists are still preventing company personnel from accessing the excavators used to destroy the forest.

As Barack Obama arrives in Asia for his first visit to the region as President and while the United States continues to block progress ahead of the critical UN climate negotiations at Copenhagen next month, a 50-strong international team of Greenpeace activists issued him an urgent call to action from the heart of Indonesia’s threatened rainforests

A number of police arrived onsite earlier from the local town of Teluk Merante to observe the action. They left with no arrests made.

Greenpeace has issued a Press Release highlighting the urgency of halting all deforestation and calling on President Yudhoyono and world leaders to protect forests worldwide and prevent runaway climate change.

One group of activists unfurled a 20x30 meter banner in a freshly destroyed area of rainforest urging Obama to take strong leadership and work closely with other Heads of State to help avert a climate crisis. Another group locked themselves to seven excavators to halt rainforest destruction.

>>Read the full action story here
>>Join the call for an ambitious deal in Copenhagen including a forest fund

Another update on the latest events at our Climate Defenders Camp in Indonesia.

In response to our letter that voiced concerns - both from local communities and Greenpeace itself - regarding active clearing in the Kampar Peninsula, pulp and paper company APRIL stated that they had yet to begin active clearing in the area.

Fresh evidence was uncovered earlier this week thanks to satellite image analysis that left no doubts as to new clearing from APRIL, and raised damning suspicions regarding the drainage of peat land areas deeper than three meters - the maximum depth allowed by Indonesian law.

A few hours ago, we brought the evidence to a public meeting held by APRIL in the region capital of Pekanbaru where the company was introducing the latest of a string of High Value Forest Assessments aimed at greenwashing its image.

APRIL has not responded to this statement as yet.

>>Read the full action story here
>>Join the call for an ambitious deal in Copenhagen including a forest fund

As darkness fell last night, our activists from the Climate Defenders Camp in Indonesia, ended yesterdays action against pulp and paper giant APRIL who continue to be involved in mass forest clearance, despite repeatedly stating that they have ceased such activities in the Kampar Peninsula.

The action, undertaken in the heart of the Sumatran rainforest, successfully prevented APRIL staff from using excavators and heavy machinery, stopping the clearing of carbon-rich peatland and intact forest for 10 hours.

Around 40 activists have been taken to the district police station and continue to be detained for questioning today. Two thirds of these committed activists are from Indonesia, the rest are foreign nationals from around the world.

The call to stop deforestation and peatland drainage was heard all the way to Helsinki, where Finnish global paper giant UPM-Kymmene has stated it will stop buying pulp from APRIL. This is a major win in the fight against runaway climate change as deforestation and peat land degradation are the two major causes of greenhouse gas emission in Indonesia, the worlds third largest emitter of CO2 after the US and China.

>>Read the full action story here
>>Join the call for an ambitious deal in Copenhagen including a forest fund

©Ardiles Rante-Greenpeace

When I heard about this, my first question was, "Can I do the robot?" Turns out the answer is YES! You can upload your own dance video, and it can be any kind of dance.

From the Dance for the Climate website:

Any dance is fine for us, whether it's just you alone or thousands of people at a festival. Make them dance, shout, jump, whatever they like. Get it on video and upload it by following the instructions below.

Stand by for rocking out robot style.

Great footage from the ground in Indonesia - where our activists have been taking direct action at the frontline of forest destruction.

>>Check out the full action story here.

>>Join the Climate Defenders by calling for an ambitious deal at the UN Climate Summit in Copenhagen this December - including a forest fund.

Here is an update from Sarah Burton at our Climate Defenders Camp in Indonesia, which is now being shutdown by the police.

Today I arrived in Pekanbaru, second largest city in Sumatra and a mere 4 1/2 hours away from the climate defenders camp, which is where I was headed, together with local campaigner Joko, and Ilona a young campaigner from our office in Russia who is spending a few weeks in our South East Asian office.

I am the Deputy International Programme Director, normally based out of Amsterdam. A grand title, but what I really like to do is get to where the action is, and at the moment there is nowhere more action-packed than this, I thought.

I was right, it seems. After the wonderful action in the forest last Thursday (a fabulous picture of which is currently taking a full page in the International Herald Tribune's Asia edition, in an ad aimed at President Obama, on a visit to Singapore) the local police took against the climate defenders - rather than the climate destroyers.

What an amazing day we have had here in Indonesia today...

In a surprising move, the chief of police of Pelalawan district has revoked yesterdays eviction order after 300 locals from nearby Teluk Meranti village turned up at the camp this morning to show their support.

The eviction notice was delivered in response to pressure from climate criminals after pulp and paper giant APRIL's operations were stopped by Greenpeace activists for over 10 hours on Thursday. An action which was strongly supported by local communities.

"We want Greenpeace to stay in this camp as long as possible. Their presence in Semenanjung Kampar is really helping us to protect this forest from destruction," said Suwandi, a school teacher in Teluk Meranti, "If in the future Greenpeace is forced to leave Kampar, we demand that APRIL should also get out of Kampar" he added.

Sarah Burton, our Deputy Programme Director, shares her excitement with us as she witnesses the community support and the eviction reversal for our Climate Defenders Camp in Indonesia

Well, when I finished writing yesterday, I really thought that I would be going to the Climate Defenders Camp to bear witness to a peaceful demonstration of activism being disrupted and our team and local community representatives being evicted.

What a difference a day makes. I did bear witness, indeed, but to something altogether more inspiring...to people power in its most direct form.

Sarah applauds the local communities for their efforts to protect their forests and thanks them for their support of Greenpeace. ©Ardiles Rante/Grenpeace

Satu, campaigner onboard our ship the Arctic Sunrise - writes from the Baltic Sea:

The Baltic Sea was rather calm and the weather surprisingly warm for November, when six activists from the Arctic Sunrise boarded the cargo ship Happy Ranger in Fehmarn Belt, the straits between Denmark and Germany. The ship is carrying steam generators - one of the main components of the Olkiluoto 3 nuclear power plant, which is being built in Finland. The construction of the plant has been plagued by problems since the very beginning, and at the moment it is over three years delayed and more than double over budget. And the same companies that own the new reactor are now investing in new fossil fuel plants!

From Sarah Burton in Jakarta - who wrote earlier from our Climate Defenders Camp).

I have learned that in campaigning things can change overnight, of course, and in this campaign, I have learned that things can change two or three times overnight.  Here's what happened overnight.

Yesterday one of our volunteers at the climate camp, a technical specialist from Brussels, was removed by the local police to their local station. Meanwhile a couple of journalists from India and Italy and a few more Greenpeace activists and campaigners were on their way from Pekanbaru to the camp. The police car hauling our volunteer away saw them coming down the road. The upshot is that all were detained at a local police station and questioned to the wee small hours. Then they were put up for the night locally and made to return next morning (that would be this morning actually) for more questioning.

And the story the authorities tells keeps changing: they are being detained on immigration charges, they are being detained but not charged, they are on the wrong visas, they have the wrong (or no) paperwork to travel in the region.  But we can see what is happening, there is a fear of international attention for the campaign.  

Indonesian authorities have ramped up Intimidation tactics against Greenpeace activists, independent media and local community members supporting our Climate Defenders Camp on the Kampar Peninsula on the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

Yesterday Riau police detained Indian and Italian journalists along with Greenpeace activists from Germany, Belgium and Italy, who were en-route to the climate defenders camp. They are still being held by the authorities and were questioned through the night.

The activists and journalists are traveling on valid business and journalist visas, and were on their way to meet the villagers of Teluk Meranti, who had mobilised to support Greenpeace climate defenders on Sunday.

When both you and the journalists who are accompanying you start getting arrested and deported it's usually a sign that you're doing something right. At least that's the case if you work for an organisation that takes direct action against injustice.

Amidst the detainments and deportations, tensions and tears in Indonesia - there is good news! The Indonesian government has just suspended the license of paper and pulp giant APRIL on the Kampar Peninsula. This means that they are forbidden to destroy any carbon-rich forests or peatlands in this area - pending a review of the company's permits.

Our activists have been stopping forest and peatland destruction on the peninsula and highlighting the significant role this destruction plays in climate change. With just 17 days before the UN Climate Summit in Copenhagen they have clearly been ruffling a few feathers in Indonesia. But they have also significantly raised the level of international attention on the deforestation issue.

As the authorities are removing our activists, we're calling on the President of Indonesia to permanently remove the real offenders - and show real leadership in the run up to Copenhagen and stop the ongoing forest destruction by major corporations - click here to take action and support this call.

It is unclear at the moment if anyone from outside Indonesia or from the press is going to be allowed to visit the camp, despite their status either as legitimate guests of the country or journalists. There is also of course the risk that the authorities will try and close the camp down again. We simply can't afford to let that happen. The Indonesian authorities need to stop intimidating peaceful activists who are trying to help President Yudhoyono fulfill the commitment he has made to cut Indonesia’s massive CO2 emissions.

When the police tried to shut down our camp last time they were stopped by overwhelming numbers of local people coming out in support of the camp. Once again the local community have returned to the camp to show support despite the fact that police surveillance still hangs over the camp like a dark cloud. We can't be sure what will happen next...

But here's a message with even more good news from Chiara, an Italian activist from Sicily, who wrote this as she was about to be deported from Indonesia earlier today. She was detained by police before she even reached the camp!

Hello forest fighters!

As you maybe already know I'm one of the most "dangerous Italians in Indonesia" and I will leave the country in few hours to come back Italy. By now I am sure that many of you are aware of what's been happening to our activists at the Climate Defenders Camp.

Tom, Corinna and the 2 journalists who were accompanying us to the camp were given the deportation order two days ago and yesterday we came back to Jakarta where Raimondo (journalist) and I were picked up by the people of the Italian embassy - who took us under their authority.

Tom and I participated in a press conference which was organised by the Greenpeace South East Asia office so that we could tell our story to international and local media.

Since we were stopped by the police just a few kilometres away from the camp - the Greenpeace office in Italy started issuing press releases and faxes. They also made calls to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here. They did an excellent job and this produced STRONG outcomes in the media - making waves to ALL political levels in Italy.

I gave dozens of interviews with national newspapers, radio and
magazines. Yesterday the Espresso published an interview with Raimondo together with a beautiful photo gallery.

And the response is overwhelming! The Italian government has now publicly declared a strong position on forest protection in order to save the climate - for the first time!

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also demanded an explanation from the Italian ambassador in Indonesia - just as the Indonesian Vice President and his delegation is arriving in Rome for a diplomatic visit.

In a few hours I will be escorted by the ambassador to the airport to get my passport and then I am being deported to Italy. I really would like to send the strongest embrace to all the people at the camp that I couldn't join. I'm very proud of what you did and will keep doing!

Please stay tuned. It is far from over - and we really need your support!

baci e abbracci a tutti
Chiara

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After what she describes as two very emotional and intense weeks at the Climate Defenders Camp in Sumatra, Corinna Hölzel, Forest Campaigner from Germany has now left Indonesia. Corinna had intended to stay in the camp much longer but after our successful actions against climate criminals APRIL, circumstances have changed and tight restrictions have been placed on foreigners travel within Riau Province.

Before leaving, Corinna took some time to describe her experiences working with the local community to preserve this vital rainforest ecosystem:

I belong to the group of people who at least had a chance to stay in the Climate Defenders Camp for some days, but some of my colleagues who arrived later than me haven't had the opportunity to make this important experience at all.

Now that foreigners are not allowed to go to the village of Teluk Meranti or the camp, and while our Indonesian colleagues are interrogated by the police, I am concerned what will happen to the people from the local communities that supported our work and prevented the eviction of the camp.

In Indonesia, the police and companies like APRIL and Sinar Mas are very much linked and they are working together on a common goal - to kick Greenpeace out of this region. After I was detained and questioned by the police they told me that I am not allowed to return to the camp. I asked him why, and got a strange answer: He said that before Greenpeace established the camp on Kampar peninsula all people were happy and calm. Since Greenpeace is has been here the region has divided into pro and anti Greenpeace, and they fight against each other. For him the only solution is to remove Greenpeace.

I told him that I experienced the people as very aware and self confident. They know exactly what the forest means to them and what will happen once the big companies take their land and convert it into plantations.

Rather than removing Greenpeace they should instead respect the will of local communities.

Even though it was short, I will always remember my time in the camp where I worked together with local people and activists from all over the world to achieve one aim: Save the forest and the climate.

The work was hard – I never understood why the indonesian sandbags have to weight about 40 kilos – and the temperature was high. But it was worth every single minute. The atmosphere in the camp was great, and my abrupt goodbye - caused by my removal by the police - was very touching. Now I am glad to hear that the locals are continuing to build the dam.

The large majority of the locals don't want to give their land to the big companies like APRIL. They know this is short sighted because even if they get some money for selling the land it won't be enough. I talked to some people who live from fishing, small scale agriculture and usage of the forest. In the biodiverse peat forest they find medicine, fruit, nuts, mushrooms and building material. They can cultivate rice inside the forest. On the fields near the village they plant corn and oil palms for their own use and to sell at the local market. Whilst walking through the village you see some cattle, chicken and goats. They say the forest is their 'supermarket’, the only difference is that it's for free.

Azwir, a local farmer, told me he has enough income to cover all his expenses. This would change dramatically if the forest is taken by APRIL or Sinar Mas who would clear it and dry the soil. The free supermarket would go bankrupt, and the fish stocks would decrease heavily. Hence he would need more money to feed his family. Where should the money come from? I asked him if he could work on the plantations. But he refused because it would make him dependent on the big companies and he would earn less. And also because he wants his children and grandchildren to grow up with the forest. That's why he fights for the protection of forest and against 'the company’ (what the people are calling APRIL) and against the government which has already given a 24,000 ha concession on community land to APRIL.

He also signed up a letter which sent the community to the Government in May 2009. They have never received an answer.

I was very impressed by the resoluteness of Azwir. He is aware that his forest is not only important for him and his community, but he knows about the its’ global importance as well. He has big hopes in the climate summit in Copenhagen and that the international community will agree to measures which will protect his forest. He would like to go to Copenhagen and tell his story to the world. He says he would do lots of things in order to protect his forest, but he would never leave it. He will never leave his village Teluk Meranti and move to another place but "fight until the end".

>> Read more about the Climate Defenders Camp

>> Join the call for an ambitious deal at the UN Climate Summit in Copenhagen this December including a forest fund

From Ashish, a Campaigner from India, who has finally arrived at the camp:

We got into the Climate Defenders Camp late Friday night, the yellow Greenpeace banner emerging out of the night as our boat crossed the river from Teluk Banjai. I got to Jakarta over a week ago, and was beginning to wonder if I would ever see the camp, after the police harassment and deportations of last week. But I was finally here. There wasn't time for much more than a round of introductions, some dinner and then sleep.

This morning however, I got my first good look around the area. We first headed for the dam across one of the canals which is draining the peatland. Work on the dam started about three weeks ago, and it is almost finished. These canals have been dug to drain peat waters into the river, rendering the peatland dry enough for commercial cultivation; by damming the canal we are reversing the process and restoring health to the peatland, aside from preventing further CO2 loss.

The best bit about this effort is that it is the community of the nearby village of Teluk Maranti taking the lead, with Greenpeace supporting. Bustar, Indonesia forests campaigner, says this is because they are convinced of the benefits. Aside from their dependence on the forest, the peat waters are also highly acidic and a sudden increase in peat water flowing into the river affects fish and shrimp productivity.

Next we headed to the Kerumutan conservation area, further upstream of Teluk Maranti. This 1000 square km area is being protected, and offers a glimpse of what these peatland forests should look like, if we only left them alone. Calm but murky peat waters reflect the leaves and
branches above them, and the many fish traps along the way show that the waters provide an important source of livelihood for the community.

Tomorrow I will be heading back to the dam, this time to help in the construction. So far we haven't been harassed by the police, maybe they're taking a weekend break! And even as I send this, our many friends from Teluk Meranti have arrived to visit us! Later!

>> Read more about the Climate Defenders Camp

>> Join the call for an ambitious deal at the UN Climate Summit in Copenhagen this December including a forest fund

There is a big buzz in the Climate Defenders Camp this afternoon. With at least 400 local visitors, including loads of children, and plenty of laughing and singing – it’s open house again. Krisna Mukti, a famous indonesian singer and actor, is just one of the attractions. Youngsters of Teluk Meranti are having a Bantun contest – which is a very nice Malai Tribe tradition to form your everyday life into poems. I know I miss a lot not being able to understand it – todays Bantun poems are all around forests. Public outreach in the camp is both amazing and motivating.

I finally made it to the camp yesterday evening after almost getting grey in hotelrooms– it was empowering right away from the first step entering it. We (Swiss and Indian campaigners, accompanied by Indonesian colleagues) made sure to travel the last part of the trip in the dark as we wanted to reach the camp at least before possibly getting detained and deported. This happened to our friends from Italy, India and Belgium last Monday.