For Josias Ferroh, only memories remain of his prosperous days as a seaweed farmer. He has not enjoyed profits from seaweed since the Montara oil well at the West Atlas rig in Western Australia, began leaking in 2009. “Finally we're expecting [positive results] from our lawsuit in Australia," he said last week. He now works as village secretary at the Daiama village in East Nusa Tenggara [NTT].

Around 15,000 seaweed farmers in Rote Ndao and Kupa